No. 4. 



Mixing; Roots. 



115 



this is necessary to remunerate the improver, 

 who trenched, dunged, limed, and cultivated 

 this thin soil, and which must still be fre- 

 quently manured. It would have yielded too 

 little produce if tilled only by the plough, and 

 would have been cultivated at too great ex- 

 pense if the soil had been constantly dug 

 with the spade ; a medium between these two 

 — either the alternate use of the plough and 

 spade, or at least a mixture of plough and 

 spade husbandry — was thus introduced by ne- 

 cessity, and has been attended with the hap- 

 piest effects," 



With little exception, the whole tract of 

 country from Seville to Antequera, in Spain, 

 although of the richest possible description, 

 is in the most wretched state of cultivation ; 

 no enclosures, and such is the state of per- 

 sonal insecurity, that no farmer or proprietor 

 ventures to reside on his own land ! * 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Mixina: Koots. 



Sir, — The last time I had the pleasure of 

 calling on you at your office, you were pleased 

 to show me a Foxite potato, which, although 

 naturally white, had received a dash of pink 

 colour, from the variety of the Mercers, 

 which grew in the adjoining row; and you 

 observed, that this was not a solitary instance 

 of such mixture, for many more of the same 

 Foxites exhibited the same phenomenon, and 

 that most unequivocally. You also showed 

 me, at the same time, three sweet potatoes, 

 which had all grown on the same stalk ; one 

 of these was white, the other two were ex- 

 actly half red and half white, with the colour 

 most perfectly and distinctly marked through- 

 out their whole length, and these had grown 

 in the neighbourhood of the white variety. 



In the 4th vol. of the Cabinet, page 311, a 

 correspondent, over the signature " A Novi- 

 ciate," says, " It seems to be an admitted fact, 

 tliat when two varieties of the potato, one 

 red, the other white, are planted in contigu- 

 ous rows, they will produce piebald roots, 

 partaking of both colours, but it is not known 

 that any other plants do intermix at the root." 

 Now, here is a proof that the sweet potato, 

 a very different plant indeed from the com- 

 mon potato, and which has never been 

 known either to blossom or produce seed, in 

 this climate, will intermix also at the root. 

 He then adds, " The old theory teaches us, 

 how the seeds, produced from potatoes so cir- 

 cumstanced, may propagate mongrels, but a 

 neio theory, which will account for this mix- 

 ture in the root, remains a desideratum to the 

 botanical physiologist: the principle which is 

 referred to, in the relation of Jacob's peeled 

 rods, is inapplicable to the present case, for 

 although the potato has many eyes, it cannot 

 see— yet, like the flocks of the good old pa- 



triarch, it produces ring-streaked and spotted 

 roots." He then proceeds to call upon " some 

 of your able correspondents to clear up this 

 matter, either by giving a satisfactory expla- 

 nation of the process, or showing that it is 

 only one of Dr. Franklin's fishes." 



From the tenor of the above observations, 

 we are led to suspect that " Noviciate" is a 

 sceptic in the belief of the mixing of roots 

 after the manner above described, and Judge 

 Buel has expressed himself very decidedly, 

 that the thing is impossible — and yet, here 

 are proofs before our eyes, that it is not only 

 possible or probable, but practicable : and to 

 do away the suspicion of fraud or error, it is 

 only necessary to say, the specimens have 

 been furnished by Mr. B. W. Cooper, of 

 Camden, New Jersey. 



But, strange as it may appear, to me the 

 matter admits of a very easy and natural so- 

 lution. In a late number of the Cabinet, a 

 writer observes, " No one would calculate the 

 distance to which the roots of plants extend 

 in search of food" — and, in this, I fully agree 

 with him : I once grew a crop of potatoes on 

 a light, boggy soil, and found, on taking them 

 up, that a great many of the lateral roots had 

 extended quite through the adjoining row and 

 into the next beyond, and had absolutely 

 formed bulbs there ; and I preserved many of 

 these roots, four feet in length, with a small 

 potatoe at the end, by way of curiosity. Now 

 it is easy enough to conceive, that these roots, 

 in their journeyings, with the earth filled 

 with them, and crossing one another like net- 

 work, must often come into contact with each 

 other; and it will not, 1 think, be considered 

 an extravagant supposition that, in such close 

 contact, or conflict if you please, they might 

 become chafed, and thus, literally, inoculate 

 each other. — What says your very intelligent 

 correspondent to this new theory of plants 

 mixing at the root ? J. D. E. 



"The common morello is more subject 

 than any other cherry to the attacks of the 

 same insect which so frequently stings cer- 

 tain varieties of the plum, and which so often 

 perforates the branches of this tree to such an 

 extent that they are covered with numerous 

 knots and excrescences. The only remedy 

 is to prune off all the branches thus attacked 

 at the period when the insect or its eggs are 

 concealed therein, and to burn them immedi- 

 ately, for if they are left to increase annually, 

 they present a most disagreeable appearance, 

 and in time entirely destroy the tree. The 

 same course may be adopted with success for 

 all other trees attacked in a similar manner; 

 and if it was adopted generally throughout 

 our country, it would in a few years nearly or 

 quite annihilate this formidable depredator on 

 our gardens and orchards." — Maine Farmer. 



