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Remarks on the Potatoe Disease. 



Vol. XIT 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Remarks on the Potatoe Disease. 



Mr. Editor, — I send you a short paper 

 on the Rot, with such remarks as have oc- 

 curred to me in the course of my examina- 

 tion of this important subject. We wish it to 

 be understood that we offer no theory, as to 

 the cause of this destructive disease, but 

 confine ourselves to the simpler and modest 

 duty, of finding materials for the examina- 

 tion and speculation of others better fitted 

 for a study of the laws of nature. The sub- 

 ject has been already suflicicntly perplexed 

 v.'ith the superficial opinions of persons not 

 suited by their habits of mind for critical and 

 accurate remark, and already too much over- 

 loaded with the hasty and crude ideas of 

 those who had no appreciation of the diffi- 

 ^culties of the case. To know anything of 

 those wonderful movements going on around 

 us, requires something more than the mere 

 observation of that which passes before us. 

 To attain even a remote idea of the secret 

 and mysterious movements of nature, exacts 

 laborious and profound study, but to rise to 

 the discovery and understanding of a cause, 

 requires powers of mind with which very 

 few are gifted. The disease before us has 

 had nearly as many causes as it has had ob- 

 servers. At one time it was honey dew, 

 then a fungus, then again an insect; and 

 then an unseasonable change of temperature. 

 All these the philosophic mind will put aside, 

 and proceed to the examination of the sub- 

 ject, unbiassed, if possible, by any precon- 

 ceived opinions. We believe the matter is 

 now in charge of those who will give it the 

 fullest and severest examination. It has 

 been taken up by some of the governments 

 of Europe ; they have called to their aid their 

 foremost men of science, and there is no 

 doubt that all the resources of chemistry, 

 and of every other science that can bear on 

 this disease, will be immediately and tho- 

 roughly put in action. It has assumed, be- 

 sides its importance in the economy of na- 

 tions, a political interest, that very naturally 

 excites the dread of those countries whose 

 population cannot extend itself; where there 

 is only soil enough to cover the dead, but 

 none to spare to feed the living. These old 

 governments of Europe fear a collision with 

 a starving people — a shock to their political 

 authority — a depopulation of their domin- 

 ions. This country, more fortunate and 

 more flourishing, has her share in the disas- 

 ter, though from the immense extent of her 

 territory and a great variety of climate, she 

 has little to dread from an epidemic among 

 her crops; yet in proportion to the failure 

 abroad, will be the pressure on the energies 



of her people, as she must either feed the 

 subjects of foreign countries in their own 

 homes, by the usual mode of commercial 

 exchange, or she must feed them in large 

 numbers, as paupers, on her own shores. In 

 this way, this disease in a vegetable so hum- 

 ble as the potatoe, has risen to such import- 

 ance as to decide the life or death of mil- 

 lions, and to disturb the career of empires. 

 It is to be hoped then, that those engaged in 

 this interesting investigation, will be able to 

 discover, not only a cause, but what is of far 

 more importance, a remedy. 



It is not part of our duty to give a history 

 of this disease. From a pamphlet published 

 by a distinguished man of science in Europe, 

 a portion of which was translated at ihe re- 

 quest of this Society, and published in vol. 

 ix. of the Farmers' Cabinet, it appears that 

 the potatoe is liable to various diseases, but 

 that this one, known as rot, was first de- 

 scribed in 1769. It made its appearance in 

 different parts of Germany in that year, and 

 in 1783 and 1784. In the present century, 

 it first appeared in France and Germany, in 

 1830; from that time it has gradually gone 

 on extending itself, and has at length become 

 so virulent and dangerous, as to create uni- 

 versal alarm. We presume that this is the 

 same disease that is now ravaging parts of 

 Europe, and the same we have seen in this 

 country. The author of this pamphlet gives 

 no one cause as producing this disease. He 

 assigns several influences that may nave as- 

 sist in causing it, but very properly gives no 

 one, as the direct and immediate ag^nt in its 

 creation. A fungus — an insect — foggy and 

 moist weather, are spoken of as probably 

 having some efiect in calling it forth, but 

 rather as aiding, than as causing. There 

 seems but one condition generally applica- 

 ble, which was the setting of cuttings, in- 

 stead of the whole vegetable. With this 

 exception, there does not appear any one 

 condition common and uniform in this dis- 

 ease. On this side of the Atlantic it is said 

 to have appeared first in Nova Scotia; in 

 this part of the United States it did not show 

 itself, or did not attract attention till 1843. 

 In that year a few farmers lost their crops. 

 From that time to the present, it has con- 

 tinued among us, seriously injuring, though 

 not entirely destroying the crop. In parts 

 of New York and New England, the disease 

 has been more extensive and more active. 

 One point we have been particularly desirous 

 of examining; what changes of temperature 

 took place at the time when the disease was 

 first indicated. We, of course, as already 

 mentioned, have avoided being influenced 

 by any preconceived impressions of the 

 agency of any one cause, but in a matter of 



