68 



Tap-Roots. — Mediterranean Wheat. 



Vol. V. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 On the Tap-roots of Plants. 



Sir, — I find, in reading an essay on con- 

 verting grass-land to tillacre", by Mr. James 

 Roper Head, that he also entertains the idea, 

 that the tap-roots of plants are differently 

 constructed, and are designed for a very dif- 

 ferent purpose, than are those that are at- 

 tached to the crown of the plant, which 

 might, for the sake of distinction, be called 

 the lateral roots, although we all know that 

 the tap-roots are also furnished with these, 

 of small dimensions; the idea is, I presume, 

 rather novel, but, I must confess, to me it 

 appears most rational, and I conceive that the 

 consideration of it might be attended with 

 advantage, and lead to very interesting re- 

 sults. He says, " I have endeavoured to 

 search into the nature of laintforn, clover, 

 and lucerne, and the result, to my opinion, 

 has been, that the long, penetrating tap-roots 

 of these grasses pierce the earth in search 

 of moisture only ; and that the tap-root is the 

 mere syphon or duct ; that the branches of 

 the crown of the plant — the lateral roots — 

 are fed alone by the upper surface of the 

 soil; and that the luxury of the produce of 

 the plant depends, not upon the congeniality 

 of the bed or nidus (nest) of the tap-root 

 itself, but on the congeniality of the soil of 

 the upper surface, which alone feeds and fur- 

 nishes it with vegetation." 



And so I believe, and say too — but, as it is 

 as easy for a man to be poisoned in his drink 

 as in his food, just so it is with the plant; 

 there is, therefore, the same necessity that 

 the water which is drawn up by this syphon 

 or duct should be wholesome, and fit for the 

 sustenance of the plant, as that the food con- 

 tained in the surface soil upon which it feeds, 

 should be nutritious and wholesome; but 

 that is not always the case ; nay, that it is 

 very often the contrary, I think we might 

 point for proof to the continual failures, which 

 are experienced in the attempt to raise that 

 most valuable of all plants, the lucerne, in 

 this country, which is, however, generally 

 found to flourish extremely well until its tap- 

 root reaches the water in the sub-soil, (which, 

 from the circumstance of the earth never 

 having been turned up to a great depth, so as 

 to drain it, is no doubt deleterious in its effects 

 to such plants) but then it begins to show, by 

 its discoloured stem and top leaves, that dis- 

 ease has attacked it, its destruction soon fol- 

 lowing. Now, until this unsuitableness in 

 the sub-soil is removed, it is but reasonable 

 to expect such disappointment; and as Mr. 

 Head's theory has, to my mind, every appear- 

 ance of being correct, it is easy for me to 

 understand, how a plant, with a sypiion ex- 

 tending to so great a depth into the sub-soil, 



should draw up the poison and diffuse it 

 through the system of the plant, to its final 

 destruction. This consideration is of the 

 highest importance, and will lead us to exa- 

 mine with extreme care, the nature of the 

 sub-soil of that land which we mean to devote 

 to the culture of this, or any other tap-rooted 

 crop — being " forewarned, we are in a great 

 measure forearmed." Enox. 



New Jersey, August U, 1840. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Mediterranean or Fly-proof Wheat, &c. 



Sir, — Having given a statistical account 

 of my crop of this wheat last year, in the 

 Cabinet, No. .56, under the head of " Fly- 

 proof Wheat," I am called upon, in the last 

 number, to state the success of it the present 

 harvest. I had it seeded last fall, on the 3d, 

 14th, 1.5th, and 25th, of the 9th month, and 

 on the 1st, 6th, and 7th, of 10th month. It 

 appears to have escaped the Hessian-fly and 

 the rust — the quality of the grain about as 

 last year's crop. On a rich lot of two acres 

 I have harvested 1494 sheaves of usual size 

 — the crop on two large fields is not heavy, 

 owing, it is thought, to too large a growth of 

 timothy that had been sown with it, but the 

 yield is tolerable and quality good. 



I had red-chafl" bearded sown at the same 

 time as the last of the other, in two places, 

 one beside the Mediterranean, and all cir- 

 cumstances alike; the red-chaff was more 

 injured by the winter, and ripened a little too 

 late to escape the rust — the comparison is not 

 a little, but much, in favour of the Mediter- 

 ranean. I prefer seeding this wheat early in 

 the ninth month, and, if the ground be strong, 

 to pasture it off close in the winter. 



I have not yet seen any published account 

 of a new enemy that has made its appearance 

 in the wheat this year — many fields in Ches- 

 ter and Delaware counties, and perhaps else- 

 where, have been in some degree injured by 

 it. At mowing time, when wheat was begin- 

 ning to ripen, I walked into an adjoining 

 field, when I observed a considerable number 

 of dead heads, and standing in the worst dis- 

 covered part, I plucked, without moving, six 

 of them. On examination, a small hole was 

 found in the upper joint of the stalk, and 

 within, between that and the head, a worm 

 about three quarters of an inch in length, of 

 a brown colour, striped at both ends, with a 

 reddish head ; it was very active. In some 

 cases the worm had entered the stalk lower, 

 but soon made its exit, boring another hole 

 near the first, leaving such heads only par- 

 tially injured. 



On discovering this new adversary I could 

 not avoid reflecting on the catalogue of causes 

 that have shortened our supply of bread-stuffs 



