78 POTATO CULTURE. 



surgery, one part to a thousand of water. If you should cut 

 yourself when cutting poisoned potatoes, it would help the 

 cut to heal instead of doing harm. But be exceedingly care- 

 ful with the dry sublimate, and that no treated potatoes 

 are eaten by man or animal. I was greatly relieved when 

 the last of the poisoned water was emptied on bare ground 

 (not grass), far from any well or spring, and the last tuber 

 was in t.he ground. 



This was work enough ; but really our troubles had but 

 begun. When the tubers had been treated, what were we to 

 do with them V We could not safely put them in any thing 

 that had had potatoes in before, you see, because the germs 

 are microscopic, and we might get some back on. We did 

 put them on the grass in the dooryard, and covered them 

 with our canvas covers, or old carpets we use for such pur- 

 poses ? Not much. Danger of germs, again. We actually 

 had to get some sheets and old blankets from the hofcse. 

 Then we cut the seed right there, after scalding the knives 

 and pans we used, and put the cut seed into some new grain- 

 bags that had never been used, as the only perfectly safe 

 thing we had. For dropping by hand we used the poisoned 

 pails. We were just about to put some seed into the planter 

 when we thought in time, and thoroughly cleaned it out 

 with boiling water first. Some of the best of the seed, 

 washed but not treated, gave us a product about as bad as 

 the seed. Always treat seed before cutting. 



This is but a single experiment, but agrees with several by 

 Prof. Bolley. Without extreme care, you can see an experi- 

 ment in this line would be of no use. There was no injury 

 to the sprouts of the potatoes. I tried it on some that were 

 started. 



The question is often asked, whether the scab can continue 

 to increase after the crop ripens. I do not know ; but from 

 what I can learn I think not to any extent. Prof. Bolley 

 applied the germs to a growing potato in the form of a letter 

 L, and they did not extend much, but showed about the 



