made clear throughout its depth, so that the plant can be put into it in as natural a position as possible—that is, with its root in the same condition as when it grew in the seedbed. And this we conceive to be a point of great importance. The root is an important part of the plant, otherwise it would not be there, and we do not, therefore, believe in the efficacy of nipping off the tap root. True, if the dibble hole is so badly made as to double up and contract the root, then, as this will bring about abnormal development and a weakly plant as a consequence, it would be better to nip off the root; but if the transplanting is properly done the dibble hole will be deep enough to take in the plant as it ought to be taken in. Hence it is that, if for no other reason, we advocate the dibbling in moist soil, because the operation can best be

mechanically done. In finishing our operation-which is one more quickly done than described-let the earth be brought to bear firmly up against the plant; more plants die from being left loose in the soil than from any other cause. If a plant cannot bear a good pull without giving way or coming up, the transplanting has not been properly done. After all that has been said, we fear that in the minds of some reader the quotation already given, of "much ado about nothing," may come up; nevertheless, we believe that the subject of these remarks is worthy of consideration, and those who have followed it out in practice, and seen its benefits, may say in the words of the classic poet, in answer to those who object-" How small to others; yet, oh! how great to me!"

"F"

‘INGER-AND-TOE," as distinguished from "anbury," is a disease which arises from a malformation of the root, or rather we should say more correctly, it is malformation of the root which is the disease—this malformation taking the form of a series of offshoots of more or less con voluted, twisted, and stunted projections, which bear somewhat the same position and shape as the fingers or the toes bear to the hand or the foot, hence the name "finger-and-toe." We believe that this malformation arises mainly it is not possible to say in the present condition of agricultural science, altogether-from the mechanical condition of the soil, although it is possible that its chemical condition has also an influence in creating it. The mere malformation of the root, shewn in its curious offshoots, is, however, not the evil; for this malformation induces a marked change in the character of the flesh of the root, changing this from its healthy condition of a more or less dense vegetable substance, of a fairly homogeneous homogeneous aud nutritious nature, to one of a hard woody

and innutritious one. We say we believe that this abnormal form of the root, and its almost always accompanying deterioration in quality, is brought about mainly by the mechanical condition of the soil; but we have further to say, that an exciting cause is to be traced in cases where two or more plants are allowed to continue to grow together, thus either twisting and twining round one another in a most curiously contorted manner, often enough met with in badly thinned or singled turnips; or one, which while taking and keeping the lead, although growing larger than the other, grows in a form more or less abnormal, and always of less size and more woody character in its flesh than it otherwise would have been. It will be easy at this point in our argument— if the name of argument can be given to statements founded much upon conjecture, although we may claim for that conjecture a fairly sound basis of facts and of reasoning from analogy to see that the same, or much of the same result, will be the case where the soil is in that unkindly and unyielding condition which does not admit of the root growing in the

circumstances calculated to yield the best form of root and quality of flesh; or rather, which compels it to assume these untoward conditions. There is a tendency in the root itself to keep to its own natural form, and even to return to it, when, by some means or other, it has been forced to lose it for a time; the result of which tendency, or, as we should rather say, of which character or habit of growth, is, that if grown in soil of that even and uniform condition which will permit the root to grow with equal ease in all directions, then we may safely predicate that it will assume its natural characteristic of form, whether that be globular like the turnip, or long and tapering like the carrot. Just as we find that a potato plant or a pea, for example, will shoot up a straight branch to reach the light and air; but which, if that light and air is at a distance from it, will be long and tortuous. The power of plants to seek after, if the expression may be allowed, the best conditions under which to thrive, has been much overlooked, and gives rise to some curious facts really worthy of examination. Thus, to continue our remarks upon abnormal development of turnip roots, we can easily understand how a root, endeavouring to avoid or get past an obstacle in the soil, whether that obstacle be a hard unyield ing clod of the soil itself, or mass of stone in it, or a neighbouring root, or neighbouring roots which have been carelessly left to grow in juxtaposition with it, may throw out root developments of a more or less numerous and complicated character. From all this will be seen the importance of so preparing the soil that the root will be at liberty to grow as it likes, and to leave it unencumbered with neighbouring plants to act as competitors with it, so to say, for the riches which that soil possesses. The more carefully the soil, then, is prepared, so that a thorough uniformity of condition be secured, the fewer will be the chances that the roots growing in it will be deformed. As in sanitary science we find if we look for them-abundance of facts to prove that a certain condition of circumstances in which we cause human beings to

live induces abnormal developments and diseases, so will we find in the science which concerns our readers more closely, that we may induce disease or abnormal growth by the way in which we place the plants we grow or attempt to grow in them. And if we do by some means or other grow plants in such a way that they are abnormally developed we shall find, as a likely concomitant, that development does not always rest at the point of what we may call their physical or external form, but frequently so weakens the healthy powers of the roots that we impart to them a strong tendency to become diseased, if not indeed bring actually about a state of disease that disease assuming the form and being known by the name of "anbury." This disease consists in the presence of a number of warty excrescences, which, if opened, are found to contain a soft juicy and sometimes fœtid matter, and not seldom also grubs. The opinion is generally held that this disease is caused by the presence of some chemical condition of the soil which acts deleteriously upon the plant, and for which the specific is lime. It is yet to be decided, if indeed science will ever be able to decide, what is the cause of this disease. Much conjecture has been thrown out concerning it, but the weight of evidence goes to prove that it is a chemical cause, which is to be met by the application of some substances to the soil-that substance, as above said, being generally lime.

As we have shewn above, there is a great likelihood that the abnormal development of the roots bring about this disease of anbury; but we are by no means sure of this, for a turnip may have "finger-andtoe" and yet not have "anbury," while it may have "anbury" and yet not "finger-and-toe;" but-and to this we specially draw the notice of the reader who takes the popular view that the terms are synonymous-the turnip may have both diseases at the same time. In view of the losses sustained by anbury, many remedies have been proposed, some of these may be named here. First, on the supposition that frequent repetition of the root in the same soil is bad, making it, to coin a

phrase, "turnip sick," just as we say a soil is "clover sick;" it is recommended to break the succession of turnip crops, by growing either mangolds or carrots-mangolds being the best of these two crops. This, of course, precludes a stolen crop of summer turnips; and, by the way, stolen crops of all kinds are forbidden, as they tend to encourage the insect and other enemies of the crop. Secondly, to give up as much as possible

spring, and to adopt autumn preparation of the soil; and the working of the soil is to be done rather with the grubber than the plough, if spring working cannot be avoided. Third, to chalk or lime soils deficient in calcareous matter; to which we are inclined to add as a fourth remedy, to apply salt in all cases to the soil or the manure, to which, if ashes are added, the results will likely be more beneficial.

Tow

`OWARDS_the_close of last year a case of malformation in the swede turnip was described in the columns of The Farmer by Mr John Chisholm, Cairnsmore, NewtonStewart, in Scotland; and as this is a subject of considerable importance, we shall briefly recapitulate the leading points as described by Mr Chisholm.

A field, consisting of about 12 imperial acres, on the farm of Cairnsmore, under Mr Chisholm's management, was sown with three different varieties of the swede turnip namely, Bangholm, Sutton's Champion, and Skirving's. The field sloped to the south, and the drills or ridges ran from north to south. At about 80 yards from the lower end of the field there was a continuous strip, of about 10 yards in breadth, all across the field, which appeared as if sown with rape, while there was not a single plant presenting a similar appearance to be seen in any other part of the field. The whole field had been equally manured with a mixture of Peruvian guano and rough ground bones; and he further mentioned that the "sport" ran across all the drills, as far as the above-named varieties of swedes were sown, stopping at a flat of common yellow turnips, which shewed no sign of malformation, nor the appearance of any other plant growing among them. Rape had never been sown in that field, which, with the fact that the growth of plants having an

appearance like rape ceased where the swedes ended, while that growth was confined to one distinct part of the field, precluded any solu tion of the question on the assumption that the seed of rape had been lying dormant in the soil. If such had been the case, the rape plants must also have appeared across the drills of yellow turnip, as well as across those where swedes had been sown. That the sport or rape-like plants could not have arisen from any intermixture of spurious or defective seed was also evident, first, from the fact that there were three different varieties of swedes sown in the field, all of which were alike affected at one particular section of the field across which the drills ran, and it was not likely that each of the three kinds of seed had been grown from defective or degenerate plants, or had been otherwise mixed with impure seed; and next, from the still more significant fact that the "sport" was entirely confined to "a continuous strip of about 10 yards in breadth, all across the field," while there was not, as Mr Chisholm stated, "a degenerate plant in all the rest of the field, or on another adjoining, sown with a part of the same seed." Supposing that the seed of each of the three varieties had been defective, it is evident that instead of being confined to "a continuous strip of about 10 yards in breadth all across the field," the "sport," or the degenerate plants, must have appeared all over the field, because it

The peculiarities of the case, as reported by Mr Chisholm, being quite in accordance with those of other instances of "sport" which have come under notice, and feeling that the difficulties of the case would never be removed by any amount of mere theorizing, however specious, our contemporary resolved on getting specimens of the sported plants from Cairnsmore for the purpose of having them examined. This was done, and the plants so obtained were submitted to a gentleman well qualified to pronounce an opinion upon their nature. The engraving which accompanies this article is from a photograph of one of the Cairnsmore plants; and it will be observed that it might easily be taken, if examined merely in a superficial manner, for a plant of rape, or at least something very like it. But it was found, notwithstanding its appearance, that it was still a swede plant, deformed, indeed, but possessing all the characteristics which distinguish a swede from rape.

There is one point, however, which should be noticed. The sported plants were all more or less white-fleshed. Now, the white-fleshed swede is scarcely known in Scotland, but in some parts of England and the Continent it is grown to a considerable extent. It is probably the hardiest of all swedes, but at the same time it is the coarsest, and no amount of selection or care seems able quite to overcome this peculiarity, as the best and most carefully selected stocks of it always produce many coarse-rooted “necky” plants, and not a few almost as disfigured or malformed as the plants grown by Mr Chisholm.

An acute observer who has devoted much

The identification of the sported plants with the swede was the first and an important step in the investigation into the nature of those plants, and, if possible, the causes which produce this degeneration. In the next steps the aid of the analytical chemist must be invoked-first, to ascertain what difference in composition, if any, exists between the sound and the malformed plants; and next, between the soil upon which sported plants are produced, as compared with that where sound swedes are grown.

While desirous to avoid, as much as possible, anything like theorising on this subject, we would remark that it seems probable that climatic influences have something to do with the matter, as we have noticed that cases of sport have prevailed more in some seasons, and in some parts of the country, than in others. In this, as well as in other respects, a diseased state of the swede plant leading to "sport" resembles disease in the potato. We cannot account for it, nor, so far as we have yet seen, can we prevent it. That it does not arise, at least in all cases, from want of care in selecting suitable bulbs for the purpose of growing seed is evident from the circumstance that "sport" is usually confined to one particular spot or portion of a field, or that while one field may be affected throughout, an adjoining field in which the same seed has been sown has been entirely free from "sport." Some of the worst cases of "sport" we have known have occurred

It is well known that running to seed in turnip may arise from causes that cannot be prevented, such as a slight frost touching the

spring; in the former, the check given to the plant by the injury it receives throws it into a dormant state for a short time, and recovering this, it then passes over the inter