Tlie Potatoe Rot in Ohio. 



Vol. XII. 



of one field of eight acres, to which had 

 been applied broadcast, 400 loads, of fifty 

 bushels each, of swale muck, mixed with 

 five hundred bushels of oyster-shell lime. 

 Another field of six acres, which previously 

 had been cropped with grain, was manured 

 with coal ashes, a pint to a hill, and looked 

 well. 



Mr. Bell practises the system of soiling 

 in part, particularly with his milch-cows, 

 and highly approves of the plan. He sells, 

 upon an average, in this city, 500 quarts of 

 milk per day, which amounts to more than 

 $7000 a year. From the milk of one cow 

 alone, he realized $530 in two years, not- 

 withstanding she had a calf within the time, 

 but was never dry. 



Mr. Bell's bull is a thorough bred Short- 

 horn, imported from the celebrated herd of 

 the late Earl Spencer. He is a superb ani- 

 mal, and has taken several prizes, as the 

 first in his class, at the exhibitions of the 

 New York State Agricultural Society and 

 the American Institute. 



Several of his cows are also thorough-bred 

 Short-horns; but most of his herd consists of 

 high grades, a cross of his bull, Marius, with 

 some of our best native stock. Of this cross, 

 we observed fifteen beautiful yearling heifers, 

 of great promise, which were so docile that 

 they could be approached and handled by any 

 one who chose. This gentleness Mr. Bell 

 attributes to the early attachment they ac- 

 quired by bringing them up by hand when 

 calves. The^first three weeks following 

 their birth they were allowed to suckle the 

 cow, after which they were fed a few weeks 

 on skim-milk, and then turned out to grass. 

 This kind of treatment, no doubt, has a tend- 

 ency to soften their dispositions, and greatly 

 contributes to their gentleness when they 

 come to be cows. 



While looking at the herd, it was remarked 

 by Mr. Bell, that every cow, without e.xcep- 

 tion, which had broad escutcheons, or quirls, 

 formed by the meeting of the hair that points 

 in different directions on the posterior parts 

 of the animal, ivide apart, were good milk- 

 ers; but this proves nothing further than it 

 goes, as his premium cow. Shaker, the best 

 in the herd,* has but a trifling development 

 of this point, being the one from which he 

 realized $530 in two years by the sale of 

 her milk. . , , , 



Mr. Bell is evidently a thorough-bred 

 farmer, which is manifest from the charac- 

 teristic neatness and excellent management 

 of every part of his farm. He superintends 

 in person, and puts on record most of the 

 operations of the dairy, the farm-yard, and 

 of the field, and is up and doing from early 

 dawn to late at night. He keeps an account 



of his receipts and expenditures, which, at 

 the end of the year, it is highly desirable he 

 should make known to the public." 



The Potatoe Rot iu Ohio. 



There is reason to fear that a large pro- 

 portion of the present potatoe crop in this 

 State will be destroyed by that mysterious 

 malady the rot. In our recent trip we passed 

 through portions of nine ditferent counties, 

 extending northward from this place to the 

 Lake, and in every one of these we saw 

 evidences of the disease — though in some 

 cases it was only just beginning to manifest 

 itself, and was not yet known to exist by the 

 owners. 



We also learn by letters and our exchanges 

 that eastward in Coshocton county, and west- 

 ward in Montgomery, and in Hamilton, the 

 rot has made its appearance and is rapidly 

 destroying the crop in some places, exciting 

 much inquiry and apprehension among the 

 farmers and others. Even our own " little 

 farm" has not escaped, and where we ex- 

 pected to have several hundred bushels for 

 market, it is doubtful whether we shall save 

 enough healthy tubers for our own family ^ 

 use. " 



The first indications of the disease, is the 

 leaves turning black — not all at once, as by 

 frost, but gradually and in spots, leaving 

 some leaves on the top of the stems, or a 

 whole stem or hill looking healthy for a 

 time, but not long. The tubers in the mean 

 time cease growing, become watery and dis- 

 coloured, and soon begin to decay, especially 

 when dug. 



Moioing off the tops, as soon as the dis- 

 ease begins to appear, is recommended by 

 some, as the best means of preserving the 

 crop. This remedy is founded on the belief 

 that the disease commences in the tops. But 

 this has not yet been proven, nor have we 

 seen accounts of sufficient experiments to 

 induce us to put much faith in the remedy; 

 thouo-h we shall give it a trial, and we ad- 

 vise others to do the same. 



One of our correspondents suggests, in 

 addition to cutting off the tops, putting a 

 small quantity of ashes on each hill. 



With all the expenditure of labour, money, 

 and scientific research that has been devoted 

 to this subject in Europe for the past three 

 years, absolutely nothing has as yet been 

 made known in relation to the cause or pre- 

 vention of this "potatoe rot." Still we 

 should not thereby be deterred from observ- 

 ing and making known all the facts that can 

 be^ascertained on the subject; and we there- 

 fore request such of our readers as try ex- 

 periments, or make any supposed discoveries 



