Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-07-24
ASHTABULA, Q. SATURDAY MORNING, JULY a. 1853


Ever since che disease known as potato ro
first appeared, hypothesis have been ofIerc
as to its cause and cure. A malady ai
tacking an escuIent SO important and form
Ing 50 large o portion Of our daily food
was ct once recognized as national disas
ter, and researches Of scientific men wer,
directed to its study. Up to the presen
time no satisfactory theory has been Pre-
mglgated. In giving publicity TO cha
which we are now about to Notice, we slaI
coniine ourselves mostly to what has beef
done by actual experiment. and 10 the 10
legitimate conclusions which inductiye reason
ing from these experiments affords. Oul
personal knowledge is confined to the fol
lowing facts
/ On the morniag Of the cath Of June
Mr.. Alexander Henderson Of this city, lefi
at our Office G glass jar. containing sound
and healthy potato plant, covered in by a
perforated paper SO as to afford air. Ht
had placed IL there ut I 4. H., and with Il
were confined some six or eight insects,
which Mr.. H. believes 60 be the source ul
the potato rot. The insect itself we can.
not describe scientifically 1t is about hall
the size Of the common housgdy, Of q
brownish color, has six legs, two pairs OF
light diaphanous wings, two antenna, and
a long, strong proboseis. Mr.. II thinks il
Is the Phytocoris, but is not positive as TO
that. At the end Of twenty. four hours the
plant was evidently diseased. The insect
was actively engaged upon its various por-
tons. which became brown and moldy in
the leaf, while the stalks, in the course of
two or three days, suffered putrescent
change, until, on the 28th. some of them
fell over by their own weight, the stalk
being swollen and softened, in some places
quite to jelly Of a sickly green color
This process, Mr.. Henderson informs us,
takes place uniformly, but most rapidly
when the plant Is freely watered and ex-
posed to sun aud air, as the specimen ex-
posed was not, To all e1 tefnal appearance.
the disease was identical with the ordinary
potato rot as il attacks the vines. Some
pieces OF early (this year's) potatoes, placed
in the jar, were also plainly attacked by the
rot during the four days Of exposure.
Mr Henderson states that be has been
engaged in this research since l845; that
in 1850 he discovered the bug on the vines.
but thought it was confined to them
During the last year be bas found it on the
tubers, and watched its effects upon them.
1t appears on the vines in from two and q
half to three months after planting, accord
ing to soil and manure, a richly manured
soil producing the perfect insect sooner.
The natural history Of the insect begins
with the development Of the egg. This is
invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen
with the aid of q lens, agglutinated to the
skin ofthe potato 1t is Of an oblong form
and is planted with the seed potato. The
egg may be hatched in warm, moist place
The entire period of development is not
settled. Mr.. II. exposed plant to the
insect, under proper precautions, and from
the time Of the exposure TO the time the
young iasect of the aeEt generation OBJ
taiEed bis wings was three months The
process Of reproduction has been ingeniously
watched by Mr. Henderson. The egg
plaated with the seed potato Is hatched,
and the young insect stays in the ground
until he gets wings. In the meantime he
is engaged IN singing the tubers, each per-
foration poisoning the root and begetting
the rot. While yet in the ground, aud as
early as the tenth day of existencs. the
young insects cohabit, and from the great
rapidity with which they propagate, MIR.
II. argues that the egg is deposited before
the first emergenee from the ground,
in case Of cold wet weather, the
insect sometimes leaves the vines and re-
turns to the tuber. Only few days are
required for the entire destruction of the
vine. The insect is remarkably industrious,
but the destruction Of the vines does not
affect the tuber except to stop its growth.
Mr.. Henderson finds a ready explana tion
for the greater healthfulness of the potato
in sandy soil. He finds that the grains of
sand greatly annoy and cripple the insect,
and as the light soil is heayed up by the
growth Of the root, the sand imparts or
fails down. preventing the access Of the Hy.
10 a stiff soil the insect readily leaves the
ground through the cracks opened by the
growth Of the tuber, and having stang 1t,
comes to the surface and attacks the vine,
after heavy showers. During
the past Winter Mr. Henderson has had
thousands Of the young insects hatched
under glass, and to try their power of mis-
chief, has experimented with bugs only
quarter grown. The plants exposed show
ed urmistakable signs of disease on the
fourth day.
These statementswe regard as important.
So much is evident. Mr.. Henderson, by
means of this insect. produces potato rot
at will. When healthy plant ia shown
us, the insect applied, and the rot follows
IN four days with unerring certainty, there
is good reason to suppose that the problem
has been solved.
As to cure, Mr.. Henderson thinks there
is no serious difficulty II we pat stop
to the planting of the egg With the seed
potato We stop the propagation Of the IN,
sect. The egg being Invisible, any means
applied should be thorough, aud reach tie
whole surface Of the root. Mr.. Hender-
son states that by sprinkling quicklime over
the potato as it is cut Tor planting. the
moisture viii dissolve the lime and bathe
the tubers 10 caustic alkali which will de-
stroY the egg. At this time Of the year
the raVages Of the insect may be prevented
by packing the earth around the taber lrm-
~ with the foot which win smother the in.
sect. We may add that Il Is probably the
anna insect Whiah has rss.a,,t =. ~ .b al fha