The Potatoe Plague. 55 



proof of the truth of this theory. For many years it pervad- 

 ed particular farms, sometimes appearing in the stalk, long 

 before the potatoe had arrived at maturity ; sometimes after 

 it was harvested and put into the cellar, and what shows con- 

 clusively that this was caused by reproducing from the same, 

 and from defective seed, is, that after ineffectually trying 

 many other remedies, the suffering farmers hit upon the true 

 one. They planted the balls, and thus procured new seed, 

 which, in two or three years, came to full size and maturity, 

 and were proof to the prevailing disease. 



A writer who appears to understand this subject, (the edi- 

 tor of the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser,) says, " The latter 

 opinion in Scotland, Germany, Sweden and Russia, is, that, 

 by long propagation, without recurring to the natural seed of 

 the plant, it has lost a portion of its vital power, and hence is 

 extremely prone to blight, to rust and to rot." 



Now, though there are several varieties, and good ones, 

 which produce no balls or blossoms, it is not thence positively 

 to be inferred that they have lost none of their vital power. 

 The old age of a stock comes on gradually, and these, it is 

 probable, though they have not reached the stage of visible 

 decay, are not far from it. Neither does the fact that some 

 new varieties have suffered more than some old ones, militate 

 very strongly against my position, unless it can be proved that 

 the said new varieties, were not only from seed of a new 

 stock, but seed of a healthy and perfect quality. It does ap- 

 pear that entirely new varieties, and seed obtained from new 

 countries have, on the whole, suffered much less than old 

 ones. 



It is self-evident that, as sickly and weakly parents are 

 seldom blessed with strong and healthy offspring, so neither 

 will imperfect seed produce perfect, thriving plants. I there- 

 fore recommend, where seed is suspected, to come to the 

 root of the evil, as did the agriculturists of Ireland, in the 



