No. 3. 



Potatoe Rot. 



85 



growing as the silk business. I can not 

 enter into its consideration at large, here, 

 but I will say that while his fruit trees are 

 growing, the farmer will find it profitable, 

 and afterwards he can give it up to his wife 

 and children. I hope to say more about this 

 hereafter, and also something in reference 

 to the duties of young farmers in entering 

 upon this business. I shall feel gratified if 

 I have been the means of opening the eyes 

 of any one to his interest. The truth is, 

 agriculture on the Hudson river will never 

 pay as it ought, till it is conducted with 

 strict reference to circumstances. And I 

 am satisfied that here fruit growing offers 

 decidedly the greatest profit. 



Yours, Agricola. 

 Newburgh, July 4th, 18JG. 



Although the foregoing remarks are written by an 

 "Orange County man," and would seem more particu- 

 larly adapted to the operations of the farmer in the 

 valley of the Hudson, yet it will be found that every 

 one on the Atlantic border, and within reach of the 

 markets of the great cities of Boston, New York, 

 Philadelphia, and Baltimore, may pore over them with 

 profit. We have, over and again, from time to time, 

 inculcated similar views in the Cabinet, and it is with 

 particular satisfaction that we give them a place, as 

 the subject is so well handled. Let our friends in Jer- 

 sey, — which lime, marl, and good farming, have made 

 a garden spot — see to it. Nature has placed her and 

 Delaware contiguous to three of the best markets in 

 the country, and given to them soils particularly adapt- 

 ed to the production of perishable articles, always 

 needed in quantities that will be increased by the sup- 

 ply. Their railroads and steamboats place them with- 

 in a very few hours' travel of those cities, and beyond 

 the reach of competition of the cheap and fertile lands 

 of the West, so far as these small but almost infinite 

 ly numerous perishable commodities are concerned. 

 Where, in the whole country, are there districts so 

 eligibly situated, and so eminently blessed with just 

 such soils as they need, as are Nevi* Jersey and Dela- 

 ware? but their farmers must not be longer content 

 to tread exactly in the path their fathers trod in: they 

 must think, and suffer their reflections to lead them 

 into pursuits adapted to the situation they find them- 

 selves in, so different from that of their fathers. Ac- 

 tive business men must yield to circumstances, and 

 they must watch every movement around them. If 

 the shipping merchant finds the trade which he and 

 liis fathers have prospered in, superseded by those who 

 can supply it cheaper than he possibly can, he must 

 turn his vessel in another direction. So because we 

 here have been successfully raising wheat, and fatting 

 cattle, it does not follow that it is sound policy to cling 

 to it, when others can supply these articles cheaper; 

 particularly when there is so wide and so promising a 

 field open before us in another direction.— Ed. 



Potatoe Rot. 



In the same garden, last spring, were 

 planted two patches of potatoes, having only 



about a two feet path between them. The 

 soil in which they were planted is what is 

 called " red shell." The situation of the 

 ground, the time of planting, the kind of 

 potatoe, the cultivation of the soil and plant, 

 &c., were in both patches the same; neither, 

 so far as we can discover, was there any dif- 

 ference, e.xcept in the manner of planting; 

 and yet one patch is greatly injured by the 

 "rot," wliile the other does not possess the 

 least semblance of disease; but, on the con- 

 trary, we have a fine crop of solid, healthy 

 potatoes. This difference we attribute alto- 

 gether to the presence of lime. After the 

 potatoes were planted, a layer of manure 

 was placed upon them, and in that patch 

 where the " rot" has not appeared, a layer 

 of slacked lime was placed upon the manure, 

 after which they were covered with earth. 

 So that one patch had manure, and the other 

 manure and lime. And there is no cause 

 to which we can attribute the preservation 

 of the crop, that we can conceive, except it 

 be the lime. 



We account for it on this principle. The 

 disease, I apprehend, is generated by the 

 sudden changes in the season, and the cure 

 is effected by the prevention of their efl^cts 

 upon the plant. These sudden changes have 

 been very prevalent for the last few years. 

 A spell of dry, hot weather, rapidly absorbs 

 the moisture from the earth, and thus checks 

 the growth of the potatoe ; for potatoes will 

 not grow where tlie ground is dry and hard. 

 Now comes a heavy rain, the potatoe starts 

 growing, the temperature of the soil is sud- 

 denly changed, and disease is generated. 

 But lime is a good preventive. While 

 the manure nourishes the plant, the lime 

 during and under the influence of the dry 

 weather, becomes somewhat hard, forming 

 a kind of crust, thus preventing the moist- 

 ure beneath from evaporating, and the pota- 

 toe is kept constantly growing; there being 

 always sufiicient moisture retained for that 

 purpose. Again, during a heavy rain, the 

 lime absorbs the water, becomes saturated, 

 throws out its latent heat, and thus checks 

 any sudden change in the temperature 

 around the potitoe. So that by keeping up 

 an even temperature and due degree of 

 moisture, the potatoe continues healthy and 

 fruitful. 



Moreover, if it is a fact that worms breed 

 in the potatoe vine, methinks lime will pre- 

 vent it; because the substance of the lime 

 penetrating through the whole plant will 

 destroy their influence, the same as it does 

 upon cucumbers. In my opinion, if the po- 

 tatoe is kept in a growinsr, healthy state, 

 subject to the penetrating influence of lime, 

 no worm nor disease will appear. We state 



