Agriculture of Shropshire. 35 



of these minute fungi. Hence any plan which stimulates the 

 autumn growth is calculated to retain an energy in the plant 

 which will defend it, in a great measure, from this disease, I 

 have no doubt that the use of some superphospate and guano, 

 thoroughly intermixed with mould, and sown over the crop about 

 the time of the mildew appearing, would stimulate the growth 

 and save the crop. This disease is a great check to the full de- 

 velopment of the swede crop, for every step we take to make 

 the crop superior is one step towards mildew: whether it is 

 heavy manuring or hoeing the plants out so as to give them 

 plenty of room, all tends to render the crop more liable to its 

 attacks. 



Early maturity and rapid growth are equally unfavourable for 

 keeping roots for any considerable time. The tissues are less 

 firm than in cases of slow growth, and consequently more liable 

 to decay. As the swede is so well suited to this district, and for 

 spring food is preferable to mangolds as a standard crop, for the 

 reasons before named, it becomes very important to be able to 

 grow and store these roots in the best manner. When especially- 

 intended for late spring use, the mode of growth should be modi- 

 fied. They should be drilled with only a small quantity of 

 superphosphate, say 1 cwt. per acre ; not much manure should 

 be ploughed in, and they may be sown in the third week in June. 

 They should not be hoed out above 8 or 9 inches apart, and our 

 endeavour should be to get a crop of moderate-sized roots rather 

 than a heavy crop of large roots. Of course this special mode of 

 cultivation will be only carried out to a limited extent. I have 

 found the ichite swede * well suited for this purpose, as they may 

 be sown in the third or fourth week of June, and keep later in 

 the spring than any other sort. 



In storing swedes two plans are adopted, accordingly as thev 

 are to be fed on the field or not. In the former case, having marked 

 every 8th or 10th drill and had the swedes in them pulled, a wide 

 furrow is ploughed, into which the ^wedes, as they are pulled, 

 are regularly stacked with their tops up, and after this is done 

 the plough goes round the rows once or twice and earths up the 

 sides. In this state they will remain for a considerable time, and 

 when they are seen to sprout in the spring, if a few ewes and 

 lambs are turned amongst them they will keep thern in check. 

 The great advantage of this plan is the economy of labour in 

 Storing the roots, together with the equal distribution of the roots 

 over the field. 



When the roots are going to be drawn from the land the usual 

 mode of stacking is adopted. Having selected a dry spot, the first 



* Sold by Jeffries, seedsmen, of Cirencester. 



D 2 



