POTATO ROT. 



Hawes, Dwight H.. Honesdale, Pa. Cause. — Sudden, warm 

 rains on the growing plant, where it has been predisposed by 

 careless and insufficient cultivation to take the disease. Want 

 of a sufficient depth of earth in covering and hoeing, the au- 

 thor considers a prominent predisposing cause. Remedy. — Re- 

 new the seed from the balls to avoid the present predisposition. 

 Plough thoroughly. Plant, cover and hoe the potatoes with 

 much earth. 



HooKE, H. M., Pelham, N. H., (more recently of Lowell, 

 Mass.) offers a communication of great length, ably written, 

 evidently embodying the result of much mental labor and deep 

 research. And it is because many of the facts and arguments 

 here presented have been traversed by others, already recorded, 

 and not because these are less interesting, that it is deemed 

 necessary in this brief abstract, already extended to greater 

 length than first calculated, to omit to notice some important 

 parts of this essay, which would otherwise have been recorded 

 at full length. The original place of discovery, for instance, 

 Avas given in the communication of T. S. Ridgeway ; and the 

 formation of the plant, more fully, in that of J. W. Dawson. 



Mr. Hooke notices the striking fact that the disease occurred 

 in different parts of the globe about the same time, which seems 

 to prove some deficiency in the atmosphere, or that the atmo- 

 sphere contains a specific poison so subtle, as hitherto to have 

 eluded our senses. If indeed an aerial element, necessary to 

 the growth of the potato, is withdrawn, the sequence will be a 

 partial or total decomposition of the root, caused by the inter- 

 ruption of that process, by which the various parts of the root 

 are developed. If it be then asked why all fields are not equally 

 diseased, it may be asked, in turn, why all individuals are not 

 equally affected by atmospheric epidemics. We do answer that 

 some fields have the proper preventive agent. Then it will be 

 asked what fields ? Experience answers, those best supplied 

 with carbon, and in condition to supply the potato. 



(Omitting a minute description of the formation of the po- 

 tato,) it should be borne in mind, that the part first diseased is 

 composed of 24 parts of carbon, 21 of oxygen, and 21 of by- 



