The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-23
POTATO BLIGHT IN IRELAND.
The Existence q Serious Crisis Il No
Longer Denied.
I0ndon Telagranh

August % the Irish land commissioners
issued . most important report dealing
with the condition and prospects OF the po-
tato crop in Ireland up to August Is, 1880.
The report IL compiled from returns re-
ceived by the Irish land commissioners
and valuers in their employment It COW
ers al the counties in Ireland. and It 10 not
too much to cay that it confirms the alarm
ing reports as to the condition of the
potato crop in manner sufficiently forci-
bic to open the eyes of the government to
the existence of serious crisis. The fol-
lowing questions for each district are
answered by the returns:
!. Are potatoes mainly grown for sale, con-
sumption or pig feedingf
2 To what extent AID In what manner has the
l. the potato crop generally above or below
ghe AVERAGE
{ vim the crop Of sound potatoes be above or
below the average?
The answers to these questions show that
the spread OF the blight has been even more
general than has been supposed. 1t is only
in Down, Tyrone. Tipperary. Dublin,
Queens county, Westmesth and q small
part of Donegal that the commissioners de-
clare that the crop promises an average
yield, and il is remarkable that it is in these
counties that potatoes are cultivated for
sale.
The disease is spreading rapidly, and the
prospect is very bad indeed in Clare (West),
Care (East), Cork Macroon Bandon). Skib-
bereen and CIonakiity. The crop of sound
potatoes will be very much below the aver
age in the last named district Very SER
iously below the average. an absolute failure
in poor land" is how the commissioners
describe the prospects. In Kerry, we are
told, the crop will be helow the average,
1.-The result depending very much on the
weather." which, since these returns were
compiled. has shown no signs of improve.
ment. On the sea coast the crop will be
much below the average. In the Leinster
counties. Carlow, Kilkenny, Kings, Long
ford. and part of Meath. the crop is below
report that wet weather will cause the
disease to spread rapidly" and rs il has
rained heavily ever since. the prospect is
now, of course, more serious In Louth
the crop is very doubtful; in Wexford.
generally speaking, growth has ceased, and
must result in crop OF small
and and. UNINSURED .na .on,xs suoers In ,, the
the crop will be much below
the average of the Connaueht counties.
In Galway IN good, well-farmed land the
disease is not serious; on poor and badly
farmed land the tops are black and much
spotted. and growth appears checked,
tubers also being affected. OF Mayo the
commissioners report: Very much below
average; disease general throughout; dis
tress appears worse along the sea coast.
where potatoes planted in bog were much
damaged by early frosts. The effect of the
blight has been 10 almost destroy the crop
in some cases. stalks blackened and with
cred up; tubers not as yet affected except
In rare instances. but generally small and
immature. owing to blight setting in unu-
sually early. Tubers in many Instances
viii De absolutely unfit for human food. In
the poorer. badly-cultivsted districts the
crop viii b IN entire failure; in good. dry,
vell-farmed land results viii prove much