368 [Senate 



This would certainly favor Liebig's view of some atmospheric influ- 

 ence. A great number of answers, as I have before mentioned, indi- 

 cate the end of August and the beginning of September as the period 

 when the disease first appeared : had this been universally the case, it 

 would have proved the existence of some influence over the whole 

 country at the same time, quite independent of the general condition 

 of the potato itself. But there were places in almost every neighbor- 

 hood where the disease showed itself as early as July and as late as 

 October and November. This fact of Mr. Gardiner's, then, though 

 striking, does not give a sound foundation for the atmospheric theory. 

 It would be of much interest to ascertain what change took place in 

 the chemical constituents of these potatoes between the two periods. 



M. Payen has published an account of some elaborate microscopic 

 investigations showing that the disease is a parasitic fungus. Many 

 others have held this opinion ; but it does not improve our condition 

 much, for we are not aware of the cause of this fungus. There must 

 be some cause affecting the potato previously, which enables the fun- 

 gus to attack it. 



The majority insist upon a cold and wet season as this predisposing 

 cause. However this may be the case in some parts of the country, it 

 cannot be so in others. In Islay, for instance, where I was in August, 

 they had not experienced so dry a season for many years ; the streams 

 were so low that scarcely any salmon had been taken. Islay is equal- 

 ly affected now with other parts of the country. 



In 1844, in those parts of America where the disease raged, the sea- 

 son was unusually dry. 



Some of the counties of Scotland, Inverness, Ross, &c., as I have 

 mentioned, have been free from disease this year, but I am unable to 

 learn that their season has been less wet and changeable there than in 

 other parts of the country. A letter from a friend in Rosshire, after 

 harvest, spoke of their harvest time as having been most trying and 

 difficult. 



Here then we have a wet country free from disease, and a dry coun- 

 try as Islay, badly affected. 



1 shall refer to this subject again under a subsequent query. 



Query 18. — Do you think you have in any way contrived to pre- 

 vent the disease during the present or past season, and how ? 



