FIGHTING THE BLIGHT.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13936, 19 July 1917, Page 1

FIGHTING THE BLIGHT.

BOTANIST-AND POTATOES.

| . ST, PATBICK'S JOB SHAKY,! Mr Cheel, of the Sydney Botanic Gardens, is, an enthusiast in botanical 'experiments. At present (says the "Sun'.') he is trying his luck in hybridising various species of potatoes, in an endeavour to secure blight resisting as well as a prolific stock, The common potato or tuberosum, is prolific, producing about 12 tons to. the acre, but the very fact of its quick multiplication weakens, it, and leaves it more-liable to disease. . ■, '. ;

Mr Cheel hasvbeen nurturing sdnie tubers, one kiwjn as' Commnrsoni, and the other as, Maglia, which were sent ,froni Messrs. Sut|bu and Sons, of Beading, England, Two tubers' of each' tho experimentalist planted in his. homo' garden at Ashficld, on March 7, 1916, After about a fortnight the shoots' came through the soil, but they did not make very great headway, being very spindly, and towards the end of May growth ceased altogether. Mr Cheel lifted them out and replanted them in a warm corner of the garden, where he kept them moist until September, In replacing them he found that the Commersoiii had two tubers, about the size of the originals, which were no bigger than walnuts. Only one tuber of the Maglia could be found, and this was only about a third of the size of the originals, ■,Mr Cheel nursed them carefully, and ou testing the Maglia for tiibers, found three of about twice the size of tho parent, a fact that pointed towards acclimatisation. The Maglia has the virtue of growing its potatoes in a cluster right at tho base of the foliage-a blessing when it comes to harvest time. The Conimersoni's two new tubers produced an abundance of foliage, the shoots in some instances coming through the soil over two feet from where the .fubors were planted.

lii March and April the plants of both species flowered'very freely, and the. botanist pollinated several of the flowers of Maglia with pollen. ■ of Commersoni and vice versa, with tho result that Commersoni bore two plump seedberries. "With these Mr Cheol is eager to try his luek. But even the experienced botanist cannot tell what traits will show themselves. Sometimes the 'offspring is like ono parent, sometimes like tho other, sometimes a composite of both.

There is a violet variety of Commersoni (Mr Cheel's are white) that is fairly proli%, especially on wet land, where it has been known to produce 6} tons to the acre. Without any manuring or cultivation, beyond a single hoeing when ; tho first shoots appeared, such a result was. obtained in 1902 in England. This species is said to be entirely blightresisting, but neither Commersoni nor Maglia is as good an eating potato as Hie tuberosum. If Mr Cheel succeeds in his experiments lo the 'extent of producing a potato with the abundance of edible quality of the tuberosum, the clustering growth of li„glia, ai>«l the blight-resisting virtues of Commersoni, Ireland will surely elect him one of her patron saints, and Australia will have caught at the right time the blight that has threatened her potato crop since .1912,