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Show SERIOUS FUNGUS DISEASE t OF EUROPEAN POTATOe, j, Known as "Black Scab" and Every Effort Should be Mad to Prevent Its Development in This Country. that of a pea. The gray surface of the swollen eye la dotted over with golden-yellow rings, as seen with a pocket lens. Some tubers will be found, when the crop Is harvested, har-vested, with more or less than one-half one-half of them covered by these warty excrescences, which in some Instances are larger than the tuber itself. This warty growth consists of a coral-like mass, or more or less scaly excrescences, excrescen-ces, similar in appearance to the well-known crown or root gall of apples. ap-ples. The warts are of a somewhat lighter color at the base and dotted During the past thirteen years a serious fungus disease of potatoes has spread throughout European countries. coun-tries. It was first recorded from Hungary Hun-gary in 1S96 and appeared In England in 1901 and is known as the "black scab," "warty disease" and "potato canker." During the years that have clasped since the disease first became known it has spread into Ireland, Scotland, England, Scandinavia, Germany, Ger-many, France, Italy and Newfoundland Newfound-land and is prevalent over the greater part of Europe. It was not known on the American continent until it appeared ap-peared In Newfoundalnd in 1909. The extraordinary virulence of the disease and the rapidity with which It has spread, make it necessary to warn all potato growers to be on the lookout for this disease. Where allowed to establish itself it renders the cultivation of potatoes extremely ex-tremely difficult, as they cannot be raised on that ground for a period of at least six years. Therefore, stringent strin-gent preventive measures should be used to keep this disease out of the United States. By the terms of the "Destructive Insect and pests order of 1908" in England, Scotland and Wales, persons concealing this disease dis-ease are liable to prosecution and a heavy penalty. It Is believed that the disease Is likely to be introduced Into the United States at any time. In order that the disease may be recognized and promptly reported it is fully described by H. T. Gussow in a bulletin bul-letin of the central experimental farm of Canada and by W. A. Orton of the United States bureau of plant Disease Attacking Eyes. with minute rusty brown spots ovei the surface. In advanced stages, the tubers are wholly covered with thli growth, and have lost every semblance to potatoes. A still more advanced stage occurs when the fungus has utilized everj particle of food stored In the potatc and has reduced it to a brownish-black brownish-black soft mass, giving oR a very unpleasant un-pleasant putrid odor. This is the most dangerous stage of the disease, as tubers which have reached it can "not be harvested whole. They break In pieces and thus the brownish-pulpy v' Potato Plant Attacked by Wart Disease. Industry, in a circular recently issued. When the disease is prevalent no healthy tuber3 will develop. When lifted they will show various degrees of injury. The first indication of the disease may be noticed around the eyes of the potato, which show an abnormal ab-normal development of the dormant Bhoot. In this condition the disease I ' mass, consisting entirely of the spores of the fungus and remains of the cell walls of the potatoes Is broken up and the land is badly infected for years. The disease is often so prevalent as to destroy the entire crop. Diseased tubers are not fit for seed, and should be either destroyed by burning or boiled and fed to pigs, and as the tops also may be diseased they should be gathered and burned. Infected soil will for years produce unsound crops, and the disease may be carried to uninfected areas by soil adhering to the boots of the work men, to farm carts, and to implements Under no circumstances should unboiled un-boiled or decayed potatoes be used a? food for stock, not only because the feeding value is reduced, but mainlj because the spores are capable ol germination after passing through the body of the animal. Never use seed potatoes from a diseased dis-eased crop. If the seed is suspected, the sets should be powdered with sul-phur sul-phur and stored in boxes until planted. Four or five pounds of sulphur is sufficient suffi-cient to treat one ton of potatoes. Tuber Covered With Disease. Is liable to escape detection and thus be spread by the use of infected tubers as seed. In the earlier stages of the disease the eye will be found slightly protruding In the form of a single or compound group of small nodules, varying from the sizs of a pin head to |