The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-12-05


For the sam reason in lS47 it made
clean sweep Of the Irish crop and did
much damage in England aud Scotia d.
Aided by wet and cold season, the
infection spread all over Ireland, Gnd
the whole country was swept Ivy it, and
a great famine came upon that distress
ed country. We need not repeat the val
history of restitution, disease, death,
and general misery which reduced the
population one fourth in number, and
fr ON which that beautiful island las
not yet recovered.
The enorm his dis ,ster turned the at
ten,ion of scientific men to the nature
of the so-calipd disease, and it was soon
found that the cause of it was par /
site plant, fungus, which infected t'c
potato plant, aud lived upon it's su =
stance, cau,iss it to decay ahd rot.
i1'he parasite was found to belong to J,
family Of fungi known rs Peronospor !,
aud it may readily be believed that it
had found the potato weakened by a.
verse influences # season and wcathtr.
cold and WEI, CHI fly, and had male it
an easy prey 1t may be. also, tha
prevl )usly to this, this ptrt,it. h.
lived upon s'nc other plant, AMI hi |
accidentally found this to b.. MOI.
co;igellal hust and had therefore spread
vita sucl ,urp',sn; ratidily. This ~
pid spread, too, WA greatly he.pea b.
neglect Of the needed precautions whic /,
We now know to Insure at lel;t soln
protection against It's r,v ayes uh iuturc
crops, and this neglect was beyond u
doubt the SEC III !ary cause If its gene
rally destructive effects until it hal
made cleal, ~ eep of the crop and hail
not left one sound tuber in any part Of
the South ami West Of ireland and bu
few in the better cultivated Gells O.
the Nort,. T,e iulsu, WAS mum, ID Gro
nospora infcstal,,, from lis destructive.
ness ami lis contagious character.
1t consists of a minute plant allied t.,
the mil Jews u ID smuts, which are 81
common, aud which appear under the
microscope us iiue white silvery threads
which penetrate the potcs ul the leaves
and stems and which fo"m IL network
up ~ the surfaces Of these. When it ap-
pears upon the leaves these wither Il,
If scotc!'ed by fire a"i The stems are
( und to be splt'ed with black decavrd
patches. The di east then SPREADS t.
the tubers and these brc,me spotted
with tho same black catches, which
quickly invade the whole tuber, when
it becomes Sinking mass OF corrup
ton. The mature Or with Of the plant
is AZ follows: The white threads suol
begin to throw out tipwefin. stem.
Which bear the organs of reproduction
These perfect their growth in the usua
manner, and produce seed vessels which
when ripe barst and scatter vast mum
her ofexceedngl minute seeds or spare,
dark brown in color, and which, b,
their incalculable number, fiji the cellu
lar tissue OF the pWnt aud turn it black
The destruction Of the tissue by thu
growth of the plaat upon it causes i
to rot, and when the result has beef
filly perfected the stems and tuber
are found to consist Of mass of fou
rottenIess, in appearance like blacl
Shiny paste. This is in fact made up o
the black spores or seeds Of the plan
mixed with the decomposed tissue. Thu
plant lives upon the starch in the cell
of the potato, and rs this is consume,
by it the potato is destroyed and wha
is left of decays These black or brow
spores are AS fine as the dust of a pu1
l@ll, which is really in many respect
0 similar plant When the decaye
. stems aud tubtrs of the potato ar
wholly decomposed these spores or seed
are left, as the germs OF another croI
and they remain in the soil through til
|. winter, or perhaps in the manure, if th
r vines or rotten tubers have been thu
y disposed of, and ale ready On the retur
Of Spring to seize upon the new Gro
aud make a prey of it. This account
for the rapid spread of the disease afte
it's first appearance in Ireland until
rs made a grand sweep Of the potato Gro
n in the third year. And it teaches us
great lesson, viz, that to avoid Its ravs
les in our own fields every disease