32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



pieces and the number of hills. The result was, an equal 

 number of bushels of potatoes produced in each of the two 

 rows, but the rows where the seed ends were planted produced 

 the largest number of very big potatoes, and a great many 

 small ones ; the rows where the butt ends were planted pro- 

 duced potatoes of an even marketable size. 



In reference to the question put by Mr. Day, I will say, that 

 I have no doubt the potato rot is a distinct and specific disease, 

 resulting from a vegetable fungus, the seed of which is in the 

 atmosphere, and is deposited upon the potato vine, or comes 

 in some other way as yet unexplained. You might as well 

 ask whether the yellow fever resulted from cutting potatoes 

 fine or cutting them coarse. 



Then the next question is, why is it that certain potatoes — 

 as, for instance, the old-fashioned Silver Lake, whicli has gone 

 out of date — seems liable to absorb disease more largely than 

 any other potato ? Just about the time of blossoming some 

 of the vines will seem to have a kind of a blast upon them, 

 and there will be no more growth of the potatoes in those hills. 

 I have sometimes, when hoeing, dug up the hills that had that 

 disease, and I have always found that the vine that manifested 

 the disease came from the seed end of the potato. I have 

 sometimes planted whole fields with butt ends, sometimes 

 planting them whole, at other times cutting them into small 

 pieces. I am satisfied of one thing — that the farmers about 

 here use a great deal too much seed in planting potatoes; I 

 do not know how it may be in other places. 



Mr. Low. Facts are stubborn things, and I will refer to 

 the practice of the farmers in Monmouth County, N. J., who 

 supply the New York market with potatoes. There are many 

 farmers there who raise 3,000 bushels a year. They use 

 marl, and they know nothing of the rot there. 



Dr. Baldwin. Do they raise the Silver Lake ? 



Mr. Low. I do not know about that. They raise what is 

 called the Peach Blow extensively. 



Mr. Lyman. Just one word here. I think you may find 

 a solution of the problem in the fact that tlie farmers of this 

 State do not change their seed often enough. I have studied 



