218 Potatoe Disease. [April, 



who would wish to thrive, must save all he can and waste noth- 

 ing, I thought it was a piece of economy worth attending to, I 

 therefore fed the hearts to the pigs, and I suppose they did the 

 beasts some good — the dissertations of some writers to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding. It struck rae, however, that though po- 

 tatoes would grow from eyes, and that hearts would fat pigs, 

 whether these same hearts might not be more valuable as afford- 

 ing nutriment to the young shoots of the potatoes than the pigs. 

 I therefore w-eighed two pounds, and after cutting the eyes out, 

 planted them in four hills — the eyes and hearts being equal in 

 weight — each one pound. Four other hills I planted with two 

 pounds of potatoes, cut in the ordinary way, eye and heart to- 

 gether ; and also, four other hills with two pounds planted 

 whole, and on raising them in the fall, and w'eighing the crop, 

 the eyes, without heart, weighed fourteen pounds and a half ; 

 eye and heart, cut, twenty-seven pounds. They were all of the 

 same variety — pink-eyes. The ground was equally good, and 

 though the season was too dry, they all fared alike. Four hills 

 •of the red potatoes, planted in the same ground, and of the same 

 weight, yielded but thirteen pounds. 



The experiment is on a small scale, but it is sufficient to prove 

 to me, that the taking the plants from the cuttings, is robbing them 

 of that which neither enriches the pigs much, but makes the 

 cuttings poor indeed. This experiment also serves to show that 

 whether potatoes are cut or planted whole, the difference is of no 

 consequence. What is gained by cutting, would not pay for the 

 labor. As to the red potatoes, I must confess I was beat — why 

 they should give only half as liberally as their neighbors, the pink 

 eyes, I know^ not. I knew long since, as every one knows, that 

 some kinds of potatoes are much more prolific than others; the 

 worst for eating, being generally the greatest bearers. 



POTATO DISEASE. 



Friend Emmons: — Agreeably to thy request, I now propose to 

 give thee some account of my observations on the potato disease, 

 and the conclusions which I have drawn therefrom. 



When the disease first made its appearance in my crop, I be- 

 came satisfied that its nature was such that unless a remedy could 

 be found it would eventually destroy that valuable esculent. I 

 therefore noticed it at every stage of its pi-ogress, in order, if pos- 

 sible, to ascertain its cause, and soon found that the vines were 

 affected before the tubers, that the leaves first began to curl as if 

 they had been in contact with fire, and in a short time the stocks 

 became affected and dried up, long before the usual time for them 



