1849. 



Till-: GENESEE PARMER. 



117 



In the eastern pari of the di e beds of 



ige are succeeded by a dark bluish gray, sub- 

 crystalline limestone, of a rough fracture, and 

 r.it'-il into thin courses by dark shaly matter. When 

 not too much divided by seams, it forms a durable 

 buildii I. This again is 



coarse-grained concretionary mass in irregular lay- 

 ers, an appearance ae it' much dis- 

 turbed while in a semi-fluid or yi [ition. 

 The concretions often present cavities lined it i 

 crystals, or the remains of some fossil body. The 

 strata arc finer resinous lustre; 

 is harsh and sail 

 the touch : this, how i - due to the presence 

 of magnesia rather than silex. 



Agricultural Characters. — The two members of 



narked, to a a ile degree, by a 



difference in the soil. The destruction of tho shale 



riven rise to a clay, which mingling with the 



ly productions of the .Modi one on 



torth, has produced a soil o I ■ 1 fertility; 



and there is rarely, if ever, to be found a 1 



than the portion overlying this 

 rock. In some places it has a greater amount of 

 argillaceous matter than is desirable, and forms a 

 stiff soil ; but where the slope of the surface is suffi- 

 cient for effectual drainage, it produces no inconve- 

 nience. 



The soil covering the limestone, particularly where 

 it is a little elevated above the country on the north, 

 is of a loamy character, the argillaceous nature of 

 the mass below having had little influence. In many 

 places however, for a small extent, the surface is 

 clayey, and even extremely so, as if the materials of 

 the lower rock had been deposited upon the higher. 

 An example of this kind occurs a little west of the 

 village of Lockport, where the limestone is covered 

 by a clayey soil, while a mile or two further east, the 

 soil is a light loam. The latter character also pre- 

 vails in some places near Rochester, and at other 

 points along the outcrop of this limestone. This 

 character of the soil, together with the rapid drain- 

 age to which it is subjected, from the fissures or 

 joints in the limestone, as well as the proximity of 

 the rock to the surface, has given rise to a different 

 growth of timber, which every where marks the 

 limestone terrace. While the country on the north 

 and south sustains a forest of maple, beech, elm, ash, 

 and the associated forest trees ; that along this lime- 

 stone is indicated by oak, chestnut, and others of the 

 same nature. — Natural History of New York. 



THE POTATO DISEASE. 

 BY R. H. HOYT, M. D. 



Messrs. Editors: — I have been solicited, for the 

 past four years to give my views and observations in 

 regard to the causes, &c, of potato rot. It is now 

 nearly twenty years since I first discovered a 

 worm in the potato vine, and which I little thought 

 of then, but which, from mature observation and 

 research, I have no doubt is the cause of the potato 

 rot. I observed, at that time, only an occasional 

 worm, and probably every farmer of experience and 

 observation can recollect for the last twenty years 

 occasionally finding a rotten potato in his fields while 

 digging. There has beta notice given of this worm 

 within the last two years by two individuals, but no 

 particular description of it. 



I have confined my observations, particularly for 



the last Beven years, to the ravages of this worm; of 

 which, if it were neces ary I could obtain abundant 

 evid nc the caterpillar I firsl gene- 



from an egg f which forms b - -tate, 



through the winter, and 



changes (from the vivifying influence of the sun) to 



• ! white miller, that resembles in every respect 

 thai which i lie apple and other fruit trees; 



although ;• distinct Bpecies. The miller 



be la -t of .May, or begin- 

 ning of Jufle, either on the vine, or on the ground 

 near it — mostly 1 think on the vine— which hatches 

 in from one to three days, depending ather. 



This produces the small worm, probably, described 

 by Mr. Bartholomew, although I bav ■ not di 

 ered it pointed While in the larva 



it is from five to i < i, but 



attains that of an more. Th< light 



color, the head darker, belly white, with six 



lead. I have killed 



thousands of them, by cutting off the vine 



to the surface of the ground, slitting i1 

 lengthwise, and have universally found this descrip- 

 tion of worm, and very active, squirming and throw- 

 ing itself into various attitudes, but never attempting 

 to crawl off. It perforates a hole in the vine from 

 the surface of the ground up to one-half or two-thirds 

 of the top, and I have never seen the hole bigger 

 than a common darning needle. It works its way 

 up and down the vine, making it a complete hollow 

 tube. The situation it remains in during the winter 

 I am unable to say, never having been able to detect 

 it in any condition. I have found it often in weeds 

 growing among potatoes, and in corn stalks planted 

 by the side of them. When it infests the corn stalk 

 it commences at the top before tasseling, and works 

 its way downward, in a measure destroying the stalk. 

 (I would here say that I am greatly indebted to Mr. 

 Thomas Anderson, of Painted Post, Steuben Co., 

 N. Y., for his assistance in discovering this insect 

 in the winged state, and in the deposition of its 

 eggs.) Aft r entering the vine it works its way up 

 and down, eating all the soft spongy part of it down 

 t™ the very bottom, to the commencement of the first 

 root, not molesting that or the small branches. 



And now having given all that I have been able to 

 learn of its ravages upon the vine, its different states, 

 Stc,, I would say a few words upon the decomposition 

 or rot of the potato. I have examined hundreds of 

 hills in the last six years, and have universally found 

 that, where there was a hollow vine, there was a 

 rotten potato at the termination of it — the small 

 branches of roots having, as universally, - 

 potatoes. East Townscnd, Huron Co., Ohio, 1849. 

 We are compelled to omit some experiments and 

 speculations embraced in the above article. In fact 

 the subject has become so hackneyed, that we have 

 declined publishing the thousand "theories and histo- 

 of this disease; but Dr. Hoyt is so certain of 

 his discoveries that we relented, although entirely con- 

 trary to our views and examinations. In short, it is 

 a subject as inscrutable as the cause of the cholera, 

 and whether it is tuberic, atmospheric or parasitic, is 

 far from settled; and the only preventive to be relied 

 on. is to plant early, on dry high ground, that is not 

 rich, or been recently manured. — Ed. 



Don't give the boys the poorest tools, and then 

 complain because they can't keep up with men in 

 planting, hoeing, fee. 



