The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-08-25 00:00:00

THE POTATO CROPS

Tie evil which last year was proclaimed through our
streets without any just reason, is this year really come
upon us. Almost universally through the country the
late potato crops have been attacked by the disease, and in
many places the second early kinds, and even the early
ones, 1 ave not escaped. A month at least earlier than its
ravages commenced in 1845, it is now really alarming, as
the main crops, upon which so many of the working po-
pulation of Britain chiefly depend for their winter food,
are irretrievably damaged.

Last year, at least to this country, and this generation,
the disease was, with slight local exceptions, entirely new.
We knew nothing of its nature, or its cause, beyond what
chemical investigation or theory could supply. The pota-
to being afflicted with a superabundance of moisture, and
the season having been very unusually wet, it was natural
to suppose that the drenching rains, the superabundant
moisture with which the earth had been visited, was the
cause of the disease. The only other theory which exten-
sively prevailed was, tt.at the root was worn out; though
we must acknowledge that some few individuals, iu differ-
ent quarters, made much neater " guesses at the truth"
than either of these. _ _

This year, if it has done nothing else, has shown us that
these two theories must be exploded as idle dreams. The
spring was unusually dr•y—yet the disease has visited us
earlier, and is more vitulent than before; and that the
disorder does not proceed from the plant being wo►n out
is evidenced by the fact, that potatoes raised newly from
seed, and from tubers imported from abroad, have suffered
in common with the rest. Nor will the Buckland theory
of the impregnation of the earth with the spawn of fungi
from the last year's clops account for this, as our own ex-
periments will shew.
And now, having thus far dealt in generals, we will
come to particulars ; and as all the experiments we detail
have been made by ourselves, or those with whom we are
intimately acquainted, we will vouch for their accuracy.
Our readers are aware that we ail along combatted the
idea, petty generally prevalent, that the potatoe root was
worn out. In order, however, to try every plan, we last
year procured tubers imported from Russia, others im-
ported from America, others, of a very sound description,
from Oxfordshire, others equally sound horn another part
of Warwickshire, and, in addition to these, saved some of
our own growth, drying the second earlies and "pieing"
the late ones. The dried tubers of the second early varie-
ti,-1 which we had saved for seed being all touched with
the disease we planted in autumn, the rest ive planted in

and an-acc

time potatoes raised from the seed produced by the balls
of 1844, Till Thursday week all these appeared to flourish
luxuriantly, save that here end there among the late crops
from our own seed a rather suspicious-looking top ap-
peared. Being called on business into Westmoreland, ae
left them on that day without the slightest idea that any-
thing was materially wrong ; but seeing, as we passed
through Lancashire, the unmistakeable evidences of the
last year's disease in the decayed tops, we enquired how
long they had been in that state, and were answered—
" Very lately, and in tnany instances it came all in one
night." This, of course, made us fear for our own, and
at our return we found the same evidences in the tops
there, which we immediately ordered to be cut down.

The results, then, of our experience and observation
are as follow :—None of the uoiatoes we planted have en-
tirely escaped, save those which were got up before the let

his wont

,e sorts appearec

tops to have suffered most, the AMerican and Russian
ones equally with the rest. Th., only patch in which we
have found no tuber touched with the disease is that
grown from our own diseased sets, well dried and planted
in autumn ; and the new variety planted by our neighbour
from seed of 1844 is the worst diseased of any we have
seen—utterly worthless. One more fact we may mention.
Some of the Russian and American tubers, as well as
some of our own, pLinted in land certainly not im-
pregnated with the spawn of fungi from former crops, ss
no potatoes bad ever been grown in it, since it was, some

years since, dug in from the turf.
The plain result of these facts is, that the cause of the
disease must be looke,d for in a ►'ifferent quarter to those
where we have looked for it hitherto. It is doubtless
ATMOSPHERIC, whether or not connected with the light-

yeaTs we cannot say, but of this we are certain, IT IS AT-
MOSPHERIC-a direct infliction of an inscrutible Provi-
dence.
Respecting the preservation of this year's crops much
bas been said, but most of it has been founded on the idea
that the disease arose in the potato, and vot in the top,—
was generic not atmospheric. Experiment however has
proved, that if it cannot be cured it can at least be allevi-
ated. Mr. Jasper Rogers, of Dublin, has proved that
either strewn among the crops when stored, or planted
witb the seed, carbon, either in the shape of woodashes,
soot, or peat charcoal, has a beneficial tendency. We
planted our first crop of kidneys this year in soot, to
keep out wire worms, and never had a finer crop. The
carbon absorbs the moisture of the potatoe, and tends to
top the progress of decay. A simpler mode however has

proved efficacious. It is to mow down the tops and leave
the potatoes in the ground till they are wanted for con-
sumption. They spoil less there than when exposed to
the atmosphere. Of course if they last till frost comes,
as many of them are near the surface, it will be safer to
cover them over with rubbish or litter.

And now for the future. This useful plant must not
be lost or given up in despair as worthless, because for
two years successively heaven has visited us with a miasma
or some other infliction that has partially destroyed it.
The duty of man is to use the means, and, even against
hope, still hope for a blessing. It is not the first time
this root has been afflicted ;. some thirty years ago a
somewhat similar visitation came upon it, and, though

not so general in its operations, lasted two or three years.
We would enjoin the horticulttirists still to persevere in
attempts to preserve and raise it, notwithstanding their
two years' losses. Let some 9f the soundest small pota-
toes be selected from those usually given to the pigs, and
laid in the sun to green and harden for next year's seed ;
and let them be supplied with carbon of some kind when
planted, and with heaven's blessing we may not only save
the early varieties, which are this year little affected, but
also the later and more productive sorts, which keep so
much longer. Above all, let all who have opportunity
continue to raise new varieties from seed, and persevere,
in spite of repeated failures, in their endeavours thus to
secure a national as well as an individual good.
Since writing the above we have seen a letter from Mr.
Balkwill, chemist, of Kingsbridge, to the Secretary of the
Royal Agricultural Society, in which he attributes the
disease to a green bug, about the size of a common house
fly. He says he observed these insects in many cases
when the tops were deseased, but never when they were
perfectly healthy ; and seeing one of them void a greenish
fluid, he smeared it on a healthy le-if, which soon after
showed signs of the disease. This idea we saw some
weeks ago in an American paper, where it was stated that
the " poison fly," which had so injured the potatoes last
year, had again commenced its ravages. We fancy, how-
ever, that though this fly may, in some cases, accompany
the disease, it is not the cause of it. Through the state-
ment alluded to, we watched ours minutely, but saw no
such flies or any other kind of blight. Besides, what a
quantity of such bugs would it have required to infect a
whole field in a night, and a whole kingdom in a few days.
They must, like the locusts of Egypt, have been so plen-
tiful, as to be observed everywhere.
[We copy the preceding article from the Birmingham
Advertiser. Mr. J. Ptideaux, in a letter to the editor of
the Exeter Flying Post, recommends the cutting off of
the stem of the growing crop on the first symptoms of dis-
ease being apparent, as noticed by us last week—a plan
which we observe has been adopted in several gardens in
this locality. A corer spondent of the Times, writing from
the neighbourhood of London, affirms that the disease be-
gins in the leaf of the plant, next attacks the:stem, and gra-
dually goes down into the tubers, which seem to receive
the infection from the small fibres which attach them to
the stem. He suggests, therefore, that if the plants were
pulled up, and the roots allowed to remain on the ground,
a separation would be made between the diseased and
sound parts, and thus a certain amount of food preserved.
Every field, he says, should be carefully watched, and, on
the very first symptom of disease in the potato the plant
should be pulled up, which can be best done by the per-
son placing a toot on each side of the drill and lifting it
out. In the earlier crops this may be done immediately,
as the potatoes are full sized, and if not ripe, nearly so.
The object of delay in regard to the others is, that the
growth may not be checked sooner than necessary, and
the risk of springing in the ground at the end of the year
diminished; as lie thinks they ought to remain there till
he usual time of digging.

OrT THE SANITARY STATE, OF SOME PARTS

he nuisance. vv

OF LIVERPOOL

of sanitary principles, has a threefold character. For such
must be suicidal on the part of the author, immoral towards the
neighbourhood, and impious against the Creator."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

LETTER XI,

MR. EDITOR,—The raising of the Sailors' Home is a
most necessary and praise-worthy institution, and for
Prince Albert to have laid the foundation-stone is a mat-
ter of congratulation between its founders and the town.
But, after all the bustle, where has it been laid ? upon
what site have the Corporation and the Committee ctosen
to uprear a building, the estimated cost of which is to be
£24,000 ? Why, in a puddle hole, cheek by jowl with the
ugly Custom-house. Is not such a locality very question-
able for residence by day and night? The ground, al-
though, of course, rock at the bottom of all, yet is nothing
but the oh! wash of the tide, and made-ground ; hence it
becomes a likely malarious bed, unhealthy for people to
live in. The Custom-house stands objectionably, for

man beings during the

ay time on

y, and t

hoursit

when a

same unfavourable district, toe numerous occupants of
which will have to pass night as well as day there, the
full force of the objection tells against it. There is no
doubt the architect will have something in his power,
through the resources of art, towards preventing the mis-
chief; and these aids, no doubt, he will zealously call in-
to operation for the purpose : but it is questionable whe:

ther he can sufficiently forestall the evil to be complained
of. Time will show, since the experiment is committed
for trial. It is a pity that, in all Liverpool, a spot could
not have been pitched upon presenting less obnoxious
foundations than the lowest level of Liverpool Proper.
It may be thought that it is late in the day to aver these
things ; still, if they have validity, it must be replied,
" better late than never." It is a pity that such a pos-
sible source of prejudice to the health of the inmates has
not been more maturely weighed. If the Woodside people
were to locate an institution, for dap and night abode,
upon the site of the middle of Wallasey-pool, when the
tide will be shut out, would they be considered as do-
ing a wise thing ? et the cases would be parallel, excepting
in the particular of the period of time, as so much greater
which has elapsed between the tidal wash of Paradise-street
and its present state. Yet even this hardly weakens the
parallel; I question if it do not strengthen it.
These remarks are not the first notice of the peculiar
unhealthiness of the site of Paradise-street. It has been
a matter of general notoriety all along, and no longer
since than May 22, of the present year, a talented letter
from Dr. Briggs, formerly a practitioner in Liverpool,
called the attention of the public, and of the authorities
especially, through the columns of the Liverpool Journal,
to the errors of planting the Custom-house where it is,
and the inhabiting of such quarters as Paradise-street.
Now, what would be say to the project of a Sailors' Home
on the same unhealthy site ! I shall quote from the doc-
tor's letter, in the hope that good may come of the exa-
mination of the question, although it is an unpleasing task
to deliberate over a deed past, and all but irrevocable;
also in the light of a medical protest against the unsuit-
able selection, lest otherwise the profession of Liverpool
should be reproached hereafter, and elsewhere, for having
tacitly approved of until-sanitary arrangements, one after
another, in a town where their advice might have been
very properly supposed to have weight; a very reasonable
supposition for French, German, Austrian, and other na-
tions to make, but rather a mistake when the English na-
tion are the party supposed guilty of taking medical advice
into their public councils. John Bull likes to have bis
own tin-enquiring way in matters of this and nearly all
other kinds.

I need offer no apology for ample quotation. The sub-
ject demands it, and the author will not object to the tres-
pass on his statements.
The impression of strangers must be, that Liverpool is
a town of bluoders ; and though, as a resident, I may re-
gret that such should be the case, yet the next best thing,
after learning a bitter truth as to facts, is to remedy mat-
ters if possible, and, as far as possible, to mend that past,
to have a care for the future, and to steer through the pre-
sent, by the light of experience shining on the " compass."
Dr. B. observes (1 quote from a slip copy of the Jour-
nal, dated 22d May, 1846) :

" Is it a fact that the present system of dockage is based on a
correct principle? or, rather, is it not now a growing persua-
sion that it is radically bad ? and if so, does it not follow, that
whatever is built upon it rests on a rotten foundation ?

" All who know anything of the early history of Liverpool
must needs hare heard, or read, that before the Old Dock was
called into existence there was a stream, or pool , not very un-
hitt what Wallasey Pool was till the other day. Where it
had its origin I c snot say ; but, even in my time, it was to be
seen as a perennial rill, in the open space between Great Nel-
son street North a. d Beau-street. from whence it descended, in
some way, l‘y what is now Whitechapel and Paradise-street, till
it joined the river.

respected gentler

n, who has often said that his own lath

memberedwben the ground on which King street, and several
of the confined streets north ref it. now stand,was a cow pasture,
down to the pool, and which for years afterwards remained
open, so that there was a ferry across it from Lord-street to
what is now Church-street. No doubt there still exist num-
bers in Liverpool that have conversed with elderly persons who
had themselves crossed this same ferry.
But from that time there has been nothing but a succession
of steps in the wrong direction. The first great error, and that
to which all else may be traced, was that ever the old Corpora-
tion of I,iverpool w s allowed to have any sort of influence or
control in the rearing of a new formation Which was destined
to attain such gigantic magnitude and importance.

Now, for spirits and intellects of such an order, it was quite
in keeping to conclude that their town, having got its one deck
could never require a second ; and that, therefore, it the po,l
. .