In Burbank's greenhouses are mated all kinds of wild and tame varieties
of potatoes, producing crosses and combinations truly wonderful as
regards shape, size, and color. One of the most palatable potatoes he
has produced is a magenta color approaching crimson, so distributed
throughout that when the tuber is cut, no matter from what angle, it
presents concentric geometric figures, some having a resemblance to
human and animal faces.

Before entering on any experiment to produce a new creation, Burbank
always takes into consideration the practical end of the experiment,
that is, what the value of the result will be as a practical factor
in commerce, how much it will benefit the race. He does not experiment
for a pastime or a novelty, but for a purpose. His object in regard
to the potato is to make it a richer, better vegetable for a food
supply and also to make it more important for other purposes in the
commerce of the nations.

The average potato consists of seventy-five per cent. water and
twenty-five per cent. dry matter, almost all of which is starch. Now
starch is a very important article from a manufacturing standpoint,
but only one-fourth of the potato is available for manufacturing, the
other three-fourths, being water, is practically waste matter. Now
if the water could be driven out to a great extent and starchy matter
increased it is easy to understand that the potato would be much
increased in value as an article of manufacture. Burbank has not
overlooked this fact in his potato experiments. He has demonstrated
that it is as easy to breed potatoes for a larger amount of starch,
and he has really developed tubers which contain at least twenty-five
per cent. more starch than the normal varieties; in other words, he