No. 105.] 369 



To this query, the answers are most uniformly, no. In districts 

 where no disease has before appeared, they have of course not taken 

 steps for prevention, and where they have had some experience of it, 

 the means which were successful in former years have failed now. An 

 excellent method hitherto, has been, to change the seed every year, 

 bringing it from a high bare country, and planting as soon as possible. 



Mr. Dru7nmond, Dundee, has tried this for many years, and has 

 always been successful, but this year he says, " I am fairly bewil- 

 dered." 



I remember that when the disease was first making its appearance, 

 an old farmer came into the laboratory of the Ag. Chem. Association, 

 and detailed this very mothod as his own, saying that he never had 

 any disease, and that there would be little heard of it if all followed his 

 plan. A few days ago, he appeared again in great distress, saying 

 that his potatoes were all rotting together, and wishing to know what 

 was to be done. 



Gypsum and hot slaked lime have also been highly recommended as 

 preventives, but like every thing else, they have failed now. At least 

 twenty persons state in their answers, that they have dusted their sets 

 with these substances, but have been able to perceive no efi'ect. 



Mr. Goodlet, Haddington, says, " on cutting up greened or sun- 

 burned potatoes, it has been found that the disease had never made any 

 progress beyond attacking the potato for a small space around the 

 rootlet. The greened parts or eyes were in no instance diseased." 

 The greening of potatoes for seed, has been much recommended, and 

 if the above fact be generally correct, it may be well to turn much more 

 attention to this subject. 



Mr. Gardiner says, " that in former years he had succeeded in invi- 

 gorating the potato crop by the addition of certain saline manures, and 

 thinks that even this season they have to a certain extent been benefi- 

 cial in preventing the disease. 



No one mentions a plan that has proved more than comparatively 



successful. 



Query 19. — Is it consistent with your experience, that healthy pota- 

 toes may be raised from diseased seed ] 



