July 31, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



137 



WEATHER MAP OF THE ST. LOUIS TORNADO. 



The Weather Bureau has issued what it 

 calls a ' souvenir ' weather map of the St. 

 Louis tornado of May 27th. The sheet is of 

 small size (8 in. by 10 in.). On one side 

 there is a map showing the weather con- 

 ditions over the United States on the even- 

 ing of May 27th, with the tornado districts 

 indicated by red crosses, and with brief de- 

 scriptive text beneath. On the reverse side 

 is an explanation of the wind, weather and 

 temperature signals of the Bureau. 



E. DeC. Ward. 



Habvaed TJniveesity. 



NOTES UPON AGBICULTUBE AND HOBTI- 

 CULTUBE, VIII. 



POTATO CULTURE. 



Within the past month no less than six 

 bulletins have been issued by as many Sta- 

 tions upon potato culture or some phase of 

 it. 



HASTENING MATURITY OF POTATOES. 



' Hastening maturity ' is the sub-title of 

 bulletin ^o. 36 from the Rhode Island 

 Station. Three methods of bringing about 

 an earlier crop are considered and one in 

 detail, as it has been tested at the Station. 

 Director Flagg and Mr. Tucker write : 

 " Maturity may be hastened in three ways. 



(a) By planting sets in pots in a green- 

 house and transplanting to open ground; 



(b) by sprouting, that is planting sets 

 thickly in a cold frame, and when ready to 

 break ground transplanting them to the 

 field, and (c) by building." For the latter 

 small potatoes the size of hen's eggs are 

 given heat and light for six weeks or so be- 

 fore planting time, thus causing a strong 

 bud to develop and roots to form. The 

 budded potatoes are placed in the field 

 with the care given to onion sets, etc. A 

 gain of 32 bushels per acre was obtained by 

 this method over the ordinary way of 

 planting. 



CRIMSON clover GOOD FOR POTATOES. 



In Bulletin 'So. 38 of the Maryland Sta- 

 tion, Director Miller and Mr. Brinkley find 

 that crimson clover plowed under increased 

 the yield in 1894 thirty-six and in 1895 

 fifty per cent. Bidge and level culture 

 have given the same results, and also deep 

 and shallow cultivation proved of equal 

 value. Spraying four times with Bordeaux 

 mixture to prevent blight doubled the 

 crop. 



POTASH FOR POTATOES. 



At the Kentucky Station (Bulletin No. 

 61) Director Scovell found that potash was 

 the most profitable commercial fertilizer to 

 use, while the nitrates and phosphates were 

 sometimes used at a financial loss. Several 

 tests were made to check the scab ; but 

 here is an instance in which it is a misfor- 

 tune for the enemy to fail to appear any- 

 where in the field and the results are 

 postponed thereby. 



SCAB AND internal BROWN ROT. 



Professor Green in Minnesota Station 

 Bulletin No. 45 reports that the subsoil- 

 ing of heavy clay land increases somewhat 

 the yield of potatoes . Considerable space is 

 given, with engravings, to the report upon 

 treatment for scab. The germ theory, or 

 fungous nature of the disease is recognized 

 in full, for it is stated that: "Perfectly 

 clean seed planted on land which is free 

 from scab fungus will always and in any 

 season produce a crop of smooth clean 

 potatoes, no matter what the character of 

 the land, '-t^ ^ ^ Land infected by the 

 germs of this disease will produce a more 

 or less scabby crop, no matter how clean 

 and smooth the seed is." It is recom- 

 mended to dig scabby potatoes as soon as 

 ripe, because the scab continues to grow so 

 long as the potatoes are in the ground. 



The internal brown rot works at the 

 center of the potato, and all thus infested 



