It is early fit for the table; matures in short seasons; is very productive; succeeds well in almost any tillable soil; and, having been long acclimated, is one of the best sorts for cultivation at the North,—very good crops having been obtained in Maine and the Canadas.
Purple-Skinned.
New-Orleans Purple. Patate violette. Vil.
Tubers swollen at the middle, and tapering in each direction to a point,—measuring, when well grown, from seven to nine inches in length, and from two to three inches in diameter; skin smooth, reddish-purple; flesh fine-grained, sugary, and of excellent quality. The plants attain a remarkable length, and the tubers are rarely united about the neck as in most other varieties.
The Purple-skinned is early and productive, but keeps badly. It would probably succeed much better in cool climates than either the White or the Yellow. It is much grown in the vicinity of Paris.
Red-Skinned, or American Red.
Tubers fusiform, long, and comparatively slender,—the length often exceeding twelve inches, and the diameter rarely above two inches; weight from three to ten ounces; skin purplish-red, smooth and shining; flesh yellow, very fine-grained, unctuous, sugary, and farinaceous; plant long and slender.
This variety is early, quite hardy, very productive, and excellent, but does not keep so well as the yellow or white sorts. It is well adapted for cultivation in the cooler sections of the United States; where, in favorable seasons, the crop has proved as certain, and the yield nearly as abundant, as that of the common potato.
Rose-Colored. Vil.
Tubers somewhat ovoid, or egg-shaped, often grooved, or furrowed, and of extraordinary size. Well-grown specimens will measure eight or nine inches in length, and four inches or more in diameter; frequently weighing two and a half, and sometimes greatly exceeding three pounds. Skin rose-colored, shaded or variegated with yellow; flesh sweet, of a pleasant, nut-like flavor, but less soft or unctuous than that of the other varieties.