AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 29% 



Oidium ; they fall off one after another. Mons. Ballai, finds the 

 same disease in his. It is a sort of cloque or rust. He is throw- 

 ing sulphur over them." 



[Bulletin Mensuel De La Societe Imperiale Zoologique D'Acolimatation, April, 1857.] 



Translated by Henry Mngs. 

 THE POTATO.— (By Mons. D^Ivernois.) 



To the Imperial Society — 



Gentlemen : I have been for many years struck with the degen- 

 eracy of this precious plant. I have grown potatoes on a large 

 scale, here at Hyeres, in the vicinity of the town, department of 

 the Var. 



The potato has never been attacked here by the malady, so 

 called; but it has always escaped by being very early, for we dig 

 up our crop in June, at which period they usually begin to be 

 attacked. But, nevertheless, our potatoes are not sound or vigor- 

 ous, for in spite of all our care and the best modes of cultivation, 

 we can hardly find on many hectares of our best soil, covered with 

 potatoes, two potato vines bearing seed balls with fruitful seeds in 

 them. 



This very serious fact is not peculiar to our lands, but has 

 manifested itself in the most different climates and lands. So 

 that our malady is not peculiar at all to Hyeres, but is a general 

 characteristic of the potato everywhere. Besides the extraordi- 

 nary fact of its loss of power to produce good seed, it is unhappily 

 no longer as good as it used to be. It is degenerated. 



And when we behold a plant which covers more than a million 

 hectares of France, which feeds, or did feed one-sixth part of our 

 people, (5,000,000,) we feel the most profound interest in the dis- 

 covery of remedy 



I liave dared to express an opinion as to the causes of this evil. 

 That we must look to seed for a regeneration. The tubers are no 

 more than agglomerations of abortive buds, the developement of 

 which indicates, to a certain degree, feebleness of the plant. I 

 have tried the best kinds of potatoes for seed, without valuable 

 results. Fatigue with unsuccessful trials. I sent for the origin- 

 als, from Santa Martha, in New Grenada, South America, and 

 received a quantity of potatoes in good order. I planted them 



