No. 8, APRIL, 1901. 
21 
POTATO FAILURES, 
BY W. PADDOCK AND F. M. ROLFS. 
The Experiment Station has received a number of in¬ 
quiries from potato growers in various sections of the State 
in regard to the failure of the potato crop in certain seasons. 
These failures seem difficult to explain, since there is little 
blight in evidence, and they occur with experienced grow¬ 
ers as well as with beginners, and on soil that would seem to 
be in a good state of fertility. In some instances the vines 
are said to have made a luxuriant growth and remained 
green until late in the season, but when digging time came 
the tubers were found to be much under size. In other in¬ 
stances a large growth of vines were found to have set an 
abnormal number of tubers which failed to develop. 
At first thought it would seem that some of the ele¬ 
ments necessary to the growth of the potato plants were 
lacking in the soil, and this may be true in some instances, 
but it will not explain all the failures. Certain fungi or 
plant diseases have been found to be abundant on the pota¬ 
toes in various parts of the State, which may have some¬ 
thing to do in producing these conditions. One of these 
diseases has been known in America as a potato disease* 
less than a year, though it has undoubtedly been present in 
our potato field for a long time. In Europe it is considered 
to be one of the most destructive potato diseases. The fun¬ 
gus does not confine its attacks to potatoes alone, but is 
found in a great variety of plants, including alfalfa, clover 
and sugar beets. 
The disease attacks the potato plant just below 
ground, cutting off free communication between foliage and 
tubers. In extreme cases the plants may be killed, and 
much of the so-called late blight or early ripening of the 
vines may be due to this disease. 
The fungus lives over winter on the stems and tubers of 
the potato, and on various other plants. The fungus adheres 
to the tubers in the form of dark patches which resemble 
bits of soil, and which vary in size from that of a mere speck 
* Dugger and Stewart, Bulletin 186, p. 17, N. Y. State Experiment Sta¬ 
tion, and Bulletin 186, p. 63, N. Y. Cornell Experiment Station. 
