MISCELLANY 



2U 



extension of 'the disease, and decay of the 

 leaves and stalks, often ensue. Botrytis 

 infestam is the name applied to the fungus, 

 and it is on the under surface of the leaf 

 that it is generally found ; it abounds also 

 in the diseased tubers, which, when cut, pro- 

 duce an abundant crop from the fresh sur- 

 face, and it sometimes vegetates even from 

 the natural skins. The resting spores of the 

 fungus may lie dormant through the winter, 

 germinating the next season; and hence, 

 though the eyes of a diseased tuber appear 

 healthy, to plant them would be the certain 

 means of spreading the disease. The same 

 fungus has been found in the berries of the 

 tomato when diseased, and on the leaves of 

 other plants of the natural order Solanacece, 

 but never on any plant not of that order. 



The influences which favor the devel- 

 opment of Botrytis are not well understood. 

 It is most prevalent, however, in cloudy, 

 moist summers, and all authorities agree 

 that it makes its first decided appearance 

 during thundery weather. The exceptional 

 amount of electrical disturbance which ex- 

 tended over almost the whole of England, 

 during July last, appears to have been most 

 unfavorable to the potato-crop, but in a 

 portion of the county of Devon, where 

 thunder-storms are remarkably rare, the 

 potatoes are said to be comparatively free 

 from the disease. The most destructive out- 

 breaks of the blight have been observed to 

 recur at intervals of about twelve years. In 

 1S46, as before mentioned, the disease was 

 general in Europe, and in some places, as in 

 Ireland, it swept away the entire crop. From 

 1859 to 1861 it again did a great amount of 

 damage; and now, in 1872, it is more de- 

 structive than at anytime since 1846. The 

 London Times states that the loss to the 

 country from the destruction of the pres- 

 ent crop will exceed twenty millions ster- 

 ling, and very pertinently asks : " What 

 are we doing, or what have we done, to 

 obviate the recurrence of a disease which is 

 always impending? Probably all we can 

 remember is, that there is always a talk of 

 the potato-rot, and that some years it has 

 been worse than others. We can only say 

 that this is a disgraceful confession. There 

 is no matter in which science could interfere 

 with more advantage ; and we seem to have 

 all the conditions of the subject under con- 



trol." Nature, hi an article upon the sub- 

 ject, admits the force of these remarks, and, 

 pointing out the reasons why neither indi- 

 viduals nor societies should be expected to 

 undertake the work, urges that the govern- 

 ment appoint a commission to investigate 

 the origin, course and remedies for the po- 

 tato-disease. 



" Little objection can be anticipated to 

 the course we advocate, on the ground of 

 the money value at stake in the question. 

 We are at the present time spending a large 

 sum of money and employing the highest 

 talent in the country in the settlement of a 

 claim for a few millions ; to save the country 

 several times as much per annum cannot be 

 objected to as a matter unworthy the atten- 

 tion of our rulers. And yet, because the 

 one infliction will fall upon us in the form of 

 an additional twopence to our income-tax 

 for a single year, the other in the form of a 

 much heavier addition to our butchers' and 

 greengrocers' bills for .many years in suc- 

 cession, we are content in the latter case to 

 grumble and bear it, without making any 

 serious efforts to relieve ourselves from it. 

 Science is often charged with being 'un- 

 practical ; ' indeed, in the minds of perhaps 

 the majority of people, there is a kind of 

 hazy feeling of a necessary antagonism be- 

 tween what is scientific and what is prac- 

 tical. It is time for science to redeem her- 

 self from this imputation, and no better op- 

 portunity could be found than in discover- 

 ing a remedy for the potato-disease." 



Action of Plaster on Soils. Though gen- 

 erally employed by farmers as a fertilizer, 

 the action of plaster (gypsum) on the soil is 

 not well understood. It has been shown, 

 however, by actual experiment, that plaster 

 is capable of absorbing ammonia from the 

 air, and also from decomposing animal and 

 vegetable matter, holding it in the form of 

 sulphide of ammonium. This, again, may 

 be changed into carbonate of ammonia, by 

 absorption of carbonic acid from the air. 

 These changes occur when gypsum is 

 brought in contact with moisture and vege- 

 table matter. Whatever other purpose it 

 may serve, this must be regarded as the 

 most important, as by it plants are supplied 

 with food of the highest value. 



From this fact it may be inferred that 



