Vol. 6. 



GENESEE PARMER. 



189 



ed, and partly to the carelessness of the agricultu- 

 rists in keeping the potatoes intended for planting 

 perfectly dry. It is thought too that the excessive 

 cold of last March proved very injurious. The 

 more direct causes are thus enumerated : — 1. The 

 too rapid growth of the plants this year. 2. The 

 excessive heat which prevailed in the first part of 

 the summer of the present year, being, on the 13th 

 of June, 87 deg. of Fahrenheit ; on the 3rd of Ju- 

 ly, 87 J deg. ; and on the 7th of the same month 91 J 

 deg. On these days several persons fell dead in the 

 fields. 3. The rain which fell at intervals, and 

 which subjected the plants, as it were, to the ac- 

 tion of warm water. 4. The cold and moist tem- 

 perature which succeeded, from the 15th of July 

 to the end of August : and, 5, the existence in 

 several places, on July 21 and 22, of an extraordi- 

 nary fog, which emitted a disagreeable odour. The 

 agricultural committee attach much importance to 

 this miasma ; for they hasten to state that the mal- 

 ady almost immediately afterwards was manifested, 

 and they add that they are not by any means dispos- 

 ed to place this fog amongst the improbable causes 

 {omv aarschljnlijkheden) of the complaint in ques- 

 tion. In the province of Groningen it was clearly 

 ascertained that the infection proceeded from the 

 leaves and the stalk to the root, and that it was dis- 

 played by small stains and by the existence of a 

 Bpecies of mushroom placed by some writers under 

 the head, Fusisporum solani. No traces of these 

 parasites were discovered in the stalks or the tuber- 

 cles — a fact which is put forth as a proof that the 

 disease was first propagated from the leaves, and 

 consequently that it differs essentially from those 

 murrains which originate in the roots. " We main- 

 tain," observe the committee, "that this disease 

 has probably existed before, more or less, but that 

 is is one which hitherto has not been described by 

 naturalists {maar eene bijde nat vnrkundigen nog 

 onbeechrevene ziekle.) To prevent the return of the 

 desease the following remedies are suggested : — 

 Leave the potatoes in the ground until the weather 

 becomes very dry, and then spread them out in the 

 field. Be very careful not to plant potatoes infec- 

 ted with the disease. Keep those intended for sow- 

 ing very dry, and give the preference to potatoes 

 produced on sandy soils. Burn at once the rotten 

 poiatoes . Avoid as much as possible planting po- 

 tatoes in places where they grew this year, and which 

 ought, moreover, to be well covered with lime as 

 Boon as the crop is removed. 



We copy the following from the London Times: 

 Sir, — Having had my attention called, during a 

 short visitin Kent, to the destructive changes at pres- 

 ent taking place in the potato crop, I beg to offer a 

 few observations on the actual state of the tuber, in 

 the hope that they may be of service to some of your 

 readers, as tending to the yreservation of so impor- 

 tant an article of food. 



The real cause of the destructive changes at pres- 

 ent taking place appears to be the unripeness of the 

 tuber, and the consequent imperfection of elaboration 

 of its juices. When examined with the microscope, 

 the cells of the potato are found to be not more than 

 half filled with starch-cells, many of which are in- 

 complete, the remaining portion of the cell being 

 occupied by water. Hence the actual condition of 

 the potato may be stated as follows : — ist, deficiency 

 of starch ; 2nd, imperfection in the tissue of the cell 

 walls ; and 3rJ, excess of water, to which may pos- 

 sibly be added, imperfectly elaborated starch. Aa 



a consequence of the imperfection of the tissue of 

 the cell walls, and its state of maceration in a super- 

 abundance of water, it falls speedily into decay, the 

 change beginning at the surface and proceedmg in- 

 wards, and being indicated by a brown discolouration 

 of the cells. The starch cells, which are at first 

 unaffected, are soon enclosed in the decayed cellular 

 tissue, and be coming involved in the decay, are there- 

 by destroyed. Taking this view of the state of the 

 potato, two modes suggest themselves of prevent- 

 ing the loss which must necessarily result from the 

 recurrence of the above describe changes. The 

 first is that recommended more than a week since in 

 your journal by Mr. Herapath, viz., of separating the 

 starch by reducing the potato to a state of pulp, and 

 collecting the washed precipitate. When it is rec- 

 ollected that the starch embodies the whole of the 

 nutritive part of the potato, the importance of this 

 plan will at once be perceived. But practically, 

 there exists a great obstacle to the prosecution of 

 the plan in the inconvenience of employing it on a 

 small scale. 



The second mode, that which I am now about to 

 suggest, seems to me to be calculated to meet the ex- 

 igencies of the case, at the same time that it is free 

 from the objection stated above ; it is, to dry the po- 

 tatoes in an oven or kiln at a moderate temperature, 

 and thus drive off the excess of water which they 

 contain, the water being a chief agent in the decom- 

 posing process. 



With regard to the statements of the potato being 

 a cause of distase to man and animal^-, I beg to re- 

 mark that, so far as my investigations have gone, 

 these are unfounded. In preparing the potato for 

 table the discoloured parts should, of course, be cut 

 away ; the potatoes should be boiled in two waters, 

 and salt should be mingled with both . The instances 

 which have been reported of pigs being destroyed by 

 eating them are referaible to the quantity, and not to 

 the quality of the potato, and would as certainly occur 

 with the best potatoes, taken in excess, as with those 

 of inferior quality. 



I have the honour to be, sir. 



Your obedient servant, 

 Erasmus Wilson, F.R.S. 



Upper Charlotte-st, Fitzroy-square, Sept. 23. 



PoTATOE Disease. — The Halifax Moyning Poft 

 says "a gentleman returned to town from the east- 

 ward, informs us that the following process, pursued 

 by J. J. Marshall, Esq., of Guysboro', in dealing 

 with the crop of the present season, which turned 

 out partially infected, had proved altogether success- 

 ful — the potatoes were spread, to the depth of three 

 or four feet oyer the surface of a barn floor, and then 

 covered with light dry earth, to the depth of seueral 

 inches; in the course of a few days indications of 

 dampness appeared on the surface, which was imme- 

 diately sprinkled with quick-lime: in a da)' or two, 

 the earth was again perfectly dry, the sweating of the 

 vegetable had ceased, and when moved presented 

 eyery indication of soundnessr. The process is sim- 

 ple, and worth a trial. 



COT^MAX'S TOUR IN EUROPE. 



SUBSCRIBERS TO '• COl, MAN'S TOUR IN EUROPE" uro 

 hereby notified that No. 4 it* received, and ready for delivery 

 to out-of-town Subscribers who choce to call for them, instead of 

 their bein? sent liy Post. The condition of subscription is, that on 

 the delivery of the 5th number, the balancf) of three dollars is to 

 be paid. I am ready lo receive the money now, from nil who choose 

 to pay. Subscriptions are still solicitpd. Price, $5 00; orSOcenti 

 aiiiimher. JAMES H. WATTS, 



Rochester, Nov. 1, 1845. Ajeot for M« ColmaB. 



