156 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
planted them, one-half the collection in large pots, and the 
other half in a bed, with the following results : in the spring 
the tubers in the pots sprouted abortively, and on turning 
them out Sutton’s specimens were thoroughly rotten, but ger- 
minating from the eyes, and infested throughout with a dense 
mycelium, from which sprung Volutella ciliata (Fr.). Messrs. 
Wheeler’s plants were in a state of putrid cream, and not 
germinating at all. In the beds the effect was different ; the 
first thing that struck us in the spring was the luxuriant but 
extremely pale foliage, which, as usual, became affected by the 
disease in the autumn. On digging up the tubers at a later 
date there was a good crop from Sutton’s plants, so far 
unaffected by the disease that only one potato was bad. 
W e also planted by themselves a batch of 44 Eed-skin Flour- 
ball ” in a bad state of disease, as sent on to us by Messrs. 
Wheeler. Strange to say, these tubers produced with us a 
set of exceedingly healthy plants, which gave a large crop of 
potatoes, and of which, as in the last instance, only one tuber 
could be found affected. On taking some of these plants up 
in the spring, when the foliage was in vigorous health, the 
buried tubers were dotted all over externally with Volutella 
ciliata (Fr.). We know of an instance last autumn where a col- 
lection of 44 Eed-skin Flourball ” was grown without a single 
diseased specimen being found amongst the entire crop ; but 
the produce of some seed of the same variety, growing in the 
next field, and sent out by Messrs. Sutton themselves, turned 
out badly touched with the disease. As far as we can ascertain, 
44 Eed-skin Flourball” was bad last season in certain direc- 
tions, and quite free from the murrain in others. 
From one nurseryman we received a batch of 44 Paterson’s 
Victoria,” a late potato, and one said by the sender to be very 
free from the disease with him. Now, being a late potato, this 
was somewhat remarkable, as one generally looks for freedom 
from disease in the earlier varieties ; but as we had also re- 
ceived a number of the 44 King of Earlies ” variety, nearly every 
tuber of which was more or less diseased, we thought we would 
try to infect the late potato with the diseased early variety ; 
and so we tied badly diseased halves of 44 King of Earlies ” to 
sound halves of 44 Paterson’s Victoria,” and planted them as 
before. The foliage came up dark green in the spring, and 
became affected with the disease in the autumn ; on digging 
the plants up, 44 King of Earlies” only remained as a putrid 
creamy mass, whilst all the plants of 44 Paterson’s Victoria ” 
were perfectly healthy, and sent their stems right through the 
rotten masses of the 44 King of Earlies.” We had a good crop 
of 44 Paterson’s Victoria” without a single bad tuber, or indeed 
any trace of disease, except a few plants of Volutella ciliata 
(Fr.) on the external surface. 
