26 THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 



Plot c. 70 roots of swedes from *) lb, oz. 



seed of malformed plant (fig. 10.) ... X 1® 8 



70 roots from a row in the *) 



field, at a distance of about 30 (■ 35 



yards ... ... ... ... ... ) 



The roots from plot a may be described as small, 

 though not so much fingered-and-toed as we had 

 expected; still there was only about half the crop 

 when compared with plot b, which latter, indeed, 

 was only small in weight, which may be accounted 

 for from being grown without manure. Daring 

 their progress of growth the difference was very 

 perceptible — the small leaves of a contrasting most 

 unfavourably with the broader, brighter coloured 

 ones of b. 



As regards the swedes, they were indeed a very 

 poor crop, presenting all the evils of degeneracy — 

 neckiness, for which it will be seen that their parent 

 was distinguished — want of a bulboid form; none 

 of the 70 roots being better than a thin tap-root, 

 and these were forked, shapeless, and fingered-and- 

 toed in endless variety. Their spindle-shaped roots 

 were quite remarkable, and they were the rule, 

 although in good seed, however bad the soil, they 

 would have been the exception. Those in the field 

 hard by were bulboid, and averaged half a pound 

 each — no great weight, as the land in which they 

 were grown is only second-rate. They, however, 

 were grown with manure, to which, of course, much 

 of the difference is due, and yet not so much as may 

 fairly be imputed to the difference in seed. From 

 these experiments we conclude : — 



