POTATO DISEASE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 249, 22 August 1861, Page 4

POTATO DISEASE.

As it is likely there will be a considerable demand for potatoes for shipment to Otago, we add the following from Bell’s Weekly Messenger to the other suggestions for the avoidance of disease we have already published, it being exceedingly desirable that when there is an outlet for them a good crop should be obtained.

The potato disease may be said to have perplexed the wisdom of philosophers, and to have baffled the skill of practical men. It has, however, been recently and satisfactorily demonstrated by microscopical examination, that the malady which has so seriouslyaffected a very important article of food, is due to the deposition by the atmosphere of a minute fungus, which taking up its habitation, first upon the leaf and the haulm of the potato plant, propagates with astonishing rapidity, and ultimately finds its way to the tubers, and completely destroys them. Haring, at first, ; without acknowledge of this theory, tried sue ces.sfplly,' an experiment \y.bich I have sine.found to entirely accord with it, I am anxious to place my experience before the public, satisfied that if they, follow my example, they will profit by the ‘result. Last year I de parted from the old sysfe.;n, so, far as the greater part of my crop was concerned, and pursued the following plan :—I set the. potatoes in double rows instead of single ; the two rows occupying about a foot in width, a. foot of vacant space remaining on the outside of each row. 2’hey were planted upon the level grouud.and hoed up,at the usual time. When the haulm had reached its full growth, about the 6th of July, T turned it over right and left towards. t,Ue vacant spaces, by adding earth between row* and pressing down the fypubns, so as to prevent them retaining an erect position, to allow the rain, instead of descending to the roots,- to run off upon the vacant space. The kind of potatoes upon which I. experimented were Regents and Flukes. 01 the former, I planted one portion upon the old systeui, and a larger portion upon the new; the Flukes were all planted upon the new system, The land consists of a heavy clay-rr. about as ba.d a description of soil as can be devoted to,the growtli of a potato crop. The result vras that the .Regents planted upon the new system,turned,out to be a good crop, while those upon the old plan were a complete, failure, although grown upon,the same plot of ground, , and planted at one time from, the same seed. The Flukes produced.an excellent crop, - not two in a hundred being bad, while my neighbours fpr in j.lesf round, without exception, lost their crops. The efficacy of this system has been proved, not alone by my own experience and that of several others who have tried it, but has beeu confirmed by the following curious circumstance. A gentleman had plau.

ted ; a lot of potatoes, having a number of planks which he required room for, but, not knowing how to dispose of them, allowed them to be thrown down upon a part qf the potato bed. Upon removing them some time afterwards, and digo* u g the potatoes, fully expecting to fiud that those which had been covered and pressed down were completely destroyed, he found to his surprise, that those which the planks had lain upon were in excellent condition, while those that had been exposed in the ordinary mauuer were diseased. The laying down of the planks had in this instance effected the turning of the haulms, and . sheltered the tubers from the wet, and the result was as good as if the system I have recommended had been carried out by design. 7'he suc6‘ sv of the experiment is to be explained in this manner:—A microscopic fungus is first deposited uponjihe leaves and haulm, where it multiplies by millions. As soon as vain desceuds these parasitical plants are wished downward# to the tubers, which they immediately attack, and the potatoes are thereby completely destroyed. By turning down the haulms oyer the vacant spaces the fungi are washed by therein from the plant on to the naked soil, where, wanting nutrition, they perish, and the tubers are protected from their destructive effects.— Correspondent of Bell's Messenger.