America's Crop Heritage


of the tubers. Sexual reproduction should rejuvenate the potato.
Goodrich allowed the potato flowers to pollinate naturally, and in
this way crossed the old seed stocks with the new potatoes from
South America. Rigid selections of superior plants were made
from hundreds of seedlings.
 Special Varieties-He called one of the South American potatoes
the "Rough Purple Chili," believing it had come from that
country. "From naturally fertilized seed balls of this variety, pro-
duced in 1852," the potato authority, Stuart, tells us, "he grew
some seedlings in 1853; and from this lot one was selected as
worthy of propagation." This seedling was introduced in 1857
under the name of "Garnet Chili." This variety and other natural
hybrids selected by Goodrich were the breeding stocks of numer-
ous successive potato breeders. Most of the 200 or more potato
varieties found today in the United States descended from the
original consignment by the unknown consul in Panama. (4)
 HELP OF OTHER CONSULS
 Many other American consular officials cooperated in securing
seeds for the Patent Office. Charles Huffnagle, the consul at Cal-
cutta, sent a shipment of Dacca cotton seed to Edmund Burke in
1849. John P. Brown, of the United States Legation at Constanti-
nople, complied with Mason's request for 100 bushels of the best
flint wheat of Turkey. All of the consuls were expected to gather
information on the agriculture of the countries where they were
stationed. Chile and Peru were looked upon as sources of valuable
seeds, especially of wheat, alfalfa, and beans, and special attention
was given to the exchange of seeds with those countries. Several
varieties of pepper, beans, and corn were received from Callao,
Peru, in exchange for American seeds sent there. From Algeria,
12,000 pounds of wheat were procured by the American consul,
John J. Mahony. Two Wardian cases of plants of great economic
value were sent from Ningpo, China, by D. S. MacGowan in 1856.
The Consulate-General of Egypt sent a quantity of seeds of differ-
ent kinds collected there during his residence. Townsend Harris,
Minister-Resident at Yedo, Japan, sent a box of various seeds to
the Patent Office in 1861.
 Japanese Contributions-Robert H. Pruyn, Minister-Resident at
 Tokyo in 1862, sent eighteen boxes of upland rice and grape
 cuttings from the government of Japan to the Department of
 Agriculture. Both items were quite welcome-the rice because