68 The Potatoe Plagae. 



the white reds had numerous failures, but the unripe black 

 kidneys were as even and vigorous a crop as could be wished. 

 I had not yet learnt to attribute the failure to its right cause, 

 and was accordingly much puzzled to account for the curl 

 among the round reds, which had thriven so well the two 

 previous seasons. In consequence of the heavy fall of snow 

 in October, they were taken up earlier than was intended, 

 and the red potatoes were not ripe, but the black kidneys, 

 (a capital crop) were. 



1844. It was during the spring of 1844, that I became 

 convinced that the maturity of the potatoe intended for se'ed 

 materially affected the vigor of the future plant ; and the crop 

 of this year furnished me with some facts strongly corrobora- 

 tive of this opinion. The ripe black kidneys again failed to 

 a great extent ; not less, I think, than half the sets perished 

 without vegetating, or only showed puny curled tops, and died 

 without forming tubers larger than peas. The unripe reds 

 were planted in a particularly unfavorable place, namely, an 

 old lane which had been just added to an adjoining field, and 

 was so hard and dry that parts of it had to be broken up with 

 pickaxes. In consequence of the long drought the planting 

 was delayed for several weeks in hopes of rain, but as none 

 came they were put into the ground as dry as dust and plant- 

 ed without manure ; no rain, with the exception of a light 

 shower, fell till the potatoes were up. Still, in the whole of 

 the piece, rather more than an acre, I could not discover that 

 a single plant had failed, and the braird was universally 

 strong and healthy. It will be well to preseift their results 

 in a tabular form. I shall assume that the red potatoes 

 bought in 1840, and the black kidneys in 1841, had been 

 taken up ripe; and their mealiness will justify such an as- 

 sumption, as unripe potatoes are always watery, and unfit for 

 the table. 



