&l)c farmer's iHcmtljln ilioitor. 



59 



compound of phosphoric acid and lime, which is 

 insoluble in pure water, and which, therefore, il 

 rain water were pure water, would lie useless BS 

 a manure. Lime will mute with two different 

 proportions of phosphoric acid ; ami though as 

 phosphate of lime it is insoluble, as biphnsphute 

 (that i.--, united with a double quantity of phos- 

 phoric acid,) it is very easj soluble in water. 

 And the advantage of adding sulphuric acid to 

 the hones is simply this — that it converts the in- 

 soluble phosphate which they contain into the 

 soluble diphosphate. From one portion of the 

 phosphate of lime it detaches ihe phosphoric 



acid, and, taking ils place, unites with the lime 



thus isolated, forming gypsum, while the phos- 

 phoric acid winch it has detached combines with 

 another portion of phosphate Ibrmiug a triphos- 

 phate. Bone earth thus treated, therefore, con- 

 tains phosphorus in a soluble form, and the tur- 

 nip plant has an abundance presented to it by 

 every shower which penetrates the soil in which 

 the manure has been deposited. — .1^. Gazette. 



The Potato Rot— Preventive and Cure. 



From the Boston Courier. 



Cambridge, April 3, 1848. 



Dear Sir, — A new work by Baron Lie big, 

 winch has just reached me, end which will be 

 issued from the American press in a few days, 

 contains the views of this distinguished author 

 upon the nature of the Potato Disease. Alter its 

 publication in Europe, there appeared in the 

 Journal of the Agricultural Association of Hesse 

 Darmstadt, the method of Dr. Klotscb for the 

 prevention of this disense. This method is such 

 as gives Strength to the views expressed by Ba- 

 ron Liehig. 



Dr. Klotsch is keeper of the Royal Herbarium 

 in Berlin, and an eminent vegetable physiolo- 

 gist. 



He presented a memorial to the King of Prus- 

 sia, offering his method to the world, provided 

 he were assured of a remuneration of '2000 dia- 

 lers (aliout 1 100 dollars,) if, after a three year's 

 trial, it should prove successful. 



The memorial was referred to the .Minister of 

 the Interior, who requested Dr. Klotsch to dis- 

 cuss the matter with the College of Rural Econ- 

 omy. 



This resulted in the offer of the conditional 

 reward. 



I have met with the statement that, within the 

 last vear or two, some mowers, without inten- 

 tional good service, spread several swaths 

 through the potato field of a New England 

 fanner, and thus secured, wherever the tops were 

 partly destroyed, a crop of sound potatoes; — 

 while every where else in the field the potatoes 

 were infected by the rot. 



Another fact of similar character lias come to 

 my knowledge. A small farmer on Ling Island 

 caused all t!c blossoms, as they appeared in his 

 field, to be picked off The. potatoes, when har- 

 vested, were all sound. 



Th ise (acts acquire new value from the sup- 

 port they lend to the views of Baron Liehig and 

 the method of Dr. Klotsch. 



The method of Dr. Klotsch follows. I can 

 but wish I'm- it a wide circulation, and a faithful 

 trial by farmers and gardeners. 



I am, very respectfully and truly yours, 



EBEN N. HORSFORD. 



J. T. Buckingham. 



Methud proposed by Dr. Klotsch, for the Protection 

 of the Potato plant against Disease. 

 The potato, which is an annual plant, represents, 

 in the. tubers developed from the stem, tin; pe- 

 rennial part of a plant ; for while the duration of 



its development is analogous to thai of animals, 



its sections coincide exactly with those of dicoty- 

 ledonous shrubs and trees. 



The potato plain differs from all those plants 

 which are cultivated for economical purposes ill 

 Europe, and can only he compared to those or- 

 chideous plants which yield salep, and which 

 are not cultivated among us. 



The tubers, both of I he potato and of the sa'- 

 Icp plants, are nutriciotis, and agree in this, that 

 in the cells of the tubers, grains of starch, with 

 more or less azoiized mucilage, are collected, 

 while the cell walls possess the remarkably pro- 



perty of swelling up into a jelly, and thus be- 

 coming easily digestible when boiled With wa- 

 ter. 



But while the tuber of salep contains only one 

 bud or germ, the potato usually develops several, 

 often many germs. 



The potato plant, like all annuals, exerts ils 

 chief efforts in developing flowers and fruit. — 

 Like .all annuals too, it has the power of short- 

 ening this period of development, when tin' 

 power of the roots is limited ; as also of length- 

 ening it, when the extent and power of the rools 

 are increased. 



We observe in nature, that plants with feebly 

 developed roots often have a weak, sickly aspect, 

 but yet come to maturity in flower and fruil 

 sooner than stronger individuals, well furnished 

 with roots. 



In perennial plants we observe a second effort, 

 which is directed towards preparing and storing 

 I lie nutritive matter, for the consumption of the 

 plant. The preparation of this nutriment is ef- 

 fected by the physiological action of the leaves, 

 under the influence of the roots. The stronger 

 and larger ihe former are, the more is this pre- 

 paration of food delayed. 



The nutritious matters are stored in the color- 

 ed stratum of the bark in shrubs and trees, and 

 in the tubers in the potato and salep plants. Not 

 only, however, the nutrient matters', but also the 

 cells owe their origin to the physiological action 

 of the leaves. 



On considering these things, it follows that the 

 poiato plant required more care than is usually 

 devoted to it. Hitherto the whole cultivation 

 consisted in clearing off weeds, and hoeing up 

 the earth round the stems. Both of these meas- 

 ures are indeed necessary, but they are not alone 

 sufficient — for the plant is cultivated, not on ac- 

 count of its fruit, but for the sake of its tubers, 

 and the treatment should be modified accord- 

 ingly. 



The chief points to be attended to, with a view 

 to the attainment of the object, namely, the in- 

 crease of tubers, are — 



1. To increase the power in the roots, and 

 9. To cheek the transformation which occurs 

 in the leaf. 



We obtain both ends simultaneously, if, in the 

 5ih, fith, and 7ih week after setting the tubers, 

 and in the 4th and 5th week alter planting out 

 germs furnished with roots, or at a time when the 

 plains reach the height of six to nine inches 

 above the soil, we pinch oft* the extreme points 

 of the branches or twigs to the extent of half an 

 inch downwards,* and repeat this on every branch 

 or iwig in the HUh and llth week, no matter at 

 what time of day. 



The consequence of this check to the develop- 

 ment of the stem and branches, is a stimulus to 

 the nutrient matters ill the plant in the direction 

 of the increase, both of roois and of the multi- 

 plication of the branches of the stem above 

 ground, which not only favors the power of the 

 root, hut also strengthens the leaves and stalks 

 lo such a degree, that the matters prepared by 

 the physiological action of these parts are in- 

 creased and applied to the formation of tubers; 

 while, at the same time, the direct action of the 

 sun's rays on the soil is prevented by the thick 

 foliage, and thus the drying up of the soil and its 

 injurious consequences are avoided. 



The checking of the transformation in the leaf 

 is equivalent to the interruption of the natural 

 change of the leaves into calyces, coral la, stam- 

 ens, and pistils, which is effected at the ex- 

 pense of the nutrient matters collected in the 

 plant; and these, when this modification of the 

 leaves is arrested, are turned lo account in the 

 formation of tubers. 



Led by these views, I made, in 1846, experi- 

 ments on simile potato plants, carefully marked, 

 by pinching off the ends of tin' brunches. They 

 were so readily distinguished, in their subse- 

 quent growth, from the plains beside them, In 

 moie numerous branches, larger and darker foli- 

 age, that, in truth, no marking was necessary. 



The produce from these plants of tubers, was 

 abundant, and the tubers were perfectly healthy 

 — while the plants next them, which bad 1101 



* Any one would be bitterly disappointed, who on the 

 principle that " there cannot be too much of a good 

 thing," should takeoff more than is litre recommended, in 

 order to il*..- it as I'-jdder. 



been so treated, gave uniformly a less produce, 

 at the same time the tubers were rough on the 

 surface, and in many instances attacked with the 

 prevailing disease. This experiment was in- 

 complete, anil did not give a positive result, hut 

 it was yet encouraging for me. 

 In the middle of April, 1847, an experin t 



was made on a low-lying field with the round 

 while potatoes, gencially cultivated here — a va- 

 riety which had not suffered much I'rntu the dis- 

 ease which first appeared here in 184.J. The po- 

 tatoes were planted in the usual way by an ex- 

 perienced farm-servant. 



Alter weeding them in the end of May, I re- 

 newed my experiment by pinching off the points 

 of the branches of every si cond row, and re- 

 pealed this in the end id' June. The result sur- 

 passed all expectations. The stalks of the plants 

 not treated on my plan were long, straggling, 

 and sparingly furnished with leaves, the leaves 

 themselves small and pale green. 



In the next field, potatoes of the some variety 

 were planted on the same day, and left to nature. 

 They appeared in the first six weeks healthy, 

 even strong, bill gradually acquired a poor aspect 

 as the time of flowering and fruit approached, 

 and finally exhibited precisely the same appear- 

 ances as the rows not treated by pinching off the 

 extremities in the field, in which my experiments 

 were made. 



The harvest began in the surrounding fields, 

 in the middle of August, and was very middling. 

 The tubers were throughout smaller than usual, 

 very scabby, and within these fields, to a small 

 extent, attacked by the wet rot. 



In the end of August, the difference between 

 the rows treated by me and those not Heated he- 

 came so striking, that it astonished all the work 

 people in the neighborhood, who wire never 

 tired of inquiring the cause. The stalks of the 

 rows leli to themselves were all now partly dried, 

 partly dead. On the contrary, the rows treated 

 as above were luxuriant and in full vigor, the 

 plants bushy, the foliage thick, the leaves large 

 and dark green, so that most people supposed 

 they had been later planted. 



But the difference in ihe tubers was also very 

 decided. The tubers in the plants in the rows 

 treated on my plan were not, indeed, larger, but 

 vastly mure numerous, and they were neither 

 scabby nor affected with any disease whatever. 

 A few had pushed, (which was to be ascribed to 

 a late rain.) and wf.re, apparently, imcoinpletely 

 developed, while scab and wet rol attacked more 

 and more the tubers of the other plants, which 

 also fell oft* on tin; slightest handling. 



Although I am far from believing that I am 

 able lo explain the nature of the potato disease 

 which has visited us of late years, yet I fed cer- 

 tain that 1 have discovered a means of strength- 

 ening the p. Halo plant lo such a degree as lo en- 

 able it to resist the influences which determine 

 such disi ases. 



Should any one be deterred from continuing 



the cultivation of potatoes, on at nut of the 



manipulation here recommended, which may be 

 performed by women and even by children,! ' 

 would remind him that the same field planted 

 with potatoes is capable of supplying fond to 

 twice as many persons as when employed to 

 grow wheat. 



j- I'his communication was addressed lo the peasantry 



of Prussia. 



Public Debt of France. — Or. the first of 

 January, 18-11, ihe capital of ihe public debt, the 

 Government Block belonging to the sinking fund 

 being deducted, was 4,267,315,402 francs. On 

 die first of January, I ^18, it anion. ited to 

 5,179,644,730 francs. Far from taking advantage 



of so Inn.' a peace to reduce the aiiiounl of Ihe 

 debt, the la.-i administration augmented it in 

 ihnse enormous proportions— 912,329,328 francs 



in seven years. The republic w ill, we think, ulti- 

 mately repudiate this dehl — sponge out, and he- 

 L'ni a new Calculation, Thus France will, by the 

 boulversement itself, he relieved from taxes to the 

 amount of nine or ten millions annually, a large 

 pari of which was paid io foreigners— the Em- 

 peror .Nicholas being one — who hold French 

 stock. It is a genteel way, in short, of " taking 

 ihe henrfii" nationally — or rather of mailing 

 itself of the General Bankrupt Law of congre- 

 gated humanity. 



