384 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



and leaves, before the rain. My examinations have 

 fully satisfied me that the fibrous roots and tubers 

 of the potato may he subject to disease for some 

 length of time, and the stalks and leaves give no 

 indication of disease. In some cases the fibrous 

 roots only are diseased, the tubers remaining en- 

 tirely sound. In some instances the tubers alone 

 are diseased, and the fibrous loots and the tops all 

 in an apfarently healthy state. The fact, howev- 

 er, that such tops die suddenly after being wet with, 

 rain, shows that they weie not in a healthy state. | 



All ideas of stopping the disease by cutting off 

 the tops, or by sowing lime over them, after they 

 begin to change color, appears to me to fall short 

 of the cure. The more my researches have been; 

 extended, the more evedence do I see to confirm 

 me in the opinion that the disease commences when ^ 

 the soil is in a fermented or fermenting state; and 

 that whatever is applied to the soil which will pre-| 

 vent this fermentation, during the latter part of 

 summer and early in the fall, will prevent the rot 

 in potatoes, so far. 



Things Ascerlained. — It has been ascertained by 

 observation, that potatoes growing in an open, 

 gravelly soil, are less subject to disease than those 

 growing in a close and very rich soil. It has been 

 ascertained that potatoes planted in the midst of 

 dry and thick turf are less liable to rot. It has 

 been ascertained that salt, lime, ashes, charcoal 

 and plaster, add much to the healthy condition of 

 the growing potato. From what we have ascer- 

 tained, let us improve for the future. 



Upon receiving the last number of the "Farmer,"* 

 I observed and read with much interest your re- 

 marks under the head of "Charcoal, and the Potato 

 Rot." The account of your visit to the farm of 

 Mr. Lane, of Chester, will convince many that 

 charcoal is injurious to the health of the potato. — 

 Verv different will be the conclusion of others, 

 when they take into view a certain fact, of which 

 it is evident to ine that you did not think, at the 

 time of writing. If you take the dust from a new 

 coal-bed, you will find it highly impregnated with 

 carbonic acid. During the burning of a coal-pit, 

 an immense quantity of carbonic acid gas is thrown 

 off, while the wood is becoming carbonised. This, 

 being confined within the pit, in seeking to escape, 

 enters the ground beneath the pit, and into the 

 covering, where it combines in large quantities 

 with the earthy matter, and remains with the "fine 

 coal" you speak of, which we commonly call coal 

 dust. This coal dust, and the soil beneath where 

 the pit is burned, is charged with a very different 

 property from charcoal, which you know is not car- 

 bonic acid, but carbon. 



I believe that in every instance which I have ob- 

 served of potato rot, where they rotted in the 

 ground, 1 could discover evidence of a large 

 amount of carbonic acid in the soil. In the hot 

 season of the year manures ap])lied to the soil un- 

 dergo a change by fermentation, and during the 

 progress of this change a large quantity of carbonic 

 acid is disengaged: and if the soil is porous or open, 

 like gravelly soil, or sandy, it escapes into the air; 

 fromi which the leaves of plants take up what they 

 requ.re, for the formation of woody fibre, or other 

 uses Where the soil is fine and close, or wet, 

 less will pass oft" into the air, and of course more 

 remain in the soil. The deeper you go into a soil 

 that is filled with manure, the more carbonic acid 

 will be retained, and the soil will naturally be in a 



more moist state. If frequent and heavy rains oc- 

 cur during the season of the usual fermentation, 

 which is generally during dog-days, the less of the 

 carbonic acid will escape from the soil, although, 

 in fact, more of it will be generated in warm, wet 

 weather than in any other. This is true of all de- 

 caying vegetable matter. During the progress of 

 its decomposition, when by fermentation it is trans- 

 formed to vegetable mould, carbonic acid is given 

 off. 



The primary cause of the disease among potatoes 

 may be in the effect of some certain position of the 

 heavenly bodies, whose power of attraction does 

 doubtless affect living things in this world of ours. 

 It may be in something else. Certain it is, that 

 while no different properties can be discovered in 

 earth or air than has been known before this dis- 

 ease commenced, yet, to me it has become quite a 

 settled matter that in the presence of a large quan- 

 tity of carbonic acid, the potato cannot now live 

 and enjoy health. Whatever, therefore, will pre- 

 vent the generation of large quantities of it in the 

 soil, or altord it an opportunity to escape, will be 

 gratefully acknowledged by the afflicted potato. 



Mason, N. H., Oct. 27, 1851. c. 



Remarks. — We are under obligations to our cor- 

 respondent for his favors. His reasoning is plausi- 

 ble, to say the least, and shows attentive observa- 

 tion, and this wil! eventually help us out of the 

 difficulty that besets us. Did not the potato grow 

 with perfect soundness on coal-pit grounds twenty 

 years ago? Does it not grow well now, on new 

 land, where a thick mass of dry grass and roots 

 are turned under, which would be the materials to 

 give out carbonic acid in large quantities ? Does 

 it not grow fir better on such land, than on old 

 land, though the old land may have received no 

 maiiure for many yearsi Such is the fact in our 

 experience. If this holds good, the carbonic acid 

 would seem to be favorable to the growth and pro- 

 tection of the crop, rather than an injury to it. — 

 The finest potatoes have been raised the past season 

 where the ground was manured in the hill, while 

 near by, and on ground not manured at all, they 

 have rotted badly. We are still of opinion that an 

 absolute uncertainty exists as to the cause of the 

 disease. The suggestionsof our correspondent are 

 somewhat new, and worthy of consideration. 



HUSK BEDS. 



Mr. Editor : — One of the best articles that can 

 be used for filling under beds, is the husks, prop- 

 erly prepared and stripped, of Indian corn. Only 

 the fine, interior husks, or those which are white 

 and soft, should be used. Owing to theii superi- 

 or elasticity and durability, they make the very 

 finest beds, and are much more comfortable in hot 

 weather, than straw or stripped hazel, willow or 

 any other kind of wood. A bed of stripped husks 

 will not need refilling for years. It may be well 

 however to remark, that the husks should be well 

 and carefully dried, before placing them in the beds, 

 as the smallest degree of humidity will cause them 

 to mould, and einit an unpleasant odor, for weeks. 

 — Germantown Telegraph. 



