658 



walls ; on the fourth, a high Quickset hedge and Grass field form the 

 boundary.' 



" We have ourselves a somewhat similar case, with a new variety, 

 called " Willison's seedling," the offspring, no doubt, of the Ash- 

 leaved Kidney. It grew, remained healthy, and ripened without a 

 trace of disease. When taken up, the tubers were absolutely sound. 

 They were laid by in a dry shed, well covered with mats, and in a 

 few weeks symptoms of disease, slight ones, made their appearance 

 in the tubers. Similar instances occurred last year with sound Po- 

 tatoes that were attacked in sand, kept constantly in a dry place, and 

 that never formed tops. These are apparently irreconcilable with 

 atmospheric agency, whether miasm, or anything else, unless it is as- 

 sumed that the supposed disease acts directly upon the Potato. 



"Even the curious state of the Tomato crop in some places, although 

 at first sight favouring the opinion, seems to be, on the whole, irrecon- 

 cilable with it. This fruit has this year been extensively injured in 

 the country round London, by a rot, which attacks the ripening Ap- 

 ple, and renders it unfit for use. Sometimes the leaves are blotched, 

 sometimes not. It is evidently, we think, the same as the disease of 

 the Potato 'Apple,' or fruit, and in both cases is, as far as we have 

 seen, unaccompanied by fungi. It appears on the exposed side, where 

 the fruit receives the most air ; and therefore, it may be said, is at- 

 tacked by something in the atmosphere. But there is this difiiculty 

 in the way of admitting such an explanation : the supposed miasm 

 ought to attack all Tomatoes in the neighbourhood of tainted Potato 

 fields ; but it does not. Our excellent correspondent " Quercus," 

 than whom there is not a more close, shrewd, practical observer, finds 

 no such disease in his Tomatoes ; and we have lately seen beautiful sam- 

 ples of this fruit in the market of Boulogne, all round which place the 

 Potato crops arc blighted. The French peasants had not even heard 

 of the Tomatoes being attacked. We respectfully present these facts 

 to the consideration of those who are striving to find out the cause of 

 the Potato disease. They not only must not be neglected, but no 

 theory can be accepted which fails to include them in its scope. One 

 thing, however, they seem to dispose of conclusively, and that is the 

 notion that the potato disease is to be kept off by regeneration from 

 seed. Tomatoes are annually regenerated from seed, and Tomatoes 

 suffer like Potatoes." 



In many of these remarks our readers will perceive that there is 

 much good sense : the idea of appealing to facts is sound, and pos- 

 sesses in a great degree the additional charm of novelty : it is a move 

 in the right direction, and will be respected by all right-minded readers. 



