148 



GENESEE FARMER. 



June. 



The Potato Rot.— Its Cause and Remedy. 



In tl)is communication I shall, I think, give to 

 the world the true cause of the potato malady. 

 While science has been on the utmost stretch to 

 find out the true cause, like all other excite- 

 ments, it lias been too lofty in its researches, 

 perliaps, to give much credence, and too great a 

 rjanie to the splendid essays of those devoted to 

 the pertbrmance of the "task. 1 expect that 

 every one who reads this article, (for I expect it 

 to he published,) will come forward with their 

 battallion of a thousand and one queries, pre- 

 suming that will confound my position. But to 

 the story. The true cause of the potato malady 

 is an insect. What the exact form of the mother 

 is 1 am as yet unable to say. But one thing is 

 certain, that she lays her eggs, in the latter part 

 of June and during the month of July, some- 

 limes even as late as in August, particularly in 

 late planted fields, just under the surface of the 

 ground near the stalk. After a few days the egg 

 ha'ches into a worm of a peculirir form, about 

 3-lGihs of an incli in length, of a yellowish 

 brown color, not unlike the worm found in meal 

 chests, with a head something like it, tapering 

 from the head back, with a spiral white ring 

 passiiig from the head to its termination like a 

 screw. The worm when full grown is about 

 an inch in length and an eighth in diameter. 



lis form of Attack and Effects. — luimediately 

 after hatching it begins to enter the stalks, be- 

 neath the surface of the soil, to the center 

 and work upwards; the stalk immediately be- 

 gins to show signs of disease by turning black ; 

 the leaves appear as if they had been scorched. 

 The tubers attached to those stalks are all affected. 



The time of attack, is when the tubers are 

 setting, which is in the last of July and first of 

 August in some sections, and during the month 

 of August in others. Hence the reason why 

 late planted are more liable to disease than early"; 

 for if planted early the tuber setts, and arrives 

 .somewhat to maturity before the season of at- 

 tack. Very rich soils are more liable than 

 poorer, from the greater luxuriance of the plant, 

 the same as vines from the yellow bug, &c. 

 This at once settles the question why newly pro 

 duced are affected as well as those of greater age. 



All the oljjections which were unanswered by 

 the various tlieories heretofore given, are settled 

 by the discoveries of the past season in this town. 

 Could I sit down with every objector, and while 

 away an hour or two, 1 could tell him more to 

 convince him than I can on this sheet of paper. 

 It was by accident that a gentleman in tliis town 

 found the worm. While in a field of potatoes 

 examining them, he found some* of the stalks 

 were hollow and soft, presenting a dark appear- 

 ance, while others were quite hard, and were 

 greenish. He began opening the soft one, and 

 discovered the worm. He then dug down 



around such stalks and found the tubers altached 

 were diseased, while those on the other stalks 

 were hard and sound. He gave the information 

 to many of his neighbors, who upon examiirition, 

 found theirs {he same. From thence the re- 

 search became general, and the results were 

 uniformly alike in every respect. 



Recently while conversing with a farmer fiom 

 another part of our county upon the subject, he 

 says he found such worms, or the uorm chang- 

 ing into the larvae state, on the surface under 

 the tops, when he was digging his potatoes ; and 

 that his are and were much aOected this season. 

 This is the first time he has been troubled with 

 the malady ; and he never planted so late ai 

 the past season. 



The remedy is in early planting, the earlier 

 the better. My father and myself planted tiie 

 past season before the middle of A;iril, so that 

 the ground wa^ frozen to the depth of two inches 

 after planting, (they want to be covered deep,) 

 and we have not raised so perfect and good po- 

 tatoes for quite a number of years ; no disease 

 among thtm — mealy, hard and fine. 



I am confident the foregoing is the true cause 

 of the malady, the effect of which has caused 

 so much distress and death in many parts of the 

 world. To those who are yet incredulous as to 

 the cause, if they will give a few moments of 

 candid reflection they can readily ant.vver every 

 o!)jection, from this single fact, — an insect con- 

 fines itself to no particular location, or age of 

 plant, but destroys wherever it willeth. 



E. S. Bartholomew. 



Portland, Chau. Co., N. Y., 18 48. 



DESTRUCTtON OP RaTS AND MfCE. Mr. L 



Van Houtte in the Florre des Serres, recom- 

 mends the following nvides of destroying these 

 troublesome vermin, and says the success is cer- 

 tain. Take small pieces of cork and fry it in 

 gravy, or butter, and scatter them around. The 

 rats and mice will eat them greedily, and disap- 

 pear, killed by the indigestible Ibod. Little 

 balls of brown paper, or small pieces of sponge, 

 fried in the same manner, produces the same 

 effect more promptly. The advantage of these 

 materials over arsenic, ordinarily employed, is 

 obvious. 



A Nkw Discovf.ry. — Tlic E{pv. Mr. Pepper, a Preshy- 

 terian nlernymon of AHiany, lins inventinl a compoiiinl of 

 clay, called Arciilo. wliicli rescmLles in striiclufe and ap- 

 pearance, tiie riche.st. variaiiated aj^ates. It is lo he used 

 for door krio'is. pavemenU. lahlc tops, and other ornamental 

 articles. It suri)is'!es in lirilliancy, any known variety of 

 mirhle, and i« equally cheap. The Hariford Whig sfieaks 

 of it in the following terms : No one, who has not seen it 

 can form an idea of its lieanty and illimilahle variety of 

 color. It is SI) h.ird as to resist any scratch except that of 

 a crystal or diamond. Already, ftlr. ('alhoun has intro- 

 duced in the Senito a resnlntion. which passed inNinntly. 

 to the etleci, lliat nil the floors of ihe public offices in iho 

 f^apital, should he made of this beautiful material. $1,100,- 

 0!)U has been offered for the entire patent." 



