ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS. 



27 



heads of flowers. Mr. Bentham, in his ' Handbook of the British Flora,' has 

 the following remark under the head of Carduus acaulis : — " In some situa- 

 tions on the continent, the stem will grow out to 6 or 8 inches ; but this 

 variety is very rare in England." It is, however, common on the Cotteswolds, 

 with stems a few inches in length, and, as we have seen, this increases very 

 much under cultivation. 



Plots O and P. Yellow Globe Mangel Wurzel.— The question is often 

 asked us by farmers and others, as to whether the leaves of this plant cannot 

 be used for feeding purposes, and so be plucked off from time to time as the 

 root is growing without prejudicing the amount of root-growth. Of these 

 plots, then, one has had all the external leaves removed twice during the 

 present season, and will be so served once more, the plot being left intact. 

 Already there is an immense difference in the size of the roots, those on the 

 stripped plot being at present not more than half the size of the others*. 



In reference to this subject, I may refer to a like experiment which I carried 

 out in my garden in 1854. Two plots of each of five sorts of mangel wur- 

 zel were sown side by side. Of these a plot of each was denuded of leaves 

 in the manner just indicated, the rest being left uninjured, and the following 

 Table will give the result : — 



Table of Growth of Mangel Wurzel. 



Here then it will be seen that the poorer the crop the less the injury done to 

 the leaves. 



Plot Q. Indian Rape. — Some seed so called, obtained from a seedsman, was 

 sown in April in drills, but. not a single specimen germinated. I have, how- 

 ever, been more successful with a sample obtained from a seed-crusher, as 

 four-fifths came up, and my samples are progressing towards maturity, 

 although not yet sufficiently far advanced to enable me to determine the 

 now important question of — What is Indian Rape ? First, then, in order to 

 bespeak attention to this matter, it will be well shortly to review its points 

 of interest; of these the following extract from a trade circular will shortly 

 explain one: — 



" I have sold this day some India rape-seed for mixing with turnip-seed, 

 and enclose a sample. If you will have some at 5Gs. per quarter in the docks, 

 you can have it, if unsold, to your answer." 



This, be it remembered, to mix with turnip-seed, which is sold at from 9d. 

 to Is. per lb., a quarter being probably as much as 500 lbs — a good margin 

 for profit ! 



Another phase of the subject will be found in the Report of the Trial of 

 Greville versus Briggs, at the late Wells Assizes, in which damages Mere 



* This experiment gave the following results : — lb. oz. 



Plot O. Leaves removed, 21 plants weighed 24 4J 



Plot P. Leaves intact, 20 plants weighed 61 5J 



(October 27, 1859.) 



