676 



Rotting of Potatoes. 



[FEB., 



early, and when a tiny shoot has been sent out it should be 

 broken off. The potatoes will then bud from several eyes ; but 

 it is not advisable to cut into more than two pieces. Tubers 

 should not be cut until immediately before planting and the 

 cut surfaces should always be dusted over with air-slaked 

 lime. 



Potatoes for boxing should be dressed over a in. riddle. 



The best results may be expected when medium-sized, 

 well-sprouted and uncut seed are planted about 14 in. apart 

 in the drills. 



After the boxes have been filled and housed care must be 

 taken lest the potatoes suffer damage from frost. It takes a 

 good deal of frost to injure potatoes in boxes provided there 

 are no apertures through which cold winds can reach them ; but 

 in case of a protracted and very hard frost it may be necessary 

 to cover them carefully, or in very severe cases to burn one or 

 more lamps in the boxing house. 



House accommodation is not always easily provided. Boxes 

 are frequently piled in the rafters of stables and cowsheds, 

 and they do quite well in such places. 



Heavy losses are often sustained by farmers owing to potatoes 

 going rotten when stored through the winter in " pies " or pits. 



This rotting is due to the action of the 



In the case of the former spores of the fungus that fall to 

 the ground are washed by rain through the soil and infect 

 young potatoes, especially those growing near the surface. 

 The mycelium of the fungus also passes down diseased stems 

 into the young potatoes. If the season is wet and warm, the 

 mycelium present in the potato continues to grow, soon causing 

 brown spots to appear, and ending in the rotting of the tuber. 

 On the other hand, if potatoes that are infected are kept dry, 

 the mycelium in their substance remains stationary until the 

 following spring, when it commences growth and passes along 

 the "sprouts," finally appearing in the fruiting condition on the 

 leaves. 



Rotting- of 

 Potatoes. 



fungi of potato disease {PhytoplitJiora in- 

 festans) and of Winter Rot {Nectria solani). 



