The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-08
HOLLOW HEARTED POTATOES.
The Cause and Preventive of This Peculiar
and Injurious Characteristic.

AhC NtldsC sSEA FreVenGISC Oh 1nIS peculiar
and Injurious Characteristic.
What causes hollow heart in pota-
toes?" This query was recently answer
ed by number Of agricultural author
tiles in the columns of The Rural New
Yorker. A large percentage of their
correspondents admitted that they did
not know, but each expressed opinions,
both regarding tho cause and the pre-
vention. Professor L. Fl. Bailey said
that he had always supposed hollow
heart to be due mostly TO overgrowth, al
though some varieties are more subject
to it than others. He thought that firla
feshed varieties of medium size, grown
ON soil only moderately rich i'll nitro
gen, would be most free from the trou-
BILE.
DR.. w. c. Sturgis of the Connecticut
station named as the cause of hollow
heart Pytophora infestans, a potato
rot fungus. He said nothing but abso-
lutely sound seed should ever be used.
II is not peculiar characteristic of
certain varities, though, as a rule,
early varieties are less liable to attack.
DR.. Sturgis doubted the accepted
theory that there is greater frequency Of
hollow heart in large than in small po-
tatoes. DR.. Byron D. Halsted did not
know the cause nor the reason why
large potatoes are oftener hollow heart
ed than small ones. He thought prob
ably large tubers were oftenest affected
because tho excess in size permits all
this absence of tissue at the center, not
altogether for the same reason that a
large tree is often hollow, while small
one of the same kind has sound cen
ter.
AS to half way answer in the mat
ter he suggested that the central por-
tion of potato is the most nonliving
portion, it being the storehouse for
material to be used by the young buds
when they unfold, these buds and the
vital parts associated with them lying
somewhat midway between the surface
Of the potato and its center. In the
development of a potato we can see
that there might be cavity developed
in the center by the failure OF the
sufficient development of storage tissue
to occupy all the space. AS to the
breeding out, it would seem probable
that it could be done to some extent,
because anything like hollow heart is
likely to be somewhat a matter Of in
heritance-call it weakness if you
please-and therefore one should use
strong instead Of weak seed
Professor W. F. Massey hazarded the
opinion that hollow heart is due to an
excess of heterogeneous food in a moist
soil. There may be some fungous
growth connected with it, but he can
not think there is any fungous cause fer
it. The potato tuber is the plant s
reservoir for the storing Of starch for
the food of the plant another season.
If the excess of nitrogen stimulates the
vital principal of the plant to an ac-
tivity in cell formation in advance of
the supply of mineral food needed for
building materials, there is sure to be
gap somewhere, and usually where
there is greatest activity. He does not
believe there is any heredity about it.
With an abundant supply of potash he
thinks there would be little of it. With
plenty of nitrogen and deficiency of
potash there will be hollow hearts usu-
ally.