Efim Andreevich Grachev

Born 1826 in St. Petersburg; died there Oct. 15 (27), 1877. Russian vegetable grower, member of the Paris Academy of Agriculture, Industry, and Trade (1877).

Grachev developed four kinds of white cabbage, 12 kinds of turnip, four kinds of red beet, eight kinds of radish, about 35 kinds of garden radish, 25 kinds of fast-ripening corn, eight kinds of pea, three kinds of onion, hybrid types of radish and garden radish, and more than 100 kinds of potatoes. The potatoes that Grachev raised for distilling were distinguished by a high starch content (27–33 percent). Most of these types were cultivated artificially by crossing and then selecting the seeds obtained. Grachev “trained” the plants to withstand cold. Grachev’s types were repeatedly awarded prizes and medals at international exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Vienna, Philadelphia, Brussels, Cologne, and Paris.