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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



ROOTS; THEIR EFFECTS ON SOILS. 



Most plants throw their roots over a great depth 

 in disintegrated subsoils; indeed, where soils are 

 under-drained, and subsoil-ploughed, after their re- 

 moval they leave in the soil an amount of roots 

 nearly or quite equal to the crop removed, and the 

 poition percolating the subsoil and decaying in 

 place furnishes new conditions capable of liberating 

 from the subsoil many elements which have been 

 before inert. 



The joint action of atmosphere and moisture, 

 together with carbonic acid and other fertilizing 

 gases, all circulating the more freely through 

 passages where roots have decayed, and which by 

 their decay have furnished the necessary ingre- 

 dients, requires but the action consequent upon 

 the presence of these constituents, assisted by the 

 roots of a living organism, i. e., the next crop, to 

 insure the solution of new quantities of mineral 

 matter from the subsoil. Portions of the mineial 

 matter so liberated are elevated into the surface- 

 soil, and there deposited as excrementitious matter 

 thrown off by vegetables, and with the decay of 

 roots thus enrich the surface-soil ; and this is also 

 assisted in degree by capillaiy attraction. 



Some have argued that this continual uprising 

 of matter towards the surface-soil, consequent upon 

 the continuous decomposition in the subsoil, must 

 eventually denude the subsoil of its more valuable 

 portions; but it must be remembered that the new 

 conditions produced are such as continually to 

 cause the liberation of new quantities, and that the 

 entire soil being deepened, presents a greater area 

 of surfaces of particles to be acted upon by atmo- 

 spheric and other influences. To avoid using the 

 material is like husbanding perishable articles until 

 thoy become worthless. 



The roots of a current crop often extend four or 

 five feet in length. Even the common onion has 

 roots eighteen inches long, the lucern and other 

 clovers by the decay of their roots, percolating 

 deeply into the soil, deposit carbon in place of 

 mineral matter which they take up ; part to be re- 

 turned to the soil by the decay of roots, and part 

 elevated into the upper soil, while the portion of 

 the crop removed is more nearly renewed by 

 liberating new quantities over greater depths, than 

 if the soil were cultivated on the shallow system. 



Every fact, empirical and scientific, goes to prove 

 that deep tillage renders the addition of less quan- 

 tities of mineral fertilizers adequate to produce 

 crops. — The Working Farmer. 



PRACTICAL DISCUSSION ON THE 

 FARMERS' ENEMIES. 



At the Maidstone Farmers' Club, the other day, the subject 

 for discussion was " Insect Life," with reference particularly 

 to those species affecting the operations of the farmer, which 

 was ably introduced by Mr. Tunuett, of Chard Sutton, his 

 remRrks possessing the greatest practical value, from the cir- 

 cumstances that many of them were the result of his own 

 personal observation. He first noticed that bitter enemy to 

 the farmer, the wire-worm, explaining its habits, mode of 

 attacking the plant, Sfc. The most effective remedy he had 

 found WB9 to lay the ground fallow, and completely starve 



them to death. They were also destroyed by white mustard, 

 and if slices of potato and turnip were allowed to remain in 

 the infested ground for a short time, when taken up they will 

 be found full of these destructive insects; the latter plan, 

 however, was expensive, and not thoroughly effectual. Ano- 

 ther very troublesome pest was the larva; of the tipula;, an in- 

 sect 01 the •' daddy louglegs" species In reference to these, 

 Mr. Punnett mentioned that in a field of wheat belonging to 

 him the plant in one part had been much injured by these 

 grubs, while in the other portion not one was to be found. 

 The only difference in the treatment of the two pieces was tiiat 

 the infested part had been ploughed in December and the other 

 some time earlier. Although the farmers were loath to believe 

 it, rooks, pheasants, and partridges were the greatest enemies 

 to these insects; the birds might sometimes pull up the corn, 

 but it was in search of the grub which was silently destroying 

 the plant just beneath the surface of the ground. It was 

 singular that in both these case?, while the insects were so 

 destructive in their larvse state, when perfectly developed, and 

 arrived at the final stage of their existence, either as beetles 

 or anything else, they appeared to be comparatively harmless. 

 Mr. Pnuuett next noticed a peculiar kind of beetle which 

 seems to infest all pod-bearing plants. These insects sud- 

 denly make their appearance just at the time when the plant 

 has progressed sufficiently to afford them the sustenance they 

 require. On one occasion he sowed some peas on what had 

 formerly been hop-land, where no beetle of this kind had ever 

 been seen before, and yet at the proper season large numbers 

 were to be found upon the plants. This could only be ac- 

 counted for by the supposition that the egg which was to pro- 

 duce the beetle was contained in seed, having been deposited 

 there the previous year, while not yet ful y developed. The 

 only effectual remedy with which he was acquainted was to 

 obtai.i o'.d seed, for the embryo beetle appears to die if kept 

 in its prison more than a year. The peculiarities of some 

 other insect tribes were also briefly touched upon, Mr. Punnett 

 incidentally mentioning a fact which seemed to create surprise 

 — namely, that some species of the humble bee destroy the 

 blossom of plants by perforating the cup with their trunk 

 when in search of honey. An interesting conversation fol- 

 lowed, in the course of which Mr. Barnes recommended clean- 

 ness of cultivation as the beat preventive of insect visitations. 

 Supposing that they were troubled with wireworm or other 

 species of grub, he advised them to well roll their land, and 

 make it as close as possible. He had done so till it wasalmost 

 as hard as a road. This prevented the insects burrowing from 

 plant to plant, and thus stayed their ravages. Keferring to 

 turnip-fly, he said he always sowed a treble quantity of seed, 

 and had never lost a crop. Mr. Punnett also recommended 

 this plan. — Doncasler Gazette. 



YEAKLING HEIFER PRODUCING A CALF.— Mr. 

 Thomaa W. Willan, of Hansfield, Clon?illa, writes as follows 

 to the Irish Farmers^ Gazette : " My thorough-bred yearling 

 heifer, ' Nancy Dawson,' which I have entered to compete at 

 the Royal Dublin Society's show, has, at the early age of one 

 year and eleven days, given birth to a fine heifer calf. Nancy 

 was calved March 25, 1859. She was in a paddock with my 

 bull Starlight from the 7th of May to the 4th of June, when 

 my heifers were put by themselves, Nancy got milk up to 

 November, when she was housed, and fed for the show. She 

 never showed the least symptoms of being in-calf till Sunday, 

 the 11th ult., and calved on Tuesday, the 13tb, with great 

 ease. Herself and calf are doing well. I entered her for the 

 show the Thursday before. I should also remark within two 

 hours before calving I and a great many more could not know 

 for certain what ailed her." 



FILMS ON THE EYES OF CATTLE.— I have seen 

 inquiries about films on the eyes of cattle. 1 liave never 

 bad a trial on cattle, but have cured or taken off films twice 

 or three times from the ej es of a young mare, by applying 

 new milk from the cow two or three times a day for three or 

 four days. Take a little in the mouth, and it is easily depo- 

 sited in the eye. It is mild, easily tried, and not expensive. 

 — W. P. — Country Gentleman and Cidtlvator. 



