390 



3I0NTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



a diseased crop or heap, will, if planted, pro- 

 duce healdiy, sound Potatoes La the absence of 

 the cause which injured them the previous 

 season. 



I would therefore encourage tlie farmers to 

 cultivate their Potatoes as formerly, choosin? 

 the soils and applying the manures -which hith- 

 erto -were found best adapted to their culture ; 

 forgetting or overlooking the Rot altogether, 

 and disregarding the nostrums recommended 

 for its prevention : the Potato wont bear doc- 

 toring. 



The weather which produces Rot is either a 

 severe, continuous drouth of some weeks' stand- 

 ing, thereby preventing the natural growth and 

 maturity cf the Potato, for the \%-ant of moisture, or 

 very hot weather, bringing the Potato to aprema- 

 ture ripeness, succeeded by wet, sultry weather, 

 unnaturally spring-like, which provokes the tu- 

 bers to perform the functions of seed, thereby 

 dissolving the connection between them and 

 their vines : the vines die ; the roots undergo an 

 incipient fermentation preparatory to decompo- 

 sition; the operation of budding or growing is 

 checked by the nattiral autumnal temperature 

 that at length prevails, which arrests the Potato 

 in its \\'ork of producing, and hence its deterio- 

 ration. The latter condition of the ■weather ig 

 the prevailing cau.sc of the Rot. 



As to a severe and continuous drouth, my 

 own experience points to that of 1838. That 

 season I had a five-acre patch in -with Potatoes, 

 which did not pay for the trouble of taking them 

 out of the ground. Thej' were small, ill-shaped, 

 bad-tasted, poisonous, spotted and black-hearted, 

 and rotted in cellar. Potatoes that season sold 

 as high as 81 .2.5 and Si 50 per bushel — not a 

 bushel of good Potatoes in March, except those 

 imported. Then as to dry, hot vi-eather, suc- 

 ceeded by wet, close, over spring-like tempera- 

 ture, the season of 1843 is in point. I took 

 more than common pains that year to produce a 

 sorpassing yield, equal, at least, to my famous 

 crop of the preceding year, which was over 440 

 bushels to the acre — field culture. My seed 

 was in part from those fine Potatoes, and in 

 part from some very large, sound Potatoes im- 

 ported from the State of Maine. On taking out 

 the crop in October, the whole was found to be 

 very badly diseased. The weather from the 

 latter part of June tiU the beginning of Septem- 

 ber was mainly hot, occasionally very hot, and 

 dry. September set in with warm rains, thun- 

 der-storms and gusts ; the moisture and close- 

 ness unprecedented ; fruit-trees blo8.somed, as 

 w^ell as many flowering-trees and shrubs; I 

 recollect making a large collection of flowers 

 fixim the magnolias, some of which I sent to the 

 Editor of the " Pennsjlvania Inquirer." My i 

 Potato vines looked green and healthy, when | 

 all of a sudden they changed color, drooped ; 

 (602) 



and died. I think if I had taken out the Pota- 

 toes at that juncture they would have proved 

 comparatively good ; but they were permitted 

 to remain quite a month after, when they were 

 found badlj- rotted, tainted, and almost worthless. 



Now, then, as to the epidemic. In 1844, I 

 planted some four to five acres of Potatoes, the 

 seed of vkich was principally culled from the 

 diseased crop of 1843. I planted, also, at the 

 same time, in the same field, otlier seed of very 

 somid potatoes brought from Maine ; they all 

 did equally well ; I could discover no difference; 

 the crop was a very fair one, and the quality 

 unexceptionable in everj' respect I do not 

 mean by this to encourage the planting of dis- 

 eased or doubtful Potatoes. It is safer to plant 

 sound and perfect ones; but I am strong in the 

 opinion that there is no danger of a diseased or 

 tainted Potato producing a diseased or tainted 

 Potato. It may, from its want of vitality, 

 be very unproductive, make feeble shoots, 

 the same as decayed Potatoes from on ship- 

 board after a long voyage, the heat and moisture 

 of the vessel's hold having caused them to send 

 out enormous shoots, impairing their vigor, and 

 producing Rot. Such Potatoes, when planted, 

 never produce well as to size and quanritj" ; but 

 I have yet to learn that they ever produced a 

 diseased Potato. 



Much has been said of Potatoes becoming 

 feeble and sickly from long and constant plant- 

 ing : there may be something in this ; time wiB 

 not permit me to examine it now. I have, ho?# 

 ever, numerous sorts of seedlings produced from 

 the apples of my very fine crop of 1842. I shall 

 take occasion to present j-ou -with a few to send 

 to some of your friends abroad. 



By this you will see that I can offer no reme- 

 dj' or preventive for tlie Rot He that tempers 

 the winds to the shorn lamb, can only control it 

 Should it again ^•isit us, we can only exercise 

 our best judgment by taking out tke Potatoes 

 early — as soon as they exhibit signs of decay — 

 laying them in thin layers in drj. cool sitnatiom^ 

 or otherwise, as circum.stance8 may justify. 

 Let the farmers go on and plant in confidence, 

 as their best experience may teach, trusting for 

 an abundant yield to tljat Providence who aend- 

 eth the early and the latter rain. 



Very respectfully your friend and ob't serv't. 

 (Signed) JAME.? GOWEN. 

 William Peter. Esq. Her Britannic Majesty's Coil' 



Bul, Philadelphia. 



Colored Isk.s. — Inks of various colors may 

 be made from a strong decoction of the ingre- 

 dients used in dyeing, mixed with a little alum 

 and gum arable. Any of the ordinary water- 

 color cakes employed in drawing, diffused 

 through water, may also bo used for colored 

 inks. [Coolty'3 Cyclo. ol' Prac. Receipla. 



