No. 200.] 171 



A member — It is now on Long Island. 



The president was not aware of tliat fact. Tiie fly was very inju- 

 rious, attacking the grain itself in its embryo, and in some instances 

 ruining whole fields. He knew of no remedy but to neglect growing 

 wheat for two or three seasons. He had not sown any this year, and 

 hoped thus to get rid of the new evil. Some of his friends had pur- 

 sued this plan with beneficial results. 



Speaking of the potatoe, he said it was one of the most important 

 crops of the farmer, and he should propose a gold medal for the best 

 essay on the removal of that insidious disease which now threatened 

 utterly to destroy all attempts at its successful cultivation. He should 

 endeavor to press upon the attention of the corresponding committee 

 the necessity of procuring new seed direct from the original land of 

 the potatoe. The stock may have run out. Thirty years ago the 

 St. Johnswort was so prevalent in Dutchess county as to become ab- 

 solutely an annoyance ; now one must offer a premium for a single 

 specimen. The Lombardy poplar was dying through all the land, and 

 the fact might be clearly attributed to its ever being propagated from 

 the root. No one ever saw a poplar growing from the seed in Ame- 

 rica. Probably only one sex was imported, and hence, through along 

 system of planting only by slips and suckers, the race had run out. 

 Fruits and shoots from seedlings were constantly varied, and spring- 

 ing up afresh, whereas suckers from roots alone grew with diminished 

 vigor, became apparently decrepid, gouty, and rheumatic, and would 

 finally die off. It might be so with the potatoe ; and he thought we 

 should now begin a system of seedlings for its benefit. He would be 

 very glad if some person would try it, and get a new race from Mex- 

 ico and South America ; for it was very possible that the present dis- 

 ease was the effect of old age and a natural decline. 



Mr. Meigs observed that the seedling potatoe was a most delicate 

 plant : a rude wind or a heavy rain would destroy it ; and one must 

 prepare the ground as carefully as for celery. He had written to 

 South America for the original natural potatoe. 



A member observed that, unfortunately for this theory, the Mercer 

 and black potatoe were raised from the seed ; they were both attacked 

 with the rot. There was a species from the Sandwich islands which, 

 as yet, had escaped. In shape it very much resembles the Carolina. 



