Finger-and-Toe in Turnips 



29 



his stubble land ploughed and roughly cross 

 ploughed in the autumn, before he began to 

 plough the lea. I asked him the reason. 

 " Oh," he said, " I used to have all my tur- 

 nips rotten with finger-and-toe, but ever since 

 I have furrowed my stubble land, and turned 

 in well up to the frost, which I have done for 

 four years, I have always got clear of the 

 disease." 



This confirms my theory of exposing the 

 land to the weather, and may account for 

 some farms said to derive benefit by taking a 

 second crop of oats or potatoes before sow- 

 ing turnips. In proof of quickly opening and 

 sowing the land with turnips, who has not 

 observed, where the disease existed in the 

 field, that the head and end rigs were always 

 most affected ? Farmers should be most 

 careful in selecting turnip seed, and be cer- 

 tain that it is raised from sound turnips, and 

 if possible from highly manured red clay land, 

 which improves the quality of all kinds of 

 turnips. 



From what I have stated, and many years 

 experimenting with the disease, I may be 

 allowed to make the following suggestions 

 and conclusions as to finger-and-toe in tur- 

 nips : — I am of opinion that a number of ex- 

 periments should be repeated on a large scale 

 by a Commission appointed by the Highland 

 and Agricultural Society of Scotland, in 

 various parts of the country and in different 

 seasons. It is a national question, materially 

 affecting a large industry, involving large 

 capital, which would be ruined if the disease 

 became general ; and this is the tendency to 

 which the propagation of the disease by the 

 affected manure, seed, and diseased plants 

 clearly points, particularly as the soil once 

 affected keeps up the disease in subsequent 

 years. 



The poison reproduces and imilfiplies, there- 

 fore it is not mineral. It is vital — one of 

 the lower vitalities — whether animal or vege- 

 table is of no consequence. 



Its history, that is, its mode of propagation, 

 what favours or retards, or prevents its deve- 

 lopment, are the essential points. My experi- 

 ments prove : — 



I. That it may exist in the decreased 



plants, and be subsequently developed where 

 the plant grows. ' 



2. That it exists in the diseased roots, 

 and continues in the soil where they grow, 

 and it also exists in the dung of cattle that 

 have eaten the diseased roots. 



3. That the disease appears equally from 

 the seed of diseased plants in all sorts and 

 under all kinds of manures. 



4. That the disease will appear in land 

 where the disease formerly existed after all 

 kinds of manure, with the possible exception 

 of lands to which lime has been applied. 

 Experiments are wanting to shew for how 

 many years the land retains this power of re- 

 producing the disease ; this is important, in 

 so far as if it only lasted for a few years, in- 

 termediate crops of potatoes, &c., might be 

 sown. 



5. Diseased land which has been re- 

 cently ploughed and sown appears to produce 

 the disease more readily than when ploughed 

 and exposed to the action of frost, sun, and 

 air. This will not influence the crop from 

 diseased seed or manure from cattle that have 

 been fed on diseased roots. This is an im- 

 portant practical remedy, and experiments 

 should be made to illustrate it. 



6. Experiments should be made by 

 steeping seed from diseased plants in various 

 chemical solutions, and then sowing it in 

 sound ground, such as arsenic, carbolic acid, 

 sulphuric acid, sulphate of iron, &c. If any 

 of these prevented the disease appearing in the 

 turnips, it might be applied to diseased land, 

 if not too expensive ; but seed from diseased 

 turnips should never be used on the farm. 



7. Experiments should be made of 

 spreading out and exposing to the frost and 

 sun the dung of cattle using diseased turnips. 

 It is possible the frost may kill the poison. 



8. Experiments should be made of 

 adding different chemicals, as in No. 6, 

 along with the sound seed sown in diseased 

 land. 



From my experience of ascertaining the 

 results of upwards of 200 experiments with 

 manures, crops, &c., not less than ^-^th of an 

 acre should be used for each experiment. 

 This extent may be considered large by some 



