On the Potato Disease. 
495 
tuber was quite sound and free from disease when planted, before 
we look for relief from this practice. 
I come now to taking up and storing. It is of the utmost 
consequence that potatoes should be harvested in dry weather, no 
matter how soon after the foliage begins to turn generally yellow; 
they may remain on the ground two or three hours after digging, 
but should by no means lie three or four days (unless intended 
for planting, when it will improve them) ; they should be laid in 
a heap in a dry situation. An open shed is an excellent place if 
there is one to spare; they should not remain in this heap more 
than three or four days without turning, when the faulty ones 
should be picked out : this turning will also prevent their fer- 
menting. In four or five days more they should be either turned 
again or taken to the place where they are to be stored, and laid 
lightly and thinly. Whether in a house or pit they should be 
laid thin, and not suffered to ferment. It will be seen by my 
experiments that storing in dry materials is not sufficient to pre- 
vent disease ; and I have no doubt that every one who has tried 
the plan has found out that potatoes stored in ashes, chopped 
straw, or sawdust, have a greater tendency to shoot in the spring 
than those stored in any other way. This early growing in the 
store-heap should be guarded against as much as possible, because, 
if they are for food, it greatly injures their nutritious properties, 
as well as their flavour. I found several lots of potatoes stored 
in dry materials, such as I have mentioned, of which the shoots 
had grown several inches early in February, while those thrown 
loosely in the corners of the room had not made the least start. 
This is a consideration not to be overlooked. I have seen prac- 
tised a very good temporary plan of storing potatoes that will be 
wanted for use within a month or two after being dug ; it is to lay 
two narrow plate-hurdles one against the other, so as to form a 
ridge, thus — A ; the potatoes are laid on both sides of this ridge 
and thatched, the space under the ridge is left open at both ends, 
which forms an air-flue and prevents the heap from fermenting. 
In case of frost this flue is stopped up with straw or fern. This 
is an excellent plan when shed-room is scarce ; still shed-room is 
preferable for this reason, that they can be attended to at any 
time. 
I will now lay before the Society a few of the experiments I 
have made in storing potatoes, in testing various recommendations 
which I have read. 
Experiments with partly Diseased Potatoes, October 29, 1845. 
No. 1. — ni potatoes slightly diseased (after cutting a small piece off 
the tail part), steeped in 1 part sulphuric acid and 80 parts water; 
remained in steep twelve hours, dried and packed in dry moss, keut in 
a dark shed ; temperature averaging 42°. 
