and Common Salt on Manrjolds. 89 



applied the leaves had a darker, more bluish-green colour, 

 inclininG;' to purple. 



JVIr. Kimber writes to me : — " During three seasons I have 

 observed that common salt applied to young growing mangold 

 plants on this sandy soil has the effect of producing a greater 

 development of leaf and a kinder growth of the bulb with less 

 root. 



" When a soil is deficient in any one of its necessary consti- 

 tuents, or when that which the growing plant requires in its cir- 

 culation is not obtainable in sufficient quantities, a forked growth 

 of the roots is generally the result. The difference in this 

 respect of two heaps of mangolds placed side by side, one grown 

 with salt, the other with none, is very marked. I have also 

 observed that turnips grown here with salt have come up less 

 rooty than the others without salt ; but the difference is not so 

 great as in mangolds. 



" These remarks are not intended to apply generally and to 

 all soils, they only relate to this particular soil and the last three 

 seasons." 



Mr. Kimber made some notes on the 19th August, 1865, and 

 as he was quite ignorant of the arrangements of the plots, his 

 observations are of particular interest. 



Notes on Experimental Mangold Plots, made 10th August, 18G5. 



Plot 1. — iSTothing .. ., Leaves dark in colour, iDclining to a purple 



tint. 

 Plot 2. — Salt, 6 cwts. .. The leaves four or five shades paler in colour 



than Plot 1, and having a more luxuriant 



appearance. Half as much again leaf and 



fav superior bulbs to Plot 1. 

 Plot 3. — Potash, 3 cwts. .. Not cpiite as good as Plot 2. Leaves a 



shade darker. 

 Plot 4. — Salt, 3 cwts. .. About as Plot 3. Leaves a shade paler. 

 Plot 5. — Potash, 1 cwt. .. Not quite as good as Plot 4. Leaves a good 



shade darker. 

 Plot G. — Nothing .. .. Not quite as good as Plot 5, and the leaves 



a shade darker. 

 Plot 7. — Salt, 2 cwts. .. Much more leaf and two shades paler. 

 Plot 8. — Potash, 2 cwts. . . About as Plot 7. Leaves a shade darker. 

 Plot 9. — Salt, 4 cwts. .. More leaf than Plot 8, and a shade paler. 

 Plot 10. — Potash, 4 cwts. .. About as Plot 9. A shade darker. 

 Plot 11. — Salt, 8 cwts. , .. Very much larger in leaf and bulb than 



Plot 12, and three or four shades paler. 



About the same as Plot 10. 

 . Plot 12.— Nothing .. .. The same as Plot 1. 



The roots were taken out of the ground, topped, cleaned, and 

 weighed on the 10th November, 1865. 



The following Table shows the results that were obtained, the 



