600 [Assembly 



Col. Clark. The insect has what may be termed an open cocoon, 

 formed of slight portions of bark and some gluten — neither of which 

 can resist the effect of the lime. 



J. D. Williamson presented for examination, two potatoes from 

 Santa Fe de Bogota, 800 miles in the interior of South America. 

 They are of a very ordinary size compared with those of Europe or 

 the United States, but the crop was deemed so extraordinary for size, 

 that perhaps twenty thousand persons in that region went to see 

 them. 



Chairman. The practice in that country is to raise potatoes an- 

 nually, from seed and not from tubers ; consequently, their potatoes 

 are all quite small when compared with those which we produce by 

 planting the potato itself. 



Col. Clark. I have planted some of their potatoes, they were quite 

 small, comparatively. 



The following article was then read by Mr. Hyde, on the much 

 vexed question of the potato disease: 



The subject of the malady in potatoes has been so much discussed, 

 that the mention of it has become rather repulsive, and perhaps an 

 apology is due for again reverting to it ; yet, it is a fact that thou- 

 sands are perishing by famine, in consequence of the failure of the 

 crop of this valuable root, in foreign lands j and in our own country 

 the loss in consequence of the malady is to be reckoned by millions. 

 The difference in the cost of potatoes consumed in New-York and 

 Brooklyn in one year, may be seen by the following estimate. Al- 

 lowing the population of the two cities to be 400,000, and supposing 

 each family to consist of ten persons, the number of families will be 

 40,000. Each family, probably, on an average, consumes one bushel 

 per week, or say fifty bushels in a year. By this estimate the yearly 

 consumption is 2,000,000 bushels. The increase in the price per 

 bushel in consequence of deficient crops is about 60 cents per bushel, 

 making the whole yearly loss $1,200,000. The loss to the whole 

 country is immense, and as the season has arrived when the remedy 

 for the evil is to be applied if useil at all, the importance of the sub- 

 ject seems to justify introducing it, although rather stale. 



To consider the potato disease as one of those inexplicable visita- 

 tions of Providence, which no human skill can avert, and therefore, 

 to give up all further inquiry, seems to me a conclusion unworthy 



