1848. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
141 
yond; and the same is true of several kinds of grapes, 
and also of roses. Have they any less constitutional 
vigor now, than at the earliest period of which we 
have any account of them? Where they are put on 
proper soil and receive proper training, they flourish 
well. How much longer must this system of propa¬ 
gation be continued, before the varieties will “ become 
extinct ?” 
Mr. Parsons refers to the potato. He thinks the 
natural tendency of varieties to wear out, has already 
exterminated many, and that others are fast failing 
from the same cause. The non-production of balls he 
regards as an evidence of decline in constitutional 
vigor. Our observation would not justify this conclu¬ 
sion. Some of the strongest-growing and most pro¬ 
ductive kinds have never been mubh inclined to produce 
balls, (or seed.) This fact is well known, and the 
idea has been taken from it, that it is an advantage to 
pinch off the blossoms from those kinds which produce 
them, in order to prevent the energies of the plant from 
being exhausted by the production of seed, and throw 
more force into the production of tubers. This course 
has been considerably practiced in England. The 
Merino or Long-Red, an old variety introduced from 
South America about fifty years ago, has never pro¬ 
duced but few balls, and its vigor and productiveness 
is remarkable; whereas the Mercer or Neshannook, a 
kind originated in Pennsylvania at a comparatively late 
period, and generally spoken of as particularly suscep¬ 
tible to disease, produces plenty of balls. A person 
in this vicinity has raised potatoes from the balls of 
this kind for two years in succession, and they have all 
been diseased. Prof. Norton informs us that in Scotland 
the “ cups,” and those “ kinds which bear no apples, 
are in general least affected” with the disease. 
The decrease of the potato crop from 1843 to 1846, 
is supposed by Mr. Parsons to result from ■“ a general 
degeneracy of the varieties now in use.” Everybody 
knows that the deficiency in this crop is chiefly caused 
by the “ potato disease;” and the unavoidable infer¬ 
ence, therefore, from Mr. P.’s language, is that the dis¬ 
ease is the result of constitutional degeneracy, and that 
on this account the old kinds should be replaced by new 
ones, raised from seed. But does his own reasoning 
bear out the proposition ? He cites the practice of far¬ 
mers in Nova Scotia, -‘where,” says he, “the finest 
potatoes were formerly grown.” “ They [the farmers 
of Nova Scotia] place little reliance on the introduc¬ 
tion of tubers from abroad; their experience tells them 
that a reproduction from the seed-balls is the most, sure 
and profitable. And in no part of the world, proba¬ 
bly, has reproduction been resorted to oftcner than 
there” We have italicised the words composing the 
last sentence, because we wish that they should be 
particularly observed in connection with the fact, 
(which we derive from a comparison of the various 
accounts given,) that in no part of this country has 
the potato suffered more from disease than in Nova 
Scotia! This is a sufficient comment, on this point. 
Again, if the disease was the result of constitutional 
weakness, should we not see evidence of such weakness 
in a feeble growth of the plant from the start? But in¬ 
stead of this it is certain that potatoes were never 
known to grow more vigorously, or present generally a 
finer appearance in their earlier stages, than in the 
seasons in which the disease has prevailed. The flour¬ 
ishing condition of the crop last season, up to the time 
when the blight of the tops first appeared, was the 
subject of general remark; and the growth of tubers 
was in most cases more than commonly great; hut, 
with the exception of a few varieties, which from 
their hardiness were in a measure exempted from at¬ 
tack, those which the disease found in an unripened 
state., perished. According to Prof. Norton it has been 
so in Scotland. In general, he says. “ the best crops 
on the best soil, have suffered most.” 
In examining the question as to the decline of vari¬ 
eties, we have compared many accounts from every 
part of this country where the disease is known, as 
well as those of the most authentic character from Eu¬ 
rope; and it is certain that the evidence does not justify 
the conclusion that old varieties are most affected, or 
that any exemption in favor of new ones is exhibited. 
The Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland, and 
the Agricultural Chemistry Association, have very 
thoroughly investigated this matter, and have collected 
a great amount of information, in the form of answers 
to questions which have been addressed to persons in 
various parts of Britain. Prof. Norton, in his essay 
on the potato disease, published in the Transactions of 
the New-York State Agricultural Society for 1845, 
has given the principal facts which the Highland Soci¬ 
ety had then collected on this point ; all of which 
tended to show that varieties lately produced from 
seed, were as badly affected by the disease as any 
others. One man mentions that he had sixty varie¬ 
ties, only two to three years from seed, raised on his 
own farm, and they were all attacked with as much, 
and “ in many cases more virulence than the older va¬ 
rieties.” The information collected by the Chemistry 
Association is of a similar character. Twenty-five re¬ 
ports for 1845, state that potatoes recently raised from 
seed, were as much, and in many cases more affected 
by the disease than the old kinds; and only two indi¬ 
viduals give it as their opinion that the new kinds 
have shown any exemption. The reports of the same 
Association for 1846, show still stronger against the 
assumption that seedlings have any superiority in re¬ 
sisting the disease. 
We would not, however, discourage the raising of 
new varieties of fruits and vegetables. The greater 
the number of varieties, the better the chance of obtain¬ 
ing good ones by selection. But there is no value in 
new varieties merely because they are new, and we 
would not reject t>ld ones, till we were confident they 
could be replaced by those which are better. 
Mangel Wurtzel and Carrots. —Dr. Thompson, 
who was employed by the Royal Agricultural Society 
to superintend some experiments in feeding stock, states 
that after trying mangel wurtzel for four successive 
years, he came to the conclusion that cows fed on it 
o-ave quite as much milk, but much less butter and 
cream than when fed on carrots or turneps; that when 
ewes were fed on mangel wurtzel the lambs did not 
thrive, owing to the poor quality of the milk. 
A few years ago we had occasion to feed three cows 
during winter with several kinds of vegetables. We 
fed mostly with potatoes, giving each cow about a peck 
per day/ On changing from potatoes to the same 
quantity of sugar-beets, the milk decreased, and was 
evidently of poorer quality. The beets were increased 
to half a bushel to each cow per day, and this brought 
up the quantity of milk to what U had been with the peck 
of potatoes; but the quality was still inferior, affording & 
less quantity of cream, and proportionately less butter, 
which was of a lighter color, of a less firm texture, 
and not so rich a flavor as that made while the cows 
ate potatoes. It is proper to say that about a quart 
of corn meal was given to each cow per day, through 
the whole trial. 
Wire Worm. —It is said that plowing late in au¬ 
tumn, and seeding two successive years with buck¬ 
wheat, will destroy all wire worms in the soil. Ano¬ 
ther way is to summer-fallow very thoroughly, so as t® 
starve them out, as they cannot subsist on the elements 
of soil. 
