12 THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. [Januaey, 



during sudden changes of weather, from extreme heat to cold and wet, occurring 

 between the end of July and the middle of August. All agree about this, but 

 here the vexed questions crop up — why did not the malady appear during such 

 weather in former times ? and why not in all other countries in which potatos are 

 grown, at or about the same time ? It would be idle to imagine that the seasons 

 have changed, and that the change encourages this plague. However, in order 

 to check it, the best plan is to plant early kinds either late in autumn or early 

 in the spring, so that the new potatos may be nearly ripe before the usual 

 period of the blight. That plan seems to be safest both for market gardeners 

 and cottagers ; but these have the greater advantage, because they can clear off 

 their crops more quickly than those who require a few potatos only for daily 

 use. Some have recommended late planting for general crops, so that there may 

 be no potatos at the roots before the time at which the blight or mildew attacks 

 the tops is past. That, however, is not to be trusted, because where the pest 

 appears both old and young potato-stems are affected by it ; and even some- 

 times those under glass. I have noticed this both in April and August. 



What is more remarkable is that diseased young potatos have been found 

 attached to the old ones stored in dark cellars. Now in such cases '" atmospheric 

 influence " on the leaves or stems could not be the cause, for they were not 

 subjected to any. An instance of such cellar potatos came under my notice in 

 1845, the first season of the great outbreak of the disease ; therefore, as those new 

 or young potatos inherited the malady from the old ones, these must have been 

 affected by it the previous season, before the pest was so generally known. 



A writer in one of the weekly journals has laid claim to have been the first 

 discoverer of the potato disease, and asserts that the cause is always discoverable 

 on the bad potato before planting, by the aid of a good glass, about the eyes 

 of the potato. What he considers to be the cause seems to be only the effect of 

 the disease remaining from the pre\'ious season. However, he professes to kill or 

 cure the malady by dipping the bad potatos in salt brine, and afterwards dust- 

 ing them with '^ fresh air-slaked lime." 



Some persons think that the late gross-growing kinds stand the disease best. 

 I have myself observed several instances of this, especially during the past season, 

 when on the same plot of ground the second early kinds were nearly all rotten, 

 while the late red sorts were nearly all sound. As regards the lime cure, I lost 

 faith in it after seeing a field of blighted potatos on poor gravelly soil close to 

 the fumes of a limekiln. 



For the sake of those who do not know how cellar potatos are grown, it may 

 be mentioned that they are the offspring of tubers planted in sand in dark cellars 

 in spring. I have understood that the Dutch new potatos imported into this 

 country are thus grown. A friend of mine used to adopt the plan, and his 

 master gave him credit for having new potatos before his neighbours, until he 

 was told how they were grown, and after that these potatos were considered to 

 be watery and not fit for table. 



