Diseases of the Potatoe. 29 



the Potatoe Plague, which will be fully described in Part 

 II, of this treatise : 



"The cause of the rust this season, (1839) we believe to 

 be the extraordinary humidity, combined with a peculiar 

 state of the atmosphere, at some period in the high* heat of 

 summer. It was remarked that the rust struck universally 

 on the 27th of August. Early planted potatoes were not so 

 much injured by it as the later crop. Last year, it will be 

 remembered, the severe drougEt in that part of the country 

 south of a line drawn east and west, at the distance of fifty 

 to seventy miles north of Boston, generally lessened the crop 

 of potatoes, affecting those early and late* planted in a similar 

 manner that the rust has this year injured them. It was too 

 dry last summer, and the uncommon wetness of the present 

 summer has been alike injurious. More than half the days 

 in June, and two-thirds the days in July, and one third in 

 August were rainy days. In a season so uncommonly wet 

 we could not but anticipate quite as much injury to some 

 crops as we have suffered. The benefits to the grass crop 

 and small grains, have amply compensated for every thing." 



In 1841, a correspondent of the Maine Farmer wrote as 

 follows : 



" Almost all persons with whom I have conversed on the 

 subject ascribe the failure of the potatoe crop to rust; and I 

 know very well the tops have a rusty appearance, while some 

 few have mentioned other causes. I have had ample time 

 and opportunity to examine numerous fields under all the 

 different circumstances of soil and culture, and time of plant- 

 ing, which could be found, and the result in my mind was 

 satisfactory that no single cause assigned could alone pro- 

 duce it. In one field, planted partly with the pink-eyed 

 variety, and partly with the long reds, the pink-eyes were so 

 dead, the tops, on pulling, broke off, without pulling u.p the 

 potatoes, and the owner had commenced digging. The long 

 3* 



