Nearly every species of vegetable is changed, and usually improved, when transplanted from its native wilds into cultivated grounds.

1st. The Perennial gains in size of fruit or seed, but usually not in quality. This improvement is often at the expense of hardiness, its more rapid growth exposing it to atmospheric changes at midsummer, as well as protracting its growth often into the cold damps of autumn.

2d. The Annual and Biennial, on being reproduced in cultivated grounds, is altered in quality, as is seen in most of our cultivated grains, roots, and flowers, the most of which may be traced to wild varieties of inferior value.

3d. The Perennial Wildling, on being reproduced in favorable circumstances, changes and often improves, as in the case of the most of our fruits, roots, and flowers, which are likewise traceable to wild originals.

4th. The ordinary Annual and Biennial, on being frequently reproduced and wisely cultivated, acquires a stereotyped character. (1). In quality, as in the case of our common grains, melons, tomatoes, etc, which, under similar circumstances, show little change in quality from year to year. (2). In trueness to soft. The most of our grains, roots, and flowers, have been so long cultivated in circumstances of the highest culture, that they do not, when cultivated alone, sprout into new varieties.

5th. The cultivated Perennial, on being reproduced, does not exhibit this stereotyped adherence to sort, but sprouts into still new varieties, often in a retrograde course. Thus, the Swaar Apple, Early York Peach, Virgalieu Pear, and the finest varieties of tulips, etc, rarely, if ever, reproduce themselves.

6th. The Potato, however, differs from all other perennials with which I am experimentally acquainted; first, in the fact that quite frequently it reproduces itself almost exactly; and secondly, that it proportionately produces a larger number of good, new varieties. This last result, however, is not true of every' source from which new varieties are sought, a family of new seedlings, consisting of four or five hundred varieties, sometimes failing to give a single valuable sort.

These things being premised, I propose to make some observations on the difficulties encountered in endeavors to improve the potato by reproduction. •

In the reproduction of new varieties of potatoes, we take the seed balls of some existing variety, which we call the base.

The important traits included in a valuable variety of potatoes, are especially the following: -

1. Good Shape

The Western Red, Oregon, and Wild Peruvian, are good bases whence to derive shapely seedlings. The Rough Purple Chili, the New Jersey Purple, or Black Yam, the Mountain June, and Wild Bogota, are bad bases. The Chili and Mountain June, though affording but few good shapes, produce those which usually remain permanent But the Yam and Bogota Seedlings, though exhibiting numerous fine shapes the first year, are liable to degenerate the second and third years, so that, in the end, nearly all are, in this respect, worthless.

2. White Flesh

The Western Red (the first generation) gives seedlings which are nearly all yellow flesh. From one of that generation that had white flesh, I raised a large family of seedlings that were nearly all white flesh. The Rough Purple Chili also affords seedlings which are nearly all white flesh. The Black or Purple Yam, having very purple flesh, produces very few seedlings that have white flesh the first year, and those few are liable, subsequently, to degenerate into slight shades of purple. The seedlings of the Oregon and Wild Peruvian are very largely white flesh. On the contrary, the Mountain June, though exhibiting very fine white flesh, gives seedlings which are nearly all yellow flesh. Where the parent exhibits no shade of purple, the first year settles the color of the flesh of its seedlings permanently.

3. Hardiness

The Rough Purple Chili is a very strong base, and leaves little to be desired. The Black Yam is but little inferior in strength. The Western Red is next in vigor, and in its second generation gives many strong seedlings. The Oregon and Wild Peruvian are rather feeble bases. The Mountain June, that splendid old early sort, has now for many years been very liable to disease. In strict accordance with this fact, its seedlings are almost all weak, and, notwithstanding its fine shape, are very unshapely, as I have noticed under No. 1 above. There is a strong proof of a law, long known to hold true of fine fruits, that improvement in one direction of successive reproduction is limited, and that we shall frequently find an advantage in going back to the comparative wildling as a base on which to improve. The first year of the life of a seedling, especially if it be one of sudden changes, or hot, damp intensities, almost always settles the question of. its health, in the experience of the careful cultivator.

4. Freedom Of Growth

The Western Red has long been known to exhibit, on an occasional hill, a dwarfed look. It begins a little before midsummer. Such hills cease growing, the lower leaves dry up, the tubers set, and the whole plant ripens prematurely. On digging, the tubers are found to be sound, few, small. The cause of this dwarfing is not obvious. Many seedlings of this variety, even in the second generation, and many seedlings of the Oregon, Bogota, and Wild Peruvian, exhibit the same tendency. Some new varieties exhibit it on almost every hill. Other new varieties, of high excellence otherwise, are occasionally deformed by it. One thing is, perhaps, fully settled, viz: those families of seedlings that were originated in a very dry year, and that were, when young, subjected to successive dry years, are sure to exhibit this liability largely. A variety that has shown no indications of it for the first four years, may be considered safe. This tendency has been the greatest discouragement I have ever encountered in the culture of seedlings.