The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-07
. AGRICULTURAL.
The Potato Disco Sc.

A correspondent of the English Journal of
horticulture says the potato disease is owing
to the destructive action of two kinds of mill
dew, and it starts afresh every year from
seeds, or spores as they are called, which
have rested during the previous autumn and
winter either in the ground, or in the potato
tubers, or in the manure heap. He, there.
fore, makes the following suggestions by way
OF prevention:
l. Burn the haum and all waste potatoes,
parings, etc., not intended for the animals,
as soon as possible after the crop has been
raised. Unless this is done, the decayi1g
haulm and waste potatoes may fill the ground
with the seeds of the destroying midews.
2. Do not throw the haulm and waste 20
tatoes upon the manure heap. because the
mildew seeds will gain in strength by resting
in the manure, and this manure will help to
spread the potato disease next season.
3. Boil for long time all diseased and
even apparently sound potatoes before you
feed animals with them. 1t is highly prob
able that the seeds OF the potato mdews gain
strength by passing through the stomach of
an animal-the pig, for instance. The ma
nure OF animals fed on raw diseased potatoes
and potato parings may, for the above reason,
become powerful means of spreading the
potato disease.
4. Do not grow potatoes on the same
piOCO VI iduo eWO years III SUCCESSFULLY Auy
midew seeds which may rest in the ground
from the last years potato crop will begin to
grow about the beginning or middle of May;
but they will quickly perish if they cannot
md potato plauts at hand to nurse them.
b. Be sure the seed potatoes are quite free
from disease when planted. A potato does
not always show the disease on the outside 4;
therefore 1t will be necessary to cut the sets,
10 order that the condition of each one may
Tn A fsats 10 -
inject acres of potatoes in a wet, warm sea-
son.
8. Use chemical manures in preference to
any others for the potato crop. Ordinary
manures may, especially if brought from a
distance, contain mlldew seeds.
Z. potato crop may generally be saved
by pulling up the haulm throughout the
whole crop as completely as possible directly
the disease spots appear on the leaves of any
one of the plants. OF course the tubers will
not grow any larger after the leaves aud stalks
have been removed. They will, however,
rpen in the ground, more or less, according
to the sea- on, and though they may not be
very large, they will be fiji for food.
8. To insure success, all the potato grow
ers of aneighborhood should follow the above
plan. One plot of diseased potatoes may fur
nish seeds enough in July to destroy the sur
rounding potato crops.
Ice a Luxury Farmers should Have.
After harvest, when there is leisure, make
an artificial pond-a large, deep pond in
which fishes can be Kept and pure ice be OBJ
tanned for the ice-house in winter. One or
more such ponds should be made on every
farm. There are but few farms that will not
admit OF just such ponds. They should be
surrounded by fence so as to keep the cattle
out, admitting them to the water at but one
place. Those who have the interest of theiI
stock in view will see that they are provided
at this season, with an abundance of clear,
pure, cold water. The writer was once con
versing with well-to-do farmer on this sub
ject OF Ice, telling him how easy it was t.
have supply that would render the hot sea
son much more endurable. sit is easy fol
you," he replied, ''for you have large stream
of water convenient, but I have nothing
within four miles, larger than the little ruI
down yonder, pointing to small brook thai
ran from one corner of his place to the other
"That is sufficient" we answered, and point
ed out to him three or four places wnere hi
could dig out small ponds without eDcroach
ing on his land one particle. He went RICH
to work with pillow and scraper and, in two
days, had two nice ponds made, which moi
only furnished plenty of ice for winter, bu
bathing places and Fishing holes'' for the
boys and good watering places for stock in
the summer. This was more than 10 year:
ago and the ponds still do duty, with an occa
sional dredging which they get during the
dryest season. A pile of ice eight feet square
and the same height is enough for family use
For such pile, build the house 10 feet square
and the same height, as there must be foo
OF sawdust all around the ice sides, bottom
and top. The house can be made on th,
simplest plan pOsslble-two frames of four
inch stuff for bottom and top, mailing thu
boards Cd these uprights. Only single wal
is needed.-Neso England Farmer.
A Good Fertilizer for the Garden,