The Potato. 
NOTES ON THE NEWER VARIETIES. 
History informs us that the Potato was 
first found growing in the wilds of South 
America early in the seventeenth century, 
but it was by no means in the state of per¬ 
fection in which it may be seen upon our 
dinner tables to-day. So slow was its im¬ 
provement that nearly a century elapsed 
before it was considered of any value as an 
article of food. When propagated from 
tubers in the usual manner, its natural ten¬ 
dency is to deteriorate and revert to its 
primitive condition. The causes which 
produce deterioration are a continual plant, 
ing upon the same soil, or in the same lo¬ 
cality, without changing seed, and imper¬ 
fect cultivation. The remedy is to procure 
not only new varieties, recently produced 
from the seed-ball, but to select such new 
ones as have the greatest amount of natural 
vigor. While it is imperative that we select 
a newly originated variety, to produce the 
best results, it must be remembered that 
the simple fact of its being new is by no 
means a guarantee that it is valuable. 
Probably not more than one in five bun 
dred of chance seedlings produced from 
balls taken at random from a field will be 
of more value than varieties which already 
exist. To produce varieties which have in¬ 
trinsic value enough to enable them to 
stand the trial and become general favorites 
it is necessary to select as parents our best 
and most vigorous varieties, and fertilize 
the blossoms with pollen from other vigor¬ 
ous varieties which possess different but 
equally valuable characteristics. By care¬ 
fully hybridizing them in this manner and 
giving the young seedlings the best of soil 
and cultivation, some splendid varieties 
have been produced within the last few 
years. Careful management is required to 
overcome the tendency toward deteriora¬ 
tion, but in spite of it improvements are 
being made. We make it a rule to test all 
the new varieties which come out, and grow 
annually about one hundred kinds in our 
trial grounds. Many which come to us well 
recommended fail to show any points of 
real excellence, but we occasionally get bold 
of one which possesses actual merit. The 
Early and Late Rose were great improve¬ 
ments over any existing sorts at the time of 
their introduction, but we have better ones 
now. 
The Early Ohio has proved to be a week 
or ten days earlier than the Early Rose, and 
of at least as good quality. It is much the 
same jn color, shorter and thicker in shape, 
and produces a large yield of good sized 
marketable tubers. 
The Early Success ; one of the newest and 
most valuable, as it is decidedly the earliest 
variety yet introduced by Mr. E. S. Brown¬ 
ell, of Vermont. It is a smooth, round, 
white potato, in appearance somewhat re¬ 
sembling the Alpha, and fully as early as 
that variety, but greatly superior to it in 
productiveness and size. 
The Mammoth Pearl is one of the most 
extraordinary varieties that ever came into 
our possession. Compared with many oth¬ 
ers, it is, in season, early, yet not sufficient¬ 
ly early to come into competition with the 
above. The vines are, without exception, 
the most rampant and strong growing of 
any variety we have ever grown, and the 
tubers are fully in keeping in number and 
size. Potato Bugs have no chance at all. 
The vines come up so strong and grow so 
fast and thrifty that they make no percep¬ 
tible impression upon them. The tubers 
are large, smooth, round and white. They 
cook handsomely. 
The Beauty of Hebron. This new variety 
has been thoroughly tested by some of our 
best potato growers and very favorably re¬ 
garded wherever known. It was first claim¬ 
ed to be as early as the Early Rose, but we 
find it ripens somewhat earlier. It will un¬ 
doubtedly become a general favorite as it 
will fill the place of the early Rose as that 
variety ceases to become productive. 
The Burbank Seedling. A seedling of the 
Early Rose, splendid in quality, perfect in 
