St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-09
POINTS UPON POTATOES.
Now the Deadly Disease Attacks
and Kills the Plant.


and Kills the Plant.
The scarcity of potatoes this year,
and the probability of famine ere the
next crop is harvested, has drawn con-
siderable attention to the cause of the
disease. j. K. Waters, landscape en-
gineer, in speaking of this. said:
1.-THE prospect of potato famine in
this and most other countries raises the
question what is the cause of these fire.
Quently recurring failures of the potato
crop throughout the world? The first
too well known Infection of wide
spread appearance of the potato disease
as we know it-occurred during the
year 1S4i, when it was observed to be
most destructive. Not only in Ireland,
but in England, Scotland, America.
Germany, the whole crop was lost and
the poorer classes reduced to fearful eX-
tremties.
I'm 1867 the disease broke out again.
and all classes in both town and coun-
try suffered very heavily. When we
remember that potatoes were largely
consumed in those days and formed the
chief article of diet amongst the work
ing people throughout all civilized
countries, even more so than now, and
that the importation of food stuffs had
not been developed as at the present
time, when if our crop fails abun-
dant supplies of food can be
cheaply and readily brought to us
from abroad, we can realize
what our forefathers had to endure dur
ing those calamitous years. Several
more or less severe outbreaks of the po-
tato disease have been recorded since
1916 and 1S48, but none Of them appear
to have been SO early or manifested
such widespread infection as is report
ed at present in Ireland. The potato,
like human beings and all animal and
vegetable life. is generally subject to
the attacks of diseases. Sometimes the
diseases are local; at other times they
rush widely over whole countries and
continents. The potato disease has it's
origin in the growth and multiple
cation of minute fungus" which
grows upon the leaves, stalks
and tubes of the potato plant.
When the disease first makes its ap-
pearance in a field the leaves of the
color. as if hot blast of wind had
blighted their growth, and exhale
curious unhealthy smell peculiar to
itself. The stalks are rapidly attacked.
and eventually the tuberS show signs OF
disease. Potatoes, as rule, like dry,
hot weather as soon as they begin to
show their beautiful varied-eolored
flowers. They don't thrive and pro-
duce good. sound tubers, which
will keep" after being ding and stored.
Damp, warm, unwholeSome weather,
such as we have had almost the whole
of this summer, gives rise to the neces
Sary condition for the growth and spread
of the "thytophthora infeStanS." A
warm night, accompanied by a heavy
dew and no wind, means disaster to the
farmer, and the fatal disease has begun
in his crop. 1t appears that daylight,
bright sunshine and wind act as him
ORANGES to the growth of the fungus.
1t is first usually noticed late in July or
August. Fields which have been re-
peatedly cropped with potatoes are most
frequently attacked first. From these
foci the disease is spread to
other fields, and so to crop.
whole countryside, not one
being left untouched. Hence the ab-
solute necessity of the proper cultiva-
ton of the soil and annual change Of
crops. 1t used to be said that some
kinds of potatoes were unaffected by
the disease, but later experience has
proved that mostly all species of the
plant are liable to the attack. At the
same time it has been proved that by
year after year growing the plants from
cuttings of the tubers, instead of occa-
sionally renewing the stock from seed,
greater tendency to an outbreak
of the disease is produced. Just
as in all highly cultivated and
closely bred animals and plants
certain conditions are generated
which render them abnormally liable to
certain and peculiar diseases. When a
freshly infected leaf is carefully exam
ined with the naked eye ayellow or pale
green circular spot is observed. These
spots rapidly change and enlarge. The
center becomes dark brown in color,
and the whole appears as if frosted
with a thick, fur-like coating OF the
fungus"