The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1886-03-11
Agricultural.


Potatoes are 20 cents bushel al retail
Ia Chicago. says the Western Rsrui which
fact serves 10 make The subject Of potato
rot additionally interesting. The rot
did vast damage Last season IN New
York state /, destroyed pretty nearly one
bali the crop. In Michigan IL destroyed
fully third 81 The crop. and some OF the
other states suffered similarly. Il is
sAid TO I've The same thing that caused the
famine in Ireland in ls47. The cause
OF the disease 10 something that people
Ere not agreed upon. as the readers OF
The Kprm ~Lo lave read the articles OF
several correspondents who have written
upon the subject. are aware. The Mich
sgas Farmer says that The following are
among the preventiyes;
!. As the parasite the alleged cause
Of the disease may often live over win
ter in the tops Of decaying tubers left in
the fields after harvest. prudence would
therefore, dictate the complete removal
and destruction ofsuch refuse. II should
not be used for compost.
2 Store the harvested crop in dry |
cellars, and sort over several times, at
short intervals, carefully removing from
the bins every tuber which shows the
least signs cf decay. Remove, also, TO
separate pile, those tubers which have
been lying in contact " iih the diseased
ones. The sorting viii be facilitated and
the decay hindered by storing the tubers
in cstks. barrels. or small boxes. Pota-
tees buried in quantity in fields will be
likely TO rot IN toto during the coming
winter il, by chance. any infected tnbers
we're buried with sound ones.
3. Plant next season only tubers which
are entirely sound. outside and inside.
The black spots contain the fungus.
Some tubers may appear sound on the
surface and be diseased within. Deter
mine the soundness of the tnbers by cut.
ting at planting time. To plant diseased
potatoes will insue a continuation Of the
rot.
4 Even il direction No. has been
more or less Of the potato fun
gus probably remain over winter in
the fields ready to grow II there is IN
opportunity. DO not, therefore, plant
in the same fields as last year, nor in ad-
joining ones, nor near fields planted by L
neighbors, il some more remote locality
can be found
g. Take advantage Of the prevailing
direction Of the wind. Our summer and /
autumn winds are chiefly from points !
between sonh and west There is, there
fore. chance Of escaping wind blown :
spores by planting to the southwest Of
other potato fields. or to the northeast OF
woodlands or other large nncultivated
tracts
6. The growth Of the parasite is ia
vored by moisture and stopped by drouth. {
Il is rapid in rainy weather and when !
there are heavy dews. Usually the rot s
u much worse upon clay land or other
soils which retain moisture. Choose, n
therefore, light and dry soil for plant 5
ng. :
1t has been shown experimentally that,
With only moderate watering, the sum =
ner spores will penetrate the soil to
lepth of several inches, consequently
milling up will not protect. The prob 10
utilities are, also, that no substances can q
70 tusted upon or otherwise applied to 81
be growing plants with much benefit. g
I some varieties Of the potato are less :
ubject to the rot than others, thing
lot improbable, the present state OF our
does not enable us to say :,
positively which they are. r.