VEGETABLE DISEASES. 199 



Turnip Bacterial Disease — Ancwdkease attack- 

 ing turnips has made its appearance in the North of Eng- 

 land. Mr. W. Carruthers, F.L.S., describes it thus: 

 " In the worst carses the young leaves had disappeared 

 from the crown, or were rotting away; the outer, older 

 leaves also showed signs of wilting ; their stalks were de- 

 caying at the base, and a number of lateral buds were 

 shooting up from the axils of these older leaves. As a 

 rule, the outer skin of the turnip was intact. In some 

 instances the top was as if scooped out, and the depression 

 lined by a whitish, slimy substance. In others injury had 

 further penetrated to the base of the turnip, and the whole 

 centre was a mass of rotten pulp. Even in the plants less 

 seriously affected it was evident from the condition of the 

 younger leaves that they were being cut off from their con- 

 nection with the root. Some of the turnips had wounds 

 at the side or base, which formed starting points of attack, 

 in addition to the injury at the top of the bulb. One or 

 two were suffering from ' Finger- and-Toe,' which was, of 

 course, quite distinct from the rottenness that was de- 

 stroying the turnips." A careful microscopic examina- 

 tion of leaf and bulb was made, and this revealed the fact 

 that the injury was due to bacteria, w^hich had gained 

 access to the living plants between the bases of the young 

 leaves or through the broken surface of the bulb. These 

 bacteria were advancing into the substance of the turnip 

 from cell to cell, destroying the tissues as they went. 

 Sections were taken from the diseased parts and examined, 

 and myriads of the bacteria were seen in the cells. The 

 same bacteria (exceedingly minute, motile, cylindrical 

 rods) were also found in the slimy substance from the 

 cavity at the top of the turnips. 



Remedies. — As this disease has only recently been dis- 

 covered, any remedies must be more or less of a specula- 

 tive character. It has been suggested that the diseased 

 turnips should be placed in layers, with quicklime be- 

 tween, then covered with earth and allowed to decay. 

 The lime will kill the bacteria, and the decomposed matter 



