230 



way; that a potato having all the eyes lightly cut out, but one single 

 eye, will remain sound longer and grow more thrifty than one planted 

 in the usual way; that in all cases the soundest potatoes -will be grown 

 from those that remain sound the longest after planting. 



This convinces me, and I do not see why it should not every man, 

 that the rot is caused by the early decay of the tuber that is plarited, 

 which imparts to the plant a sour fermenting juice, disabling it to stand 

 or bear the different varieties of weather, and to perfect the tubers pro- 

 educed. If I have attained to a knowledge of the cause, then it is easy 

 ^to explain the different results of different years, and the reason why so 

 many different theories have been proposed by different writers, viz: 

 ' One has recommended mowing the tops; another planting the feet on 

 ' tbe sides of the hill, and pulling out the tops whilst the potatoes are 

 ' left in the ground. 



Either practice, if performed at a proper time, might prove benefi- 

 • cial to diseased plants, but a diflnculty would occur with many, viz : the 

 proper time to perform either, to prevent disease from entering the tu- 

 bers, as it commences before the signs are visible on the tops; but it 

 might be known by dissecting the stalks. Another has recommended 

 ^tii© 'producing and obtaining sprouts to cultivate instead of tubers; this 

 would be likely to bring forth sound tubers, but they would not be as 

 'saealy and dry as might be desired, and would soon dwarf the potato. 

 Others have kiln-dried the tubers before planting, or cut out the eyes 

 and dried them until they would rattle, thus deadening the juice and 

 preventing its flow, and the result would be the same as that obtained 

 by planting sprouts, with less cost. 



Some recommend planting early to avoid the rot. If the removing 



'the potato from the ground nearly one-half of the year has produced 



■ the rot, then the latter is timely advice, for the potato better be accli- 



' mated to earth than to the cellar, for it will grow under ground and 



form a bed of roots, (if it is planted early,) though it be yet too cold 



for the plant to flourish above ground. The potato loves a cool cli- 



mate; thus an early growth is friendly in more than one respect, to the 



plant. Some have planted late and obtained a fine crop, the frost be- 



comino- the scythe to mow the tops, and thus prevent the flow of those 



juices that would have produced decay. I have explained a sufficient 



number of examples, not before rationally explained, to convince the 



