Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-16
BLIGHT
AND HOME RULE
s,sc,a, cableyram to The Star.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
DIrRIJN. September l5-Americans hav-
ing friends and relatives in Ireland are nat
urally deeply interested in the accounts OIL
the notato blight Probably the best re-
ports are those made. by the correspond
ants of the Farmers Gazette. And 1t is
sienifcant to note that the latest accounts
published by that paper are decidedly dis
heartening In the poor, overtaxed land
In the congested districts especially the
failure has been disastrous. There IS a
new theory of the disease, which indicates
that even spraying, though valuable pre-
yentive cannot be looked upon as wholly
effective remedy to the disease. Hltnerto
II was believed the spores were solely
responsible; but Mr.. Massee of Kew, very
high authority on the subject, has discoV-
cred that epidemcs of the disease are due
to a 'hybernating mycelium' In the tuber,
which, in certain damp, hot, muggy
weather, infects not merely the plant It
self but the whole crop. From this dis
covery, II is plain that spraying, whlcn
deals only with the spores, or the danger
of spores on the stalks. cannot aHect the
DEVELOPMENT of the seed of the disease in
the tuber The selection of clean, healthy
seed is a precaution as essential as the
u,
surance that the disease may not. In one
form or another, remain latent in the soil,
especially in those exhausted patches winch
year after year have been given over 10
potato crop. Proper sized farms, properly
Cultivated. are essential before the plague
of blight can be thoroughly eXterminateo
from stalk and tuber.
The greatest interest is being taken here
oh
the Paris Temps in which reference is
made at length to the speech made at a
banquet in Dublin recently by Sir A. Mac
Donnen. in which the permanent under sec
rotary for Ireland expressed the firm be-
lief that the next session of parliament
would see the fruition of many of those
hopes which the best Irishmen had for
years entertained. The Temps says:
Sir Anthony MacDonnelrs sympathies
are unimpeachable as is the authority
OF his Information. The great and good
news which he has just announced can be
considered as official. and must be placed
on record. as 1t marks an epoch in the
history OF Ireland. great step forward
In the direction OF autonomy is being pre-
pared. The utterance certainly a Sib-
yllne one. but those who have closely
followed the Irish question and have
studied the last speech from the throne
OF the promised reform. What Mr.. Bryce
will propose to the commons will be adj
ministrative home rule. and particularly
the control OF Irish finances. Even this is
a great step. Whenever according to this
scheme, local government and the man
agement OF the finances of the island arr
placed In the hands OF Irishmen, one will
be able TO say that the crying demand fol
a national parliament will have lost much
of Its dramatic necessity. Perhaps the
party led by Mr.. John Redmond will un-
compromisingly oppose Mr.. Bryce's gen.
erous proposal because of its very gen
crosby and the beneficial effect which II
Is sure to have In country where British
administration has been the cause of most
OF the evils by which II is afflicted. By
opposing this proposal the Irish party
would deprive themselves OF every founda-
ton for their fighting attitude at West
minister. II the Irish nationalist deputies
act In this manner they will deserve the
stigma OF being only politicians caring
more for their own parliamentary positions
than for the interests a their country"