198 Transactions of tee American Institute. 



POTATO CULTURE. 



Mr. Jas. Warren, Monroe, Jasper county, Iowa. — It is a deplora- 

 ble fact that potatoes for a number of years have been diseased. A 

 disturbance seems brought about by mismanagement in its cultiva- 

 tion, which has been repeated and augmented continually, from its 

 first introduction to the present time. Although this tuber is exceed- 

 ingly tenacious of existence, and we still succeed in raising meager 

 crops, some, or part of which, will still do for human food, yet the 

 whole race is affected, and if we do not adopt measures so as to 

 assist nature to regain her power, the potato will eventually be lost 

 to mankind. Nature allows a considerable margin for casualties 

 and indiscretions, but she will not forever be trifled with. I have 

 been familiar with potato culture about forty-eight years, in vari- 

 ous countries and climates of both hemispheres, and my earliest 

 recollections are that most of the plants bore clusters of seed-balls, 

 and some of them did not, which shows that the disturbance was 

 progressing even then, but not far enough advanced to cause much 

 damage. The late varieties produced less seed than the early 

 kinds, simply because the preceding generations had been prema- 

 turely cut down by frost in the autumn, and from that time there 

 has been a gradual decrease until of late years a cluster of seed- 

 balls is a novelty. Now, the potato being hermaphrodite in char- 

 acter, it is the intention of nature that each blossom should fructify 

 itself and others growing near; that each plant should bear and 

 mature seed to perfect ripeness. Either the seed or the tubers is 

 then in fit condition to propagate, and not otherwise; for there is 

 a sympathetic action going on, in and between the seed, the tubers 

 and all other parts of the plants during the process of elaboration 

 and assimilation of the vital principle, the imponderables and the 

 grosser materials, in their proper proportions and at the same time, 

 which is to insure to both seed and tuber the ability to transmit a 

 perfect organism to the next generation. If this natural process is 

 frustrated in a small degree, the organism must be imperfect, and 

 although a tribe of tubers may carry on the work of reproduction 

 for a length of time under these adverse circumstances, their 

 vitality must at length be expended. Fungus now takes hold, and 

 hastens decay, when infusoria, &c., enter, and the tuber is dead, 

 simply of exhaustion. It has been the general practice of farmers 

 to make two plantings in each year, an early kind for summer use, 

 and a later kind for winter use; the first planting is done as early 

 as practicable in the spring; the sets used are taken from what 



