THE POTATO 255 



A very bad pest is now prevalent in Europe 

 the wart disease (black scab). There should be 

 a law to prevent this from getting a foothold in 

 America. The following letter was written by 

 the senior author to Secretary of Agriculture James 

 Wilson from London, England, May 28, 1910: 



"I am getting along very well, and am securing 

 information invaluable to the American potato 

 grower about the various stages of potato pro- 

 duction. 



"There is little or no manufacture of farina 

 from potatoes in Great Britain; all waste and low 

 priced potatoes are cooked and fed to meat making 

 livestock, but I have information that Germany 

 is making flour from potatoes, and later I shall visit 

 there. 



"I am in very close touch with the Department 

 of Agriculture here, the seed potato breeders and 

 growers, the commercial growers, and the market 

 men. 



"I am sending you a leaflet from the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture of Great Britain on the black 

 scab disease of potatoes. Some of the office men 

 tell me that it is inconsequential, that the disease 

 has been prevalent for fifteen or twenty years, 

 and it has affected potato growing to but very 

 little extent. Some of the field men tell me that it 

 has been developing very rapidly in the last two 

 years, but especially so the last year. They regard 

 it as a very dangerous, if not the very worst, menace 

 that the potato industry has ever had. 



"We spent a day with the potato work at Sut- 

 ton & Sons, Reading, England, with Mr. Lasham, 

 a Scotchman. He has been their expert and po- 

 tato specialist for thirty years, j They are doing 



