91
1851 2,631

We also imported the following quantities of potatoes in the last
five years:--

Cwts.
1848 940,697
1849 1,417,867
1850 1,348,867
1851 636,771
1852 773,658

Thoroughly dried potatoes will always produce a crop free from
disease. Such is the positive assertion of Mr. Bollman, one of the
professors in the Russian Agricultural Institution, at Gorigoretsky.
In a very interesting pamphlet[47] by this gentleman, it is asserted,
as an unquestionable fact, that mere drying, if conducted at a
sufficiently high temperature, and continued long enough, is a
complete antidote to the disease.

The account given by Professor Bollman of the accident which led to
this discovery is as follows:--He had contrived a potato-setter, which
had the bad quality of destroying any sprouts that might be "on the
sets, and even of tearing away the rind. To harden the potatoes so as
to protect them against this accident, he resolved to dry them. In the
spring of 1850, he placed a lot in a very hot room, and at the end of
three weeks they were dry enough to plant. The potatoes came up well,
and produced as good a crop as that of the neighbouring farmers, with
this difference only, that they had no disease, and the crop was,
therefore, upon the whole, more abundant. Professor Bollman tells us
that he regarded this as a mere accident; he, however, again dried his
seed potatoes in 1851, and again his crop was abundant and free from
disease, while everywhere on the surrounding land they were much
affected. This was too remarkable a circumstance not to excite
attention, and in 1852 a third trial took place. All Mr. Bollman's own
stock of potatoes being exhausted, he was obliged to purchase his
seed, which bore unmistakable marks of having formed part of a crop
that had been severely diseased; some, in fact, were quite rotten.
After keeping them about a month in a hot room, as before, he cut the
largest potatoes into quarters, and the smaller into halves, and left
them to dry for another week. Accidentally the drying was carried so
far that apprehensions were entertained of a very bad crop, if any.
Contrary to expectation, however, the sets pushed promptly, and grew
so fast that excellent young potatoes were dug three weeks earlier
than usual. Eventually nine times the quantity planted was produced,
and although the neighbouring fields were attacked, no trace o