ODDS AND ENDS 339 



the same variety " Factor " and had been obtained in the 

 previous year from the same Scottish firm, having been grown in 

 the meantime, (i) in light land on the Royal Agricultural 

 Society's farm, (2) in heavier land in the neighbourhood, (3) in 

 the heavy land at the Fruit Farm, actually in the same plots 

 occupied by the trials in 1917. The results were 



Scotch seed grown once in 



The superiority of the seed fresh from Scotland is thus very 

 marked, the total yield from it, as well as the average size of 

 the tubers, being about twice as great, as with the same Scotch 

 seed after being grown one year elsewhere. There is a certain 

 amount of evidence, also, in the case of this series, especially 

 when the weight of the crop alone is considered, that it is better 

 to take seed from a crop grown in heavy than in light soil : but 

 there is nothing to show that a mere change of locality is in itself 

 desirable, for, with the seed one year from Scotland, that grown 

 at the Fruit Farm itself yielded actually better results than that 

 grown elsewhere, just as was the case with the experiments in 

 1899. 



A DISEASE OF PLUM TREES (Reports, I, 164; II, 218) 



A fungoid disease, which proved to be of a very fatal character, 

 attacked a fruit garden at Harpenden, where there were 172 

 standard plum trees of different varieties. It was first noticed 

 in 1895, when two trees were found to have been killed by it. 

 In the next year twelve more trees had died before the summer, 

 and by the end of the following year the deaths amounted to 

 sixty-seven. Three other trees, which were badly attacked, 

 died in the following year (1898), so that the total deaths 

 amounted to seventy, or 41 per cent, of the whole plantation, 

 whilst an equal number of trees were seriously attacked, and 

 were only saved by severe surgical operations. 



