Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-10-14
WHOLE NO. S36.

Dut as yet not enough TO aGUr.tcj atten-
ton in handling. These are doomed
and there is no saving then. When
they reach that stage nt which the re-
productive bodies spring up in little
| white spots in the putrid mass, they
will throw spores in every direction tho
wind will blow. Then the moisture
produced in their decay will enable
these spores to swim as far as that mois-
ture reaches And no doubt as write,
microscopic examination OF those po-
tatoes, will show from ten to ten thou
sand spores lying on each potato that
I harvested all ready to send its mycel.
ium into those tuhers the moment the
conditions are favorable.
It is hard problem. The only hope
of safety is in making conditions i'll
which fungus cannot grow. These
conditions are dryness and low tenn
perature. The best plan that I can
think of is to put the tubers away in
dry earth. sand or sawdust where they
will touch each other as little as posi-
ble. If I can keep them quite dry all
winter will save them, for dry spore
is as harmless as wet powder. Then il
we get through the autumn dry, the
winter weather will favor low temper
ature, which even with little moisture
will prevent the growth OF the mycel-
ium. Then as to their being packed in
earth, sand or sawdust, this will pre-
vent one rotting potato injecting all the
rest. The mycelium cannot pierce the
potato skin outward, and extend into
another tuber, but the last stages of
tuber's decay will furnish moisture that
will bear the living spores downward to-
another individual unless it is absorbed
by The packing. Morever, the packing
prevents the free circulation of air and
so far will be hinderance to the circu-
lation of spores. Again, it would seem
worth while TO experiment on the fol-
lowing points: 1, Whether bathing the
potatoes in solution of brine or car
bolic acid would not kill al germs rest
ing on their surfaces. I'd, Whether
carbolic acid or some other chemical
mixed with the sand OF sawdust used in
packing would not increase its efficacy.
l know perfectly we'll that one cannot
afford to bottle each potato separately
and pay five cents for the cork-,better
throw Che potato away. But my be-
lief is that by the general diffusion of
the knowledge of the causes of this
disastrous some eSperimenter will
find way of measurably preventing
the evil. |
There is one question further to which
we will devote three minutes:
How does the perouospora i.festans
get through the winter, and turn up SO
punctually next year, since the freez-
ing is certain death to all the tribe ?
There are two ways, probably. One is
continued growth in potatoes that are
kept through the winter for our use.
But from this method there would seem
to be little danger, since if we plant
only sound ones there is small chance
OF the spores getting above ground
again. However, if we plant potatoes
that are effected the mycelium would
undoubtedly ascend the growing stem,
and spread its fatal frost again on the
new leaf. This consideration makes it
important that only sound potatoes be
planted.
The second means is through what is
called a resting spore, spore which
most funguses produce at least once in
season. These resting spores are fear
fully tough; they generally will stand
freezing (and perhaps boiling, for ought
that I know, on this point I have no
authority, but will pass through the
intestinal canal of animals, and can
wait their opportunity for growth per-
haps as long as any seed; and like real
seed, this resting spore is producted in
true sexual manner by means of some-
thing like pollen and stigma in towering
plants. In other funguses of this class,
this resting spore is generally produced
upon some other plant than the one
generally infested.
There is said to be some evidence point
ing to clover as the plant upon which
this resting spore is produced, but moth
ing certain has yet been determined
and here is probably the truth about
manure. Suppose this resting spore
produced no clover. It would pass
through some animal and in the ma
nure again reach the place OF its growth.
The manure you see is not the cause
but presents one condition requisite.
1t is said that the blight this year on
white. river attacked even the weeds. I
can belive this, for I saw evidence of
its growth upon my tomato vines where
they hung over hill of potatoes affected
by it. Now if we had microscope,
we would do we'll to look for the resting
spore on these plants.
The progress of science is made by
most careful and accurate observations
A.. =
servation may avail are: 1st, How to