The Kanzas news., 1858-10-02


Alexander Henderson of Buffalo, n. Y.
who has been studying the matter ever since
l842, claims to have discovered the cause
of that serious evil. the potato rot, and also
remedy for it. We trust that he is right,
for the potato crop is one of vast importance
to the country, and discovery that shall
lay bare the cause and provide cure for
the disease that now renders potatoes the
most uncertain crop cultivated, viii add i'm
mensely to the means of subsistence not on
ly in this but in all countries where this veg
etable is grown. Mr.. Henderson's diseoV-
cry, as explained in the Scientific american,
appears very plausible. He attributes the
primary cause of the potato rot to an insect
called the Phytocoris Linealaris. If a
tuber be examined by microscope just be-
fore planting, on it may be seen small
yellowish translucent oval OBJECT. secured,
as is common with insects eggs, by gum
my substance to the potato. This will pro-
duce unsound potatos, and the egg is in
that state of the Phytoeoris. When the
tuber is planted at the ordinary depth, this
egg matches, but if the potato is planted
deep, the egg is killed, and therefore deep
planting is one remedy because air and
light are prevented from coming to the del
icate egg. After a sufficient amount of
warmth and moisture has been obtained by
the egg, the shortest time that has yet been
observed being six days, the shell opens
and out comes the small insect, without
wings, from about the twentieth to twelfth
of an inch long. It has six perfect legs,
two attennse, proboscis, and pair of
brilliant black eyes The proboscis is about
two-thirds of its body in length, and con-
tains three tubes, through one of which it
sucks up the juice of the plant for its nu
triment; through another it probably elects
poison into the plant, and through the 9TH
er it may perform part of its respiration
The young insect being born alive, instant
ly requires nutriment, and commences feed
ing upon the seed, which, without the young
are very numerous, does not perceptibly in
terfere with its growth. According to the
amount of heat and moisture in the soil,
this goes on from two and half to three
months, when the insect gets wings, and
the vine has attained its full growth.
The poison elected during this time is
sufficient to. cause nearly the whole of the
potato to rot. The disease at first appears
in spots, which rapidly spread to blotches.
Upon attaining its wings the insect pushes
up to the surface and settles upon the leaves
of the vine, attacking the leaves and main
stem, which wither and die. That poison
is also injected into the plant, is evidenced
by the fact that fungi in great abundance
make their appearance. These, as is well
known, are generally the result of putrefac-
tive fermentation. In winter the insects
emigrate, and nesting among the warm
leaves of the mullen plant, endeavor to
keep alive till the succeeding spring.
The remedies proposed by Mr. Hender-
son are very simple. They are, killing the
egg by sprinkling quick-lime upon the
seeds-preventing its development by deep
planting, by hoeing up well round the vines,
and filing up the craks in the soil by press
ure-or by preserving an old Scotch meth
cd of planting, which is as follows, The
ground is plowed about foot deep, the ma
nure put in, with three to four inches of
soil on that, and then the potato planted
Crops set in this way have never failed, the
vine sometimes being attacked, but the tu-
bers always remaining sound, We have
heard of gentleman in this vicinity who
last year tried the experiment of sprinkling
his seed potatoes with quick lime, and the
crop escaped the rot. What success he has
had this year, when so many fields are rot
ting, We have not learned.-Boston Journal