Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-03-14
THE POTATO DISEASE
(ConHRued.l

THE POTATO DISEASE.
(COntinued.)
AS there are some differences of
opinion in relation to the actual con-
dition Of the potato, favorable or other
wise, I" the rot copy FROM the OBJ
servations of others.
"Some eminei chemists, such as
DR.. Lyon Playfair, believe that the
potato plant when healthy, is not sub
ject TO atlar k from fungi. In lee
ture delivered by the Doctor before
the Royal Agricultural Society OF
England, Dec. 9, 1915, he remarked
that much had been said and written
with regard to the source of the dis
ease, and since minute fungi had been
assigned as Its cause, potatoes, apples,
and other fruits had been innoculated
With fungus spores, and had become
diseased; but if there was not some
previous disease in the potato itself,
how was it that some varieties of DO
tatoes escaped while growing in the
immediate vicinity, while others were
attackedY" The disease, he believed,
arose from structural or chemical
UoucnS,
Wnen q 'Ics"yed potato was Exam
ined it was found tnav %hn dieooeod
spots were always in the reg on Or tho
spiral vessels, whose function it is to
carry air into the tissue { the plants.
He believed the disease orig mated ia
the oxidation of the tissue. The Rev.
NJ. j, Berkeley, the leading mycolo,
gist of England, on the other hand.
contends that the fungus BohytiS in
tc$tdns, or, as now classed under the
new genus, Perono$pora infeStans,
will attack the healthy tubrrs but
the question arises at this point, what
means have we of ascertaining the
perfectly healthy structure, ard chem
ical state OF tubers? Every farmer
plants what he deems sound tubers,
yet i'll the majority Of cases, since
1915, the crop during very moist sea-
sons has been more generally affected
than it was prior to that date
The severity of attacks of fungi on
plants will depend in some cases on
the density Of their organic structure
aud the soubility oftheir heterogeneous
matter. The heterogeneous principle OF
potatoes, for example, is soluble in
water, that of turnips nearly inoolu-
bic. The former, therefore, ferments
more readily than the latter. The
leaves Of a healthy peach tree, when
placed i'll moist atmosphere at about
750 f., resist tungoid fermentation
for months, while those of peach
tree affected with the yellows,"
placed under the same general condi-
tons, will quickly ferment and become
covered with the fruit of the fungus
mucor. The first possess an antlsep-
tic property, the second are deficient
in it, If two blocks Of wood, one of
lockwood and the other of soft pine,
are placed in fungoid solution, the
first will resist the action of the N.Y.
ccIIum for long time because of its
density, while the second will quickly
decay. The first absorbs very little
water, the second a great deal. A
certain amount of moist ure is ALWAYS
necessary to the growth oflun.i. The
presence OF an excess of water is high
~ favorable to the growth of the com
mon moulds and some other forms of
fungoid plants.
In years previous to the noted DO
tato rot of lS45, the average amount
OF water found in healthy potatoes,
according to Professor Playfair, was
~ per cent; that of unhealthy tubers
since that date, 80 per cent. Tie
tendency to terment is therefore in
creased. 1t was observed by Profess
or Playfair in his lecture alluded to,
that Il peculiar state of the weather
had been observed all over the north
OF Europe where the disease had been
seen, as well as in America. The
widespread use Of the potato as an
article Of diet, especially among the
laboring classes throughout Eurore,
must have led to the extensive plant.
ing of diseased potatoes in 1916, be.
cause healthy seed could lot be found.
Indeed, Professor Playrair, in his sec
ond lecture Of the l0jh OF December,
l845, recommends "the planting of
diseased potatoes as seed rather than
none" lie further states that there
was no prospect of obtaining healthy
seed from abroad. and that he haG
permission Of the late government au-
thorities for stating that this was the
result Of their consular returns. The
unavoidable adoption Of this advice
tended to establish hereditary disease
in after years, whether it arose from
chemical, structural, or fungoid con-
ditions.
If II healthy potato is SO dug out on
its opposite ends that it will resemble
u double egg-cup, and placed erect on
one end for about six days in an at
mosphere at the temperature of7Jo f.,
It's under cavity will become covered
with mildew, and its fruit will appear
in the form Of blue mould, Peatcitium
glaucum. In this case the inyelt ted
cavity will retain the moisture, and
as consequence slight fermentation
will ensne, the fungus deriving its nu-