Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-09-20
THE POTATOE CROP.


THE PoTAToE CROP.
Since our State Election and it's exciting scene
have passed. no topic has SO engrossed the attention
aud conversation of every circle in our midst, a
the almost entire failure Of our poatoe crop, ant
the curious disease that is its cause During al
the early part Of the season the promise Of larg'
yield was very hattering. But within a month
the vines in most of the fields have died, and OF
examination were found to have a Shiny, rotten ap
pearunce. On digging the potatoes, quite proper
ton of them are found TO be rotten, and in som,
places they found so putrd and send forth sucf
an obnoxious effuvn, that they cannot be dug
at all.
Some persons have dug their potatoes and put
them in their cellars in hopes TO stop the spread Of
the evil, and in a few days the whole bin has be.
come one rotten, putrd mass. We hear Of other
farmers losing their hogs by feeding them with po-
tatoes partly affected. This epidemic is by no
means local and confined in its operations. We
hear of its ravages in every quarter, and many Of
our exchange papers from other States, have no.
tees of its effects. In places il seems to have
destroyed the entire crop, in others it has been
partial.
none of them satisfactory, and like epdemics
among cattle and men, we must be content to wit
ness its ravages without knowing its cause or dis
covering its remedy. The same disease pre-
vailed extensively last year in Southern New York,
part of Pennsylvania, Connecticut and ". jersey
A full description of the disease and its extent may
be found in the invaluable report of Mr. Ellsworth
Of the Patent Department, made TO Congress in
January last. We give some extracts below
Gone who esteemed high authority on this subject,
speaking of the CROP says that Through nearly tho en-
tire extent of the State of New York land il is said
also, in portions Of Connecticut New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania it is rendered almost vaueloss by dis
ease new to farmers here, which, in most cases nj.
tackled the potatoes before they were dug Many crops
were worthless when dug from the ground and almost
all crops began to decay Immediately after drying and
rapidly decayed till they extremely offensive
putrld mass. The diseased potatoes said to be
poisonous, and to have caused the death of hogs fed
upon them In this section of the State the disease is
not rs universal it is represented TO be in other
places have heard Of no INJURIOUS effects from
cooked, down to the present time, December 1881
without inury."'
in no case have we heard of an increased CROP but
the language, applied TO different sections isnear
ly 30 per cent less, owing to a which seized them
before the time for taking them out of the ground -
go per cent less, owing to a rot produced by n long
taught followed by heavy rains ;-75 per cent less
they rottcd in the ground when ripe, from weeks ex
cessve heat day and night while the ground was con-
stantly wet, from which fermentation ensued except
only in dry soils IAN average crop, but total loss
owing to rot supposed be caused by the excessive
mount Of rain and the extreme hot weather in Aueust
The potatoes rotted after being gathered."'
III said that, in the vicinity of Philadelphia where
armers have planted from orr to 10 10 acres they
have lost them almost bodily; and in some instances
800 or 200 bushels have decayed after they were
lug
The disease with which, as has been mentioned
ftp ha. h,.u
more than usual attention The is generally at
rbuted to the peculiarly of the weather. In one |
lgrcultural paper we find the disease ascrbed to
premature rpenng," which caused the first set of
ubers to sprout for the second crop In another il
mentioned thus "The of the disease or sudden
lecay has not vet been satisfactorily accounted for
u mas generally been attributed TO their not rpening
PERFECTLY. and having been harvested premaurely Our
opinion, however, is that it caused by the super
abundant moisture of the soil in which they were al
owed to remain TOO long. In support of this view,
would observe that in one Of fields which is low
Ind OF retentive soil were compelled to leave
part of it for 10 ~ days after the first part were har
Vested, before we could finish and many OF those last
dug were affected, and roted after exposure the
'lr The tops of our potatoes, in field which
planted early withered and dried long before we sup
posed the roots had ripened. They dug early and
stored in the cellar with very little
Dosure TO the sun and trace Of disease vet (De-
'ember,) has been discovered; while Others in the
ame neighborhood under the same circumstances but
eft until later period before they dug have near
all been destroyed. II does not appear to be confined
% any yorety but the pink-eyes and the MERGERS have
uttered most. In some cases. where the diseased po-
aiocs have been fed TO hogs and cattle death ensucdr
"a gentleman, to whom indebted for much |
laluable Information, mentions that he heard two or
hrec years ago, from one OF the foreign ministers in
his country that similar disease had attacked the no.
a'oes IN his country but, as yet have been unable
% ind any notice of the in any European publ
'ation We lind the following description of the ap- !
'earanee and progress Of the disease in agricultural
ournal "The pink-eyes almost universally affected
The disease first manifests itself by black spot on the
nrace of the poatoc which rapidly spreads till the
Whole root becomes soft and worthless Many farmers
ave lost their entire crops the disease in many cases.
destroying the roots while the ground and in others
he potatoes, after having been carefully slowed away
n the cellar apparently free from disease aud sound
n few weeks were thrown away, utterly lost."'
Every person feels the destruction of this crop
o be great calamity, yet we presume few are fully
ware of its importance, either to the Union, or our
State. We find upon an examination of the census
eturns of ls4O, that there were raised in the Union
he year previous, los, 29S, 900 bushels.
Our own State raises about one thirteenth ofthis
quantity, and there only three States that ex.
iced ii IN its pota,oe crop.
New York, raises 30,l23 GA Bushels.
Maine, 1896. $50
Pennsylvania, " 0,535 663
Vermont, {" S,S6975I
New Hampshire, 6,2066O6
There are only three Counties in the State that
-nisc greater number of bushels than Windham.
Those are Windsor, Orange, and Caledonia, which
-aise about 100000 each. This County, raises
1896.
The anxiety felt in relation to this crop, which is |
only one fnany important crops, may give us
some idea of the heart-rendng anxiety and dread
orebodngs felt in Ireland, by its always half starv