Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-02-13
ANrttnItural.
THE POTATO ROT.

know that nothing has been discovered on
subject, than to know what has been dis
covered. In this view, the following &C.
count Of a late Legislative Agricultural
meeting at Boston, which was confined to
the Potato Rot, will be interesting to our
farmer readers.
LEGISLATIVE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
This meeting was called to order in the
hall of the House of Representatives, in
this city on Tuesday evening last, by Hon.
Mr.. WHITAKER, who introduced TO the
audience, His ExceIlency, Gov BoUT-
WELL.
His Excelleney, on taking the Chair, Of
fered few Introductory remarks on the i'm
portance Of agriculture in general. He az
forwards announced the subject the eve
ming, "The Potato Disease"
Col. WILDER, OF Dorchester, being call
ed upon, said that the diseHse had bafiied all
the science and skill of those who had in
yestigated the subject. The past season
has been unusually moist. The amount Of
rain that usually falls is 40 inches During
the past season it has amounted 80 inches
or more The speaker has been informed
by Daniel Webster, that his potatoes in
moist ground had suffered from disease
while those OF his ueighbors, who planted
on dr., ground, had been comparatively free
from it. Ex.Gov Hill, of New Hampshire,
has had similar experience the last year.
The disease in potatoes has been discover
ed, by one of own countrymen, to be caus
ed by The fungas. Doctor Hayes, Of this
CITY, has recommended with some'success, to
fumigate the pores of potatoes with sulphur
The speaker recommended TO salt land,
be planted with potatoes. He would put
on from Is to 20 bushels of salt to the acre.
Farmers have found that barn yard manures,
or unfermented manures, are prejudical to
crop OF potatoes.
REV Mr.. SANGER, of Dover, has found
by experience, that Col. Wilder is probab-
Iy right with regard to unfermented ma.
nures. aud the effect of moist land, lie
had found it beneficial to keep the potatoes
dry as possible,
Hon Mr.. CUSHING, ofNewbury, did net
agree witt former speaker, that the fungus
was the cause Of the disease. The dh-
ease oil the fungus is an Effect, and not
cause. He did not agree either, as to The
causes mentioned for curing the dlsease.-
One farmer might find remedies thus, but
there is no general truth estabIise on this
matter. He doubted, with regard to all
these causes and remedies. The cause e
the potato disease has not been discovered
The remedy is undiscovered The speak,
err suspects that the disease is a sickness Of
the variety. He assumes that the potato is
native of the Andes, in South America
What is the climate of that region dry and
elevated, Then we should expect some
facts, mentioned by former speakers; might
be natural, that is that potatoes do best in
in dry, elevated soils, This fact with re
gard to the nature, climate and soil of the
potato, has not been examined, AS all
past efforts to discover the rot have been
unsuccessful, it will be well to investigate
this field. If there is no roi in The Andes
it would seem that the variety with us has
become sick, Then our course would e
plain, to import new seeds and varieties Ct
the potatce, from the region ofthe Andes
Our foreign ministers aud consuIs in South
America could easily investigate this sub
ject so far as it applies to potatoes, in the
section of the Andes.
MR PRoCToR. the President of the Essex
County Agricultural Society, said that the
potato rot never prevailed in his county, as
during the past season. Very few potatoe;
are now there, except those imported from
Vermont One farmer in Essex planted
potatoes TN reclaimed meadow. His vine,
died, as he thought, through the work of ;
fly. 1t was mere theory Of his He agreed
with Mr. Gushing as to the Importance o
the subject. In Essex, the loss the pas
year, has been greater than the usual profit
of farming. He would venture too, that tn
loss in the Commonwealth has been fOu
times as great as the sum assessed upol
farming population.
Hon. Mr. FRENCH, Of Norfolk County
said that during the past season in his re
gion, the red potatoes had done better thai
the white. He thinks the disease come
from The atmosphere, first affecting the vine
. and then passing to the roots He ha
found the disease to begin about the 2Ot
of August From his fields last Fall, h
derived two-thirds of busheI, where h
should have had 1000 bushels. He sal
that Col. Wilder had given us very fancif,
account. As for himself his opinion i,
, that no remedy has been discovered, an
it will probably be discovered by acciden
Mr., BARRY, of Hanover, has been sue
cessful in raising some long red potatoe
: the past year, while other kinds failed
= Those he raised, he obtained from old field
with manure in the HILL Those fume,
with sulphur, rotted more than any other
He approves of early planting and late dig
Llng, if there are any to dig.
Hen SETH SPRAGuE, of Duxbnry, Presi
dent of The Plymouth County Agricutur
al Society, was called upon. His expe
Renee has been sad He has lost nearly a
his potatoes. whether on dry or moist soil
He got the most from dry soils. Some {
his nelghbors had been rather more success,
fnl. In Plymouth County, the last seaso
has been the poorest for this crop of an
year. He knows nothing of the cause
neither does he believe that any body els
J does.
Mr.. STErsoN, Of Braintree, was success
tu with early planting one year, while hi
nelghbors lost all by late planting. Ano,
" year, the last, he was less successful on Il
same piece ofground
n Mr. EARLE, of Worcester, said that Il
Is best potatoes he had seen in Worcester ha
been brought from moist clay farms in Il
d region of Burlington Vt, As to early ar
d late planting, he has as many facts in fav
n of the one, as the other.
d Mr., FLAGG, Of Worcester, stated his e
Is Perience. Year before last he saved mo