The National tribune., 1883-09-06
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions fer Our
Agricultural Readers.
Potato ROT.

pe,reas.igfg infssians wh ca frs. attacks ;ae
foliage 81 the plant, making patches on iae
unite sat of the leaves Wtlch Sfou spread ana
attack the stems, and ultimately tBc iunZus
threads run down the stems and reach The
tuhets causing thair decay This fungus Is
closely allied to the fungus which destroys the
foliage of the grape vlue, ana may DC produaea
bv a similar cause. IL Is welt-k1oSn that III
l,Ralities where continued heavy dewS are
c,,niuun that the foliage Of most varieties OF
grapes become iafecied with the fungus fcroa-
osgora riticoia. and that in localities where
there are but lit5e Or any dews, the vines are
NOT attacked Coverings over grape trelIises,
which preyeut radiation OF heat, are found 20
protect he leaves from injury. In low. fertile
valleys, where potatoes are planted IA good
soil they wall speedily cover the ground win
a heavy ia ck aass Of leaves and stems. me
heavy atws will saturate them with water,
their ui..ssiN NeHess precludrs the evaporation OF
the moisture during thc day, 80 THAI they never
become thorOuEhi, dried Under these eir-
cumstances the fungus rs generated or at ieaSt
developed and rapidly destroys the crep-
This view OF the cause Of the disease is new,
lrt we consider il the true one, Ia this view
we readily account Tor the presence OF the TOT,
even on dry soils and in dry seasons. Ii also
explains why potatoes on hili sides are mostly
extntpt froal rot, because IN these positions
dews rarely occar, just as grape culture IS sue
cessiul un0er similar condlilons' ano orsiiililaf
reasons.
The practical deductions proceeding from the
foregoing considerations viii be, first, TO select
somewhat elevated ieids for potatoes-on llB
sides where heavy deBs are seldom found
and secondly. to plant IN drills so wide AZ part
that a clear space would be lett between the
rows for a free circulation OF air through and
among the plants, IN situations where specially
favorable positions arc not available
The constant and conunGld effort which has
been made for the last quarter OF z century to
find some fertilizer, or application To The soil,
for the purpose OF preventing rot has .ed - no
definite useful result, simply because the kind
o soil in which plant Is growing exercises
no inluence on diseases which are solely the
result Of atmospheric causes.
NOTES ABOUT CARP.
The carp is partial to siagnsnt waters with
muddy bottom rich in aquatic plants. They
will live and thrive III water where most other
fishes could not possibly exist. such as small
pools in bog meadows, or IN localities ahording
no regular outlet. Carp subsist upon vegeta-
bles worms, larp8 Of aquatic insects, &c.,waich
it turns up from the mud with its head. They
also eat otfal from kitchens, brewerieS, and
slaughter-honses. They attain more rapid
growth in warm waters. In cold climates
where the water freezes they burrOw in the
mud all the winter, aad do not diminish in
weight. When all the conditions are favora-
BILE the carp grows very fast. 1t viii gain four
teen pounds in five years; the best results are
attained in small ponds of warm water. Over
stocking ponds is attended with the same re-
suit as overstocking Of pastures with cattle,
and their growth viii vary from year TO year.
according as the season IS warm or cold. Large,
deep bodies of cold water. with stony or gray
ely bottoms, are not favorable to the successful
growth of carp They live TO great age;
there are some in Austria known 10 be about
$50 years old They have been taken Of ninety
aIc fuhf II n
usual They have been known to weigh forty
pounds at fifteen years of age. A fifty pound
carp is said to be about four feet IN length by
three feet in circumference. In European ponds
the average growth of the carp is more than
two pounds annually, but better results areex-
pected here. particularly in Southern latitudes.
The propagation of carp Is becoming universal.
In China they are reared in ordinary wash
tubs, and fed with vegetables.
WHITE PINE LuMBrR.
The forest statistician OF the census states
that the annual production of white pine lum-
Der is now not far from ten billion feet, and
that the entire supply Of white pine growing
in the United States and ready for the ak, does
not greatly, if at all, exceed eighty billion feet
and this includes small trees, which would not
have been noticed In estimates few years ago
Enough is now known of orr forests to permit
the positive statement that no great unex-
plored body of this pine remains; and that
with the exception Of the narrow redwood
belt Of the California coast no North American
forest can yield in quantity any substitute fol
white pine, the most generally valuable and
most generally used Of American lumber. Tn
der these circumstances, the growing pine o
New England and other regions VIII become o.
great value. New England cannot compete
with the West or the South in the production
of grain, but the climate and soil are favorable
70 the growth Of pine New England should
not allow this opportunity for increased pros
perity to be lost The demand for white pins
is rapidly increasing; the extent of the supply
lis st last known; no available substitute ex
lists TO any great extent, and there is already
considerable quantity of young pine, anS
greater advantages for growing il, in New Eng
landthan in other parts of the country. Th
prices IN the future may be counted upon &
make the value OF the land covered with thrifty
growing pine much greater than any agricul
tural land in their locality.
NEW THEORY OF ROTATION OF CROPS.
Several reasons have been given, by thos
who consider that their mission in this worlt
is to explain everything to their ignorant fel
low-beings, for the necessity of rotation o
crops, but now we are asked TO discard all for
mer explanations and accept the new one; tha
Is that insects and diseases accompany eacl
plant, tho eggs or spores of which are left ii
the soil to attack the same crop in the next fol
lowing year, with hundred-fold increase G
numbers and power. II would seem, however
that even this is not always the case, since w
hear Of western bottom lands where corn ha
been planted annually for sixty years, and stil
gives good crops. Every one of observation
and experience can recall instances where Tia
same crops have occupied the same ground 70
decades and they still did well. As we latel
stated, there are phenomena connected wit
rotation Of crops which have not yet been ex
planned, but this insect agency viii not soly
the problem.
TAKING CARE OF MANURE.
DIR. Voelcker says that fresh BARNARD me-
nure contains but small proportion of fre
ammonia. Properly regulated, the fermenti
tion of dung is not attended with much loss
fertiliEing substances The DRAWINGS of ms
nure heaps arc very rich, and should not b
wasted. Dung heaps should not be turne
more frequently than necessary to regulate th
fermentation. The leading loss in manur
heaps is caused by washing rains. Al the q
eential elements are preserved by keeping III
manure under cover. With plenty of lite
fresh dung will not ferTnent rapidly undo
cover. The worst method Of making manu1
is by keeping the animals in an open yard Z
q large proportion Of valuable fertilizing ma
ters is wasted In short time; and after Ian,
OF twelve months ct least tHo-thirds of II
substance OF the manure is wasted and onl
one-third, inferior in quality TO an equal weigl
OF fresh dung, is left behind.