362 



The Potatoe Rot. 



Vol. IX. 



in a rotten potatoe, which is evidence that 

 there is not alkali enoiigh to operate upon 

 it. If an alkali is placed upon some of the 

 rotten potatoe, it instantly changes. Mr. 

 Teschemacher says in his letter to the New 

 England Farmer, dated Boston, October, 

 1844,* while speaking about his experi- 

 ments, "A portion of the dark substance 

 was placed upon a piece of glass on the mi- 

 croscope stand, in a drop of distilled water, 

 and then thoroughly examined. A little 

 salt on the fine point of a penknife, was 

 then added. A nearly instantaneous change 

 took place. The dark coloured masses sepa- 

 rated ; much of them seemed to pass away; 

 and instead, there appeared numerous dark 

 slate coloured globular bodies, which I easily 

 recognized as the spores or reproducing bo- 

 dies of the fungus. With the grey, slimy 

 substance, the effect was still more striking. 

 All the indistinct slime disappeared; the 

 mass became clear and transparent, and left 

 nothing but these innumerable dark globules 

 floating about in the drop of water." 



Salt is well known to be a muriate of 

 soda. It appears evident from Mr. Tesche- 

 m^cher's experiment, that the soda of the 

 salt left the muriatic acid and entered into 

 combination with the carbonic acid of the 

 rotten mass, forming a carbonate of soda, 

 and setting the muriatic acid free. 



This carbonic acid is highly infectious, 

 and hence the reason that a potatoe slightly 

 rotten soon becomes wholly so, and infects 

 those with which it is in contact. Any 

 alkali will neutralize it, forming with it a 

 carbonate. Consequently any alkali will cure 

 the rot in the potatoe. This it will effect 

 in two ways. First, by strengthening the 

 cellular tissue — thus preventing the ruptur- 

 ing and consequent disorganization of the 

 potatoe, which would result in death and 

 decay ; and secondly, by neutralizing the 

 carbonic acid, and thus destroying its infec- 

 tious principle. 



But let us leave off philosophizing, and 

 turn to facts — a mode of operating adopted 

 by persons who are too lazy to reason, or 

 who cannot or will not. I will take some 

 extracts from numerous articles on the sub- 

 ject contained in the Report of the Commis- 

 sioner of Patents. I could take more, but 

 perhaps these will be sufficient, and more 

 would only fill up your paper to no purpose. 

 The first instance I shall notice is one that 

 came under the direct notice of the Com- 

 missioner of Patents, and is thus related : 

 " Mr. James Camack planted with potatoe 

 cuttings three separate pieces of land — two 



* See current vol. of Farmers' Cabinet, p. 179. 



of which v/ere sand and gravelly loam — all 

 on the 20th of June, 1844. Those on the 

 tirst piece were rolled in plaster of Paris or 

 gypsum, and sprinkled in the hill with the 

 same before being covered ; another piece 

 was prepared with compost and stable ma- 

 nure; and a third covered with horse dung. 

 In this experiment the first alone escaped 

 the disease and gave an e.xcellent crop; the 

 second was not quite so bad as the last, but 

 both were comparatively useless. The soil 

 for the first two pieces was exactly alike — 

 in one field." 



In the same article I find the following : 

 "An instance is related whereon planting, 

 a table-spoonful of lime was placed in each 

 hill ; and after the potatoes were up, there 

 was applied about a gill of a mixture — of 

 lime two bushels, plaster three, and ashes 

 eight. In this case there was not one rotten 

 potatoe in the fall, while in the fields of his 

 neighbours they were much diseased." 



Mr. S. F. Perley, a correspondent of 

 the Massachusetts Ploughman, under date 

 of October, 1844, says among other things, 

 "The rot has prevailed most in ground most 

 highly dressed with barn manure, especially 

 if placed in the hill. When potatoes were 

 planted without any manure, they have 

 rotted very little. Two pieces on similar 

 ground — rather wet — were manured, the one 

 from the barn, the other with hair, lime, flesh- 

 ings, &c., from the tannery, both applied in 

 the hill: the first rotted badly, the other 

 very little. Two pieces, the first dressed 

 broadcast and in the hill, from the barn; the 

 other broadcast, with a compost of barn ma- 

 nure and swamp muck — muck and ashes 

 and clear manure, both dry — the first was 

 planted early, the latter late; the first rotted 

 in the field, and being dug in the hot weeks 

 of September, rotted afler being put into the 

 cellar; while the latter, dug at odd jobs from 

 the middle of September to the middle of 

 October, sufi"ered very little. This piece 

 had piaster put on at the time of planting 

 and after the potatoes were up." 



Mr. Netterville, a correspondent of the 

 Boston Cultivator, writing from Palatine 

 Bridge, Montgomery county. New York, 

 gives the information before mentioned, of 

 the advantage to be derived from a mixture 

 of ashes, lime and plaster. 



At a meeting of the New York Farmers' 

 Club, Mr. Butler says, " I found that both 

 potatoes and corn grow soft and unhealthy 

 when manured with the ordinary barn-yard 

 manure, but that they grow uniformly dry 

 and mealy, with lime-prepared manure." 



At the same meeting Dr. Gardener stated 

 that " Many diseased potatoes have been 



