The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-04-17
The Potato Rot.

w "o' ANueA
by A. A. Crozier. at the State Farm
ers' Institute. at Huds0nville.. Mich,
on the 81 instant: The potato r,l
has been more. than usually destruc-
tive the past season. The estimated
boss from this cause is nearly third
of the crop in Michigan, and greater
in New York and other neighboring
states.
The Doctor gives description of
the disease, remarking that 'materi-
al amounting to hundreds ofvolumes
has been written on the cause and
remedy of the potato rot. The most
widely assigned cause Is loss ofvig-
or dehility To the Potato, since its in
PRODUCTION into cultivation. Various
causes are assigned to this: The use
of tubers instead Of seed for propaga'
ton II; the use of small and unripe tu-
bers the cutting of tabers for seed {;
excessive manuring and high Guilt
walton; degciency in the soil our
changeable climate, etc.
"Others attribute it to plant lice,or
other insects, which poison the plant;
to overripe. underripe, too large or
TOO small seed; to the absence of salt
or some other element in the soil to
want of ozone in the atmosphere to
a plethora or stagnatiOn of its juices !;
to Divine judgment or the infu-
ence of comet" He then adds:
Notwithstanding all this differ.
ence of opinion, all scientific writers
who haYe examined the subject are
now agreed as to the cause of the 20.
tatO rot. From what has been said
thus far, it might be inferred that
the rot is single disease. But we
must distinguish, as DR.. Farlow says
between potatoes affected by the rot
and rotten potatoes Any potato
left in sufficiently wet place will be-
come rotten, especially if injured by
freezing, or in any other manner.
After the attack of the true potato
disease, rot from other causes sets in
and hastens decay. Several kinds of
fungi attack and iniure the tops,
But, from what has been said, it will
not he difficult to distinguish the
true potato rot from all other diseases
of the potato, especially after one has
recognized it. Besides, the injury to
the crop from all other diseases is us.
aally much less than that caused by
the true potato disease.
"a knowledge of the cause may
not always enable US at once to pro.
vide remedy, and most of the rem
eefies we have for the potato rot were
discovered before the true cause was
known, and were based on entirely
erroneous theories. Still, an earlier
knowledge of the cause would have
saved the waste of much valuable
time, and may now enable US tOjudge
somewhat of proposed remedies and
be trying them.
81. 1t is evident from the manner
of growth of the fungus. almost Who'll
~ within the potato plant, that we
can expect little from remedies di-
rectly applied, and applications of
sulphur, lime. etc., which are destruc-
tive to fungi growing mostly on the
surface Of plants seem to have little
effect here. Still, we cannot say that
1t is impossible that there may be
something applied to the leafor roots
which, absorbed into the tissues. will
destroy the fungus without injuring
the plant. Recent apparent success
in France in checking the related
grape peronospora, by applications
to the leaves, gives ground for hope.
So far as we now know, there is aore
reason to expect success from the APP
plication Of lime, ashes, sulphur and
salt to the soil, which, while they
assist the growth of the plant, may,
perhaps, destroy the terminating
spores ofthe fungus. There are cases
in which the rot appears to have
been prevented by such applications,
but we need more experiments on
remedies of this kind.
"2. Another plan which will sug-
gest itself, considering that the dis
ease seldom appears before about the
first of August, is to plant early and
have the crops as far advanced as
possible by that time. In this way
early varieties can be made practi-
oaIly safe from the rot; for even If
they are not entirely ripe and out of
the way by the time the rot appears,
bhe vines and tubers are SO mature
that for some reason they seem almost
exempt from attack, even when rap
idly growing late sorts near, are badly
affected. The plan Of avoiding the
rot by having the crop early, was
long ago adopted by the farmers of
England and ireland, who, in order
to obtain an early start, placed their