7 



America was under the jealous Government of Spain, and 

 when the only means of intercourse with Europe was 

 round Cape Horn, these suggestions might have heen 

 difficult to carry into effect ; hut no such difficulty exists 

 now, when all the ports on the' west coast of South America 

 are not only open, hut are visited hy the steamers of the 

 Pacific Company, which ply in connection with the West 

 India Mail Packets. In the spring of the present year, 

 the steamers of the latter line brought many tons of 

 Potatoes from Bermuda, in excellent condition, in the 

 ordinary course of trade. There can surely, therefore, be 

 no difficulty in obtaining a supply of seed Potatoes from 

 countries not much more distant. The varieties grown on 

 the plain of Santa Fe de Bogota, of which Baron 

 Humboldt speaks so highly, might possibly be shipped in 

 some of the ports of the Bepublic of New Granada, in 

 the Gulf of Mexico ; and those grown in the plain of 

 Quito might be brought by the Peruvian steamers to 

 Panama, and be carried across the Isthmus to Chagres, 

 where the West India steamers communicate with the 

 Pacific line. The climate of the plain of Quito greatly 

 resembles that of the finest parts of Europe, and there is 

 every reason to think that Potato seed brought from there 

 would grow at least .as well as that raised in the gardens of 

 the Horticultural Society, from the plants forwarded by Mr. 

 Caldcleugh, from the arid valleys of Central Chili. There 

 will now be from five to six months before the new seed 

 will be required, and if the influence of the Government 

 were used, through its Consular agents at Bogota and Quito, 

 a sufficient supply of seed might easily be obtained before 

 that time, to try the experiment suggested by Baron Hum- 

 boldt. We see that the Potatoes of Santa Fe and Quito are 

 described by that most accurate observer as both larger 

 and better than any of the varieties which we have in this 

 country, and they would probably be very valuable in 

 themselves, independent of the security which they would 

 give us for a complete change of seed. 



Another great cause of disease in the Potato crop 

 is the careless manner in which seed Potatoes are kept. 

 From too great warmth in the heaps, they generally 

 vegetate too soon, and when this is the case the sprouts 

 are usually rubbed off. This produces a double evil. 

 First, it deprives the plant of the central sprout, which 

 is the strongest, and therefore comes out the first; and 

 second, it wastes and exhausts the saccharine and farinaceous 

 substance of the seed, which is the sole support of the 



