Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-10-16
Sgritultural.
The Potato Disease.

SCIENTIFIC D sCUsSIJN OF The SUBJECT.
Prom the LJndon Nature we extract tb,
following:
1t is generally admitted that tie r1tac
crop If, rken a. q whole, the worst sire.
l845 OF 1876 Tue cause OF failure j. Oh.
Pame-UIe IN fact, iLat has been more D
legs IN existence ever since-tle attack of ,
parasitic fun us, Bot,Vis or PsjonoSyors
InEe,taHS, peculiar 10 PLANES belOrgiIs o. b..
Fame natural nrftr lhe pDJa o.. aud uu
known beioie 1915, or some Say 1872 li,
mvceIium OF this fungus cate into am C o.,
pletelv destroys the tissue Ul the Ieti 90.
stem. and when once it's rdvagts Eat,
comneL ced 1t - almO5s imposEIbic e. aIIe
them " hen tie disease mad it, fret -ra.i
ors'aught IN PAS, Innumerahie rcmeIlg-
we're suggested, some of which have e-uI,
crnTped up during the present seastn. LL
fortune telS, no sooner docs ole CXpei IIueut,i
ann"nnce IN the Times a mo &c wnlcu He Boz.
four d factIVe OF preventing or arCetiu,
the disease than another grower rePIos rla.
he has tried the same plan, ami wi,h !Hu &.
haa utterly jailed. TIE exact mode o .,lts,l
or the parasite, and the Up. rat on Of tie pr.
posed reunodies, We intend gianc,u2 al %
anofher OCCASION. 1t is salts actUry, It'd al
evenfs. that Dr. upUker has gwen ia publ,
o. weight Of his authority favor "a tu.
statement that the starch OF the p0JnEu l= 49,
affected nv the mpiaiht, Il Ouy m
economical mode can lie found OF SD aratIu.
il from the diseased Ingredients ItIs
aonne sllevia ton o Calamity winch, aecJrl-
ing To a statement IN tie Tunes t.Iealef.
the country with loss OF between invent,
and thirty millions sterling
"a The pp,nt to which we specially desire O,
call attention at tie pr, sent time. j. b..
enOrmons material loss which the country .-
now suffering. and has sLlf-r YEAR ettr
wear. from causes which are al @ Ic7tiOuaL.t
within the range of scientific IL cans 90 Iit-
vent, or at all events materially 10 a..esia Z.
We are Fatiefe that We are within tie maj
when we eay th4t the increased expenIlLut.
in most middle class families within The ivy
eight years. caused by the enhanced Do.
OF butchers meat, milk and p'tdtO, r, r.urc-
rents an incOme Ia from shilling - eight
cen p nee in the pound. portion o. ttI-
is no d.uhs due . increased Consumption.
caused nv the general prosperity uf M.
country bot the greater part - OWN, g,
The prevalence OF epidemic disea>ts 2 ia
rrnps and our herds. Surely sciercs c.1
6nd no WOrthjsr Ohiect than ~ az earnc-
ats mpt ~ find RENE for fhis Sal vc I
v hat j. English scienCe doing Il was -..- I
gently a ked few days eince IN jhr tlu,y (
- What are we doing, or what have We d,r. 1
10 81 Viafe the recurrence "a di-etise yylrc. /
is always impending? Prublhly an va AZ, !
remember IL that there IL always p ID K
the potato rot. and that gone Years 20 ia- (
been 9Drse than Others We ctn on.v e1t
that this ID disgraeefu crniersio7 Tner !
il matter in which srIence q ,uld interte5.
with more advantage and we .rm to hav
al the conditions uf the subject under EN-
troll " We fear that the r bike here gIvei
30 English sci, nee il not " holy undee.ryp
- IL 10 worthy Of note that an unusual d.
TelOJ ment of the potato bligh5 has beer
hitherto accompanied by murrain or epifen
ie dFease IN ANIMALS and IN other crlI,~. arJ
shat q certain peTi"diei'y apI oars 10 Dr. MAJ
jieEtt d. The prPsent yen has Witnessed d.
nnst Virulent Outhrta ak since 1916; u @ vs. PSI
Of the intermediate years ~tre nearly N 81
rav. from 1859 a. Is Il, showing an aIIr.
innate recur ing int-rVal of about Twelve
y ars. A writer in the Gardeners Chroa =
Tina describes the crops IN the latter a..
; My potatoes are IN az Lad state a. ever
RENE nIhPP 10 lave seen them; my turniu- /
are raj Idly Tnttlng, and many are filled wItL
q semi- Auld of DsIve matter : the lettuces ~
va iOu parts of the kitchen ar den are near
ly al rUtten : The roots are found generally
distss, the cabbages, sav0ys, aud other
Of 81 BT0SSic0 are \ hat gardeners term
blind 4; iLe teaIs are spOied by The black lis.
lhe peas are all more OF less biz hteu or M
are Destroyed never witnessed anvtf Jog
more lamentable or disheartening. Other
accounts agree in the main with tins, "a
se4st as regards II potatoes in that YER
Now. is IS very remal kable that an interval
Of from eleven TO twelve years colncidrs vi. d
Ihe period Of maximum sun--pDts. The
present time il near the m.xImum Of sur
spDts. so was 1860, so WAS 1913, re curve
Tho" ing but htlle decline Tor one OF two
ytaIs on each side of tue actual max mum.
Now, II il can be shown that epi1enicS like,
The potato blight are c,nnected with - "a
cy eles, an imp brtan step il LtIucd
PhyslHIsis are now nearly OF acc ri that %
'xist5 beIW, en- the suu-~put re-
rod and the recurrence of electrical aud
1:beT disturbance IN the earth . atmosphere
IL may be urged that euch q cbncIusi n a.
his would make cure hOIel, Sc, and p'Taly ~,
inst ad OF stimulating, by inducing a Kind
81 hopeless fatalism. NJt at all An evI n
which cannot be avoided may neveTthcIes-.
lie greatly mitigaIed by scientific know edar
and skill. To he inTewaTned Is TO b.. iur.
armed, and q know ledge Of the cause ID
irseise is already half WAY towards Its cure
70 we were Certain that in another tHele, ,
Years should be Iiahle u a recurrence o.
he blight with unusual severity. the farm
RS might be persuaded to plant only sd
much IS wnnld be likely = Well sect Tor the
Lett year, and that only rnder the most Ia
FORA be cIrcums tanc, s. where cUmparatry,
INN unity might be predict, D and large
bSesdths might he devoted = tuTnIps. beet,
Dr. 81 er root crops Hhich experience shoa 80
10 Re likely to yield good reeulIs, and which
" uld furnish some substitute for the lost
potato. n