Man doing potato research in Edinburgh, Scotland

Jan. 10 Searching for the perfect potato. Little does the specially bred Chinchilla rabbit Spud realise what an important position he has in this world. He is royally kept at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station at Coratorphine, Edinburgh, solely to produce viruses used to experiment in potato research. Mr A W Macarthur, potato research assistant, tries to impress Spud with a potato which this type of rabbit will not eat. 15 YEARS RESEARCH FOR THE PERFECT POTATO: Scotland still leads the world in potato breeding. It was Dr. William Black of Boghall Farm near Edinburgh, Scotland, who discovered the world's best and flawless potato in 1946 after working on it for 20 years and called it the Craig's Bounty'. Research still goes on to counter Stunt Diseases in potatoes and the various odd ailments that affect it. Dr. Black continues his researches with other experts like Dr. C. Cockerman and Dr. T. Mairi R. McGhee at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station at Coratorphine, Edinburgh, in the hope they will be able to immunise all types of potato plants and tubers from the dreaded warts and blights. Experiments are being made with grafts on the Solanum Demissum, a wild Mexican species which is immune from blight and is used for breeding blight resisting potatoes. A special type of Chinchilla rabbit is bred to help researchers. Over 2, 000 varieties of potatoes including many types grown in other parts of the world, are grown and tested in field plots, and if they are found to be up to a given standard the breeders submit their seedlings to the Department of Agriculture and Seed Testing Station next door to their own headquarters

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