140 Principles of Plant Culture. 



undue absorption of water by the roots. The leaves 

 of affected plants grow narrow, and are thick, fleshy 

 and wrinkled. If the plants are pulled sufficiently to 

 break the tap-root, before the disease has progressed too 

 far, they often recover. 



223. Water-Sprouts (sap-sprouts, gormands) on 

 fruit trees are sometimes due to an excess of water in 

 the soil. These thick, rapidly-growing shoots, with re- 

 mote leaves and poorly-developed buds, growing from 

 the main branches of unthrifty fruit trees, are most 

 common on undrained, heavy soils. They rarely pro- 

 duce much fruit, but tend to rob the bearing branches 

 of light and nourishment. They usually continue to 

 grow late, and in severe winters are often injured by 

 cold. Water-sprouts may also result from over-prun- 

 ing and from injury of the tree by cold, but in the ab- 

 sence of these conditions they suggest the need of 

 drainage. 



224. Fruits and Vegetables often Crack from Ex- 

 cessive Moisture, either through tco much absorption 

 by the roots or by direct absorption through the skin. 

 Cracking is most frequent after heavy rains following 

 drought. Apples, tomatoes, melons, carrots, kohl-rabi, 

 cabbage and potato tubers, are subject to it. On wet 

 soils, drainage may largely remedy the evil. The se- 

 lection of varieties least subject to cracking is also 

 helpful, especially in melons and tomatoes which often 

 crack in comparatively dry weather. In these cases, 

 the cracking is probably due to an unequal maturing 

 of the fruit which causes certain parts to grow faster 

 than others. The bursting of cabbage heads is due to 



