Sir

I received yours of the 1^st Instant last night and in reply beg to say that in listening to the very interesting and instructive paper by M^r Anderson Henry on the subject of Hybridization of Plants it brought to my recollection the experiment which I had made on the Potato a great many years before.¹ I am afraid however that all I have to say on the subject will be very meagre and of very little use in a scientific point of view.—

The experiment was made with two sorts which are now supposed to have perished with the Potato disease.— They were at the period extensively cultivated in Forfarshire where I then was and were called the old Blue and the large American the latter a very coarse potato   The sets were cut with a very sharp knife and only one eye was left which was divided as near as possible through the middle and carefully joined to the eye of the other and kept in its place by a piece of bass.— There might be about Sixty sets so treated.— The results were very various. Some produced Potatoes all white, some all blue; Some with part all white and part all blue and a few probably four or five had the produce regularly mottled.—² The only difference that I observed from the rest of the crop was that the Potatoes were much smaller in size though not less numerous

The two sorts experimented on, regularly produced the one white and the other blue flowers. Not having then any idea that the subject was of any interest I did not pay any attention to the colours of the flowers where the varieties seem to have united and in consequence of removal from the house and garden the experiments were not repeated as I had no opportunity at that time of continuing them and I had totally lost sight of the subject till I heard M^r Henrys valuable Paper

The foliage of the blue Potato was of a much darker green than the other.— If there are any further particulars which you would wish to know it will give me great pleasure to supply them.— I am scarcely a Botanist but have often amused myself producing new varieties of florists flowers by crossing

I am | Sir | Yours Faithfully | Robert Trail