Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-03-14

grew thirty inches long and s,alf an
inch in diameter, making difference of
for.y-five times the bulk. Not unfre-
] lquensly We have met with greater eX-
tremes, and sometimes much less, the
results varying with the character Of the
soil and other circumstances"
THE POTATO DISEASE IN ENGLAND.
This subject has receiued much atten-
ton for several years past from the Roy
al Agricultural Society, and last year a
| prize Of five hundred dollars was offered
for The best essay on the cause and cure
of the malady: bat none of the essays Of
fered in competition were deemed wor-
thy of the awards. The County Gentle
man says:
SIT seems to have been asserted by
number of the competing essayists that
the only way of preventing the disease is
70 plant varieties which it does not at
taek-different sorts being specified by
different writers, as certain to be exempt
from danger. While the good faith of
these statements. and their correctness
so far as the experience of those who had
made them had extended, could not be
doubted, it was quite impossible TO de-
eide between the different kinds. or in
deed in favor Of any one of them, on the
evidence set forth. 1t was consequently
determined to offer inducements for a
general trial of varieties claimed to be
disease-proof. To this end two prizes
are offered of $500 each, OH the best early
and late variety respectively, which shall
be tested for three years consecutively in
twenty different districts of Great Brit
ain, and which shall in no instance dur
ing that time be affected by disease.
Should more than one variety pass the
ordeal, the prize to go TO the one possess
ing the best cropping. keeping and
cooking qualities. A farther sum of
$500 is to be divided in the discretion of
the judges among disease-proof sorts,
which may stand second or third in
other respects, should any such exist.
Entries for these trials were to close
Feb. 24th, by which one ton of each va
riety entered for trial was to be sent to
in, in bags of ] cwt. each.
The belief that there are sorts which
the potato disease will not touch, is
likely TO be pretty thoroughly tested by
these trials, if they elicit the competition
that may be expected. But the Royal
Society have furthermore commissioned
Prof de Barry of Strasburg, who is con-
sidered the highest living authority on
the fungi attacking farm crops, and es-
pecially on the potato fungus, to take a
special investigation into It's history and
habits-so that both the scientific and
practical phases of the subject are likely
to be more thoroughly studied than ever
before. The results obtained will be
looked for with interest"
CRossMAN BROS. SEED CATALOGUE.
Those of our readers who attended
the Northern Ohio Fair at Cleveland the
past Fall, and inspected the horticultur-
al department will not fail to remember
the very large and instructive display
of garden vegetables and seeds of the
Crosman Brothers of Rochester, n. Y.
We have been acquainted with this firm,
father and sons, more than thirty years,
and their reputation as seed growers as
well as dealers is not eXcelled. Their
catalogue for 1874 is one of the hand
somest and best that we have seen, and
is the more reliable from the fact that
its authors are personally so familiar
with the articles it describes. We are
glad to notice that seeds from this es-
tablishment are on sale at one or more
of the stores in Painesyille.
THE GRANGE MOVEMENT.
There are now at least three Grange
organizations in this county, Perry,
Painesville and Willoughby having one
each. There may possibly be others by
this time, for we notice, with regret,
that there is disposition on the part of
some persons to keep secret not only the
doings of the Grange but also if possi-
bic the fact of its organization and the
name of its officers. This, in our opin-
ion is the surest way to excite the sus-
picion of the public, and to defeat the
noblest ends of the movement. We like
better the suggestion that has been
made, for having some of the Grange
meetings entirely free to the public.