THE »nnirMIT,TURAL GAZETTE. 



[^UG. 30, 



m ftiuuoK»c tr.em ; I K^ •"'»« ( l n 







ickume 



of tut i»nc« linecw m "' v "*-r p BhK ' . an d that very soon 



S3* m"'th. lS fine .bower's have nearly washed all 

 the verm n *ff\»d the Tarnipi are growing very fast 



? IS ireland, the following aecouat of he 

 deletion of the Turnip plant in that part of the 



United Kingdom:— infested 



- Darin* helait fortnight samples of Tu-rnlMearjP, ma 

 wi'b insects, have been forwarded to this o»« »nro f tnese 

 dUtrict.. and so distant apart, at to leave no douo^o 



pesrs being very widely and *™"*"l*^$Jh*vejet 

 Stages being of a more destmct "**"££* came to hand 

 occurred in Ireland. Last week the ^unens <. ^ 



, dried and bruised in the carriage ^J'Zzavd a CO n- 

 cf a high magnifying p«"; we ~°£ w'tne larv* of the 

 iecture that the »»« h "' w ^ or 



Vhjtomiaa nigncornis (^ottbe lur P diamond . back 



that of the Cerostoma x J lo,teil * Vi ," h an d in so fresh 

 moth,. Thiiwetktht .|*^ that 



and perfect a •!*••"» ^J", 1 different insects, 

 k our cHecture was right. ™ert • mioerg . Qne u tfae 



n hkh In'fl wbkh U found Soder whitish blisters on the 

 J^^ la of tS lea/ the maggots are covered by the upper 

 eurtcfe whUe he J feed on theTurface beneath, but no trace 

 ,?« £' !h.I^Vd on the under tide. The other (Phytomrza 

 XicurnS on «nS contrary, inhabits the under side of the 

 Tur nipTaf burrowing and eating its way in long crooked 

 JX e- Inside the lower cuticle, and are not visible on the 

 llTrtlie Thme Insects are also essentially different in 

 both papa the and perfect state. But, at the injury caused by 

 them is not of a very serious character, we proceed to describe 

 that which does the most mischief; and in some seasons, 

 from its vast numbers, sweeps whole crops away. This is 

 the larva or caterpillar of the C rostoma xylostella (Turnip 

 4inond-backed moth). They breed so fast and plentifully, 

 that on a umall Swede Turnip leaf, sent us from the county 

 SUro, Inclosed In a small box, l'J inches long, half an inch 

 wide, by one-fourth inch deep, we counted over 100. These 

 caterpillars are slender, about half an inch long, and of a 

 greenish colour when full fed, and yellowish when not, with 

 a grayish head, and have 16 feet. They locate themselves 

 chiefly on the under side, but are -sometimes found on the 

 upper side ; they are exceedingly nimble, and upon the least 

 alarm, let themselves down by a thread, like a spider, and 

 climb it again when the alarm it over. When about to 

 assume the pupa or chrysalis ttate, they spin a beautiful 

 net like cocoon upon the vemaint cf the plants, and also on 

 the ground, in which they past the season of rest ; when 

 the peifect insect comet forth— a small brownish, white, and 

 yellowish moth, the colours forming on the back when at 

 rest and the wings are closed, diamond shapes. Turning 

 poultry through the crop, in sufficient numbers will thin 

 them ; but dusting the plants and the ground plentifully with 

 quicklime, twice or thrice, early in the morning or late at 

 night, while wet with dew or after rain, will destroy vast 

 numbers of them, but very little good will be effected by 

 da 'ting them when the plants and ground are dry. As they 

 keep clonely to the under side of the leaf, it will be necessary 

 to adopt some method of gently turning up the leaves before 

 the duster: this may easily be done by a person gently 

 •dragging the back'of a hay-rake along the rows. As by this 

 -mode only one-half of the foliage is exposed, by reversing 

 the action the other half can be similarly treated. As these 

 pests let themselves down by their silken threads upon the 

 least alarm, and quickly ascend again after that is over, it is 

 necessary that the ground be well strewed with the quicklime 

 while damp. Where there are liquid manure carts, to which 

 * con i ri vance may be applied to turn up the leaves, lime water 

 and salt may be applied. So numerous are these insects this 

 season, that whole fields are covered with them, in almost 

 every quarter, having this week received numerous parcels 

 •from Cork, K«rry, Sligo, Meath, Kildare, the neighbourhood 

 of Dublin, Ac. Their appearance is quite new to our best 

 cultivators, and the greatest fears are entertained for the 

 safety of the crop. The remedy we have proposed we found 

 effectual in 1849. and if applied as directed, while the plants 

 are wet, so that the lime will slake and stick, we can recom- 

 mend with great confidence ; but no dry application, however 

 caustic or pungent, when applied while the plants are dry, 

 will have any t ffect. Other remedies may suggest themselves, 

 tuch at lime water and pearl ashes, or alkali of any sort, 

 vitriolic acid and wa'er, Ac, but none is so generally had, 

 or to easily applied, as fresh lime." Dublin Irish Farmers 7 

 Gazette, Aug. 2. 



m We regret to say that our accounts state that the destruction 

 of the Swede Turnip crop, by the larvae of the Cerostoma 

 xiyostella, is complete in too many districts in Ireland as 

 well as England. The rough-leaved varieties have escaped. 

 Transplants of Mangold WarzeJ, Swedes, and Cabbages, 

 should be tubstituted at once, when they can be obtained ; 

 when they cannot, globe and early stone Turnips, or Kape,' 

 should be substituted without delay, first partially levelling 

 the drills, and re- firming them with the double mould-board 

 plough." Ibid, Aug. 9. 



Suggestions for the removal or destruction of Insects 

 affecting the Turnip Crop will be found in Mr, Curtis's 

 Papers (Journal, II., 211— 12, 386—88 

 32m -21 : IV., 133— 37); in the 



; HI., 74-77, 

 Gardeners 9 Chronicle 



for August 2 and 9, 1851 - in the Gardeners' Journal 

 for August IS, 1851 ; and in the North British Aaricul- 

 tumt for August 20, 1851. 



CLOVER FAILURE. 



Mr. Murcott, of Leamington, having favoured the 

 Council with microscopic specimens and the following 

 communications relating to them, they have been re- 



!S IV^ in ^ at ™ 8 <> f Professor Simonds, whose 

 report on the subject is appended 



most probably the hitherto unrecognised cause of th» 



*2ed n lo t:: , of tha : plant r »* h « iand - ""win* oht 



Wh. „, V? . * great r e»emblance to the grain-worm of 

 vibrio intolH ma, be considered an applicable name. The 



©earance • but »h~ „ 80mewhat Nured their natural ap- 



Plant had particularly engaged m y Iffi" '^V, ^J 

 me to attempt to dUcorer thi csuse Thl «'i * ,ndaCed 

 tor, theory of Decandolle, and «,. *»h P T l XCre " 



of other,, were opposed bv hZiU J."^?""* 1 * 1 " '* 



bat continually 



tbem be applied 

 to a field of broad Clorer 'at Offehwch'Tfo. ^ P r ° ceed » 

 remarked some extensile bare patches' wW. -?ni **°' 

 1] 1 remained ; in other parti of Ihe field the Clover ^^ m j 

 • flaccid appearance, While in the rest the SK" 1 "^ 

 porous, f stumbled upon one plant Vhi? i£? 2f peared . 

 Cloyer had killed it , ricUm, and each nllnt ~f enemy of 

 wm .rtdentl, far injured. 'The flaccid S.^eTS. 



ox others, were opposed by hostile* f»«*. •IT "* / ueor > 

 came before my Jftce, andUTdu'ei C'J^L'Z n"? ^ 



t riSI*fa*!^?-a f aue^ion^p^oce^ding 



I 



at 



. — ~a th A radiaciuie character of the mischief in the 



f ul l a 1^tance seemed to%oint out eome minute fungus 

 last instance, seemeuF u a8 t0 have 



gr ° Wt i!i the IZt .So devious observers), in effecting 



e9C ^^oJrt^7V^^ from the soil to the leaves by 

 a hindrance to the sap flow x took up ft 



£ave no visiDie muicanu" «* »«j -• •„„„:' • WhilA 



feved them home for minute microscopic inquiiy. While 

 the above were flying by, awaiting examination I had occa- 

 ion a to observed "specimen of Duckweed tha had been 

 imprisoned in my herbarium from either 1842 or 1844, 

 when U was originally severely dried Jy^blonde^of 



centres parallel to their length, whiTe~oTherIi" — 



solid and free from such an arrangement T apJ ^ ar x * bj 

 observer, who regarded them as worms th*,L ;!^ 8aperfi «Ui 

 might be confounded with an intestinal n!L Dt€ " , . t ! e* 



the 



several microscopists, and among them to mJ# • on to 

 Quekett; they all agree with me that it contain* «^ d Mr « 



nor anything similar to them excepting the h^Vl^ 1 * 

 is possible may have been mistaken for worms if *v il 

 fnrp. these creatures exififpd when tw™.., .. ' n » "lern. 



fore, these creatures existed when the preparation w* 

 they must have undergone decomposition before it — - ^^ 



calcium. On placiog the plant in water, a 

 which had been attached to it completely recovered the 

 5 ive liveliness of movement that had interested me in one 

 of the years before mentioned. This re animation after seven 

 or nine years, coupled with the evidence of several observers 

 that thi gra in.worm did actually sustain pnvaUon of food 

 and movement for six or seven years, and would bear mo at- 

 enine (and living) and drying thoroughly, and again exhibit 



ac Wemovements (which I have ^^^f^XXl 

 marsinn in water led me to expect to find in the interior 

 ot^Tc^Tr^n^ animal of similar capabilities .and 

 rapid in the multiplication of its species ; limited m its life to 

 within that period (eight years) beyond ^chexpeien^ 

 has shown that Clover may be repeated on light land subject 

 to Clover sickness, if planted in a shorter rotation, and when 

 consequently the whole swarm of animals might have died 

 of starvation. Accordingly, every specimen that I examined 

 of the diseased plants supplied me with numbers of Vibriones, 

 and* that from the root, from the stem, and from the leaves 

 of the plants. They seemed to have penetrated every part, 

 and to have multiplied in their interior. My acquaintance 

 with the Vibriones has been too brief for the actual demon- 

 stration of my assumption, that they can subsist six or seven 

 years without food ; but I have clearly ascertained that it 

 possesses the character of the grain-worm and the polyp in 

 recovering its animated movements after it had been roused 

 by moisture, and again lulled to rest by complete drying. I 

 have not yet proceeded to inquire what substance Bhall be 

 most conveniently poisonous to the Vibriones ; but it is self- 

 evident that the compression of loose Clover lands, by Cross- 

 kill's toothed roller, must necessarily render the emigration 

 of these parasites from their parent home to the surrounding 

 plants more difficult, and so partially imitate those stiffer 

 lands where Clover has not been usually sick." 



" Leamington, August 4, 1851. 

 " I have the gratification of informing you, that the assumption 

 in my previous communication of Clover failure on light 

 lands being attributable to the attacks of an undescribed 

 Vibrio, is borne out by a continuation of the inquiry, and I 

 now regard the question as decided. I have to apologise for 

 the indifferent character of the specimens that were forwarded, 

 but shall be able to supply the Society with better specimens, 

 illustrative of the various phases of the animal, and 

 abundant in number. On referring to my memorandum of 

 the letter I wrote to you, I perceive an expression relative to 

 the ash mineral theory which would probably be misunder- 

 stood ; I intended to exclude the Red Clover plant only from 

 the application of the theory in explanation of Clover sick- 

 ness, but not for an instant to be understood to doubt the 

 importance of mineral food to plants, and the varying 

 importance of different supplies to different plants. I may 

 mention that I have now examined Red Clover plants in 

 several stages of growth, and have witnessed the attack of the 

 Vibrio from the first erosion of a minute bit of cellular tissue 

 at the neck of the plant, and their single and multiple pene- 

 tration into the interior of the neck (where in one plant so 

 young as to have expanded but one true leaf, I extracted 

 from the axis, where the neck is situated, 23 Vibriones in the 

 J inch). The iurther destruction of the bundle of vascular 

 tissue, and death of the plant in consequence, up to the 

 deposit of eggs in larger plants that had escaped an early 

 attack, and the destruction of full-grown plants, more than 

 12 months old, on land the very highest in the scale of fertility, 

 and where I had noticed the Wheat which was seeded down as 

 the most productive I had noticed in last year's crop. I 

 I have also had occasion to notice the total absence of the 

 Clover Vibrio from a field of particularly excellent Clover, 

 although I found in the same sample of soil numerous Wheat 

 Vibriones readily distinguishable from the other by the J inch 

 object-glass, while in every sample of soil from land that 

 was Clover- sick, I have met with the Clover Vibrio in direct 

 quantity to the amount of failure of the plant. I have also 

 to remark that I have met with a third species (which I pro- 

 pose to call V. Faba, and will take care to forward you 

 specimens) in the Bean plant, and so fatal to part of a Bean 

 field as to cause it to be ploughed up ; while in the standing 

 remainder, I found in July Beans in pod dying off daily. I 

 examined the soil of the ploughed-up part, and met with abun- 

 dance of the V. Faba, as found in the root of those Beans 

 dying. This appears tobe not a single instance, as I observed, in 

 many fields, in travelling by rail, about the third of a good 

 crop, and the same external evidence of disease as in the 

 before-mentioned. To prove beyond the possibility of doubt, 

 that the Wheat and Clover are attacked by different species 

 of Vibriones, and that the recurrence of Clover failure 

 was unconnected with the Wheat Vibrio, I boiled a quantity 

 of infested soil in water for two hours and-a-half, together 

 with three flower-pots ; and filling the pots with the boiled 

 soil, planted in each 20 seeds of red Clover, and added to one 

 pot several hundred active grain. worms, to another about 12 

 or 14 Clover worms, selected under the microscope, and lert 

 the third free, for the sake of comparison. At present, the 

 grain- worm and the free plants look equally well ; but in the 

 Clover wormed soil only one plant has shown above the sur- 

 face, and that one has several scars of bites on its seed-leaves, 

 which are not yet expanded ; the termination of the experi- 

 ment, will, of course, give a decisive result. I lately con- 

 trasted some of the eggs of the two sorts, and find those of 

 the Clover worm only two-thirds of the size in length of those 

 of the Wheat worms. I must also remark, that the atte- 

 nuated extemely sharp tail does not seem invariable, 

 although I have not, in one instance, found a difficulty in 

 referring an animal met with in samples of soil. I have not 

 yet met with Clover seeds containing Vibriones ; although it 

 seems probable, from the habits of the grain- worm, that 

 such do exist and are a very frequent cause of recurrence 

 of Clover failure on land where all existing Vibriones might 

 be supposed killed by caustic lime. The easiest preventive 

 and the surest destructive are still under consideration." 



(Signed) " J. J. Mcbcott."' 

 PROFESSOR SIMOND'S REPORT. 



I have carefully examined the slide conYaSing^ 

 fragments of the leaves and stalks of diseased Clover planis 

 The examination was first made with an object glass of an 



bodies, having a pointed extremity, and varying considerably 

 both m cngth and 8ize . £, any of thege 3 « cow i lerawj 



ZkX ?J hers We *l , attach ^ t0 > th * Portions of the plan u 

 which they crossed in a variety of directions On s» hi ImI' 



owSt b °l dl6i > tbe ™*° Wl»w-«r of a quarter of Si Sen 

 object glass, it was at once seen that thev w»r» ttw. „«. ■ 



hairs of the vegetable, being bulbous at the enrl «,f ^"If 1 

 attached to the plant, and tipering from this to.Wn' 

 fine point. As is the case with the hTirs of ,„L» aU " fU ' J 

 and vegetables removed froi the .^e iJdhlSial" I 

 some of them have an internal series^/ Jn. <r * 

 ing a hollow tube, like structure! rSng^throtgn Ste \ 



procure fresh specimens of the plant in its ereen IftaltPV 

 further investigation. (Signed) « Ja«. B. SiioS »* 



MOUNTAIN FLAX. 



Professor Simonds has also reported on the specimens 

 of Mountain Flax transmitted to the Council by Captain 

 Rushout, M.P., along with a communication of the evil 

 effects of that plant on the animals which had eaten it 

 in pastures in Worcestershire. Prof. Simonds remarked 

 that this plant was well known, as growing in dry pas- 

 tures, and producing, when eaten by animals in small 

 quantities, relaxation of the bowels, and in large ones 

 death. It acted, 1, as an irritant of the intestinal canal* 

 2, as a disturber of the system ; and 3, as a vegetable 

 poison. The extirpation of the plant from the pastures 

 ought to be effected if possible ; and the animals suffer, 

 ing under its influence ought, 1, to have a cathartic 

 given to them; and 2, diffusible stimulants and tonics to 

 remove the sedative effects induced. 



FLAX MANAGEMENT. 



Baron Mertens laid before the Council a sample of 

 Flax, prepared in a new and superior mode by a Dutch- 

 man, who kept the secret to himself. The Baron 

 thought this sample very peculiar and instructive for 

 Flax-growers, and accordingly was desirous to take the 

 earliest opportunity of calling the attention of the Coun- 

 cil to the subject. The sample itself possessed to the 

 eye all the beauty and general character of silk, and 

 altogether appeared so extraordinary a manufactured 

 production, that he hoped it would be taken into consi- 

 deration. — Mr. Rowlandson thought, from an inspection 

 of the sample of Flax then laid before the Council, and 

 a consideration of its peculiar condition, that it had been 

 prepared by a process analogous to one which, from ex- 

 periments he had made some years ago, he believed 

 would prove very efficacious, and which he had himself 

 long meditated to employ ; namely, the adoption of the 

 warm-water method in combination with an alkali 

 This he fully believed might be practised without an in- 

 fringement of any existing patent ; although Schenck 

 had patented a process claiming the right of using warm 

 water only ; others, warm water and acid ; others still, 

 warm water and alkali. He thought it unfortunate that 

 not one of these methods was complete and perfect 

 within itself ; but he fully believed that the great object 

 would be attained by the union of them all, according to 

 circumstance, employing as much of each as any parti- 

 cular case was found to require. No doubt the Dutcn- 

 in question had adopted some plan of this descrip- 

 tion. The great difficulty was in the separation l or the 

 long woody tissues. This was effected perhaps the best, 

 Mr. Rowlandson thought, by the putrefactive process, 



, . ■ nn . _i°^ J * ;„„,i ;f it An v acted unl- 



et 



man 



which was as efficient as required if it only acted 

 formly through the Flax: and could be stayed at a cer- 

 tain point ; but when bundles were retting, they were 

 not affected alike throughout their mass, and acquired a 

 dirty colour, which it was difficult afterwards to get na 

 of. Specimens of Flax from Belgium and Ireland in i tij 

 Great Exhibition, exhibited this discoloration. Ihe omy 

 process Mr. Rowlandson thought likely to be success^ 

 was that in which acids were employed in ce^in^wa 

 alkalies in others, with warm water andrapid P^tectton. 

 Flax was not, however, he remarked, to be grown, 

 at once, without thought or trouble on the part oi 

 farmer, to be shipped off. There was no royal wjo« 

 a knowledge of this preparative manufacture, anj ni 

 than it hid been found for ages there ,waa to mjj 

 mathics. The farmer could accomplish all po _ 

 things; but he must not forget «1hecaaerf*»f 

 of others, that he could only attain his object by 

 hard, up-hill course of learning his business^ 

 Dutch specimen had probably been prepared bj ^ 

 ration alternately in warm alkaline water, ana ^^ 

 acidulated water. In reply to an wquiij « ^ 

 Mertens, whether he had ever seen a % ftne ^ j au dson 

 that now submitted to the Council ? W-r" had not 

 said that he had seen much finer ; the n di ^ 



escaped injury. A great deal depended on tne * 

 fineness of thi Flax itself ; and in separating the w ; 

 fibre from the gum and extraneous matters. ^ 



merit of Claussen's method consisted m l tn ^ 



manner in which he broke the Flax into ^e fae 

 Colonel Challoner asked Mr. Rowland son .** ^ ^ 

 would kindly draw up and submit to tne u> ^ ^ 

 statement, instructing farmers what it was u ^ 



to do with their crop of Flax fibre aftei W^^ 

 the seed from it for their cattle.—^ find ^ 

 expressed the pleasure it would give nin ^^ 

 any experience of his own could be reno ^ 



to other members of the Society. ^. e a S an dson W 

 in this place the statement which Mr. i*o d ^ 



had the goodness to furnish, agreeably wim 



The following is a brief account of w« d proprietor 1 

 best course for those farmer! and lanoe ^ -;mfin taliT 

 pursue who have grown Flax 



generally for seed— but who are un ^ u gbre ; ^^rifli 

 unpractised, in the preparation of tne Tftlaa ble P^ r ^ 

 under any circumstances, being tne ui rejna rki »T 

 of the crop. It may be well here to ^ 



loner's request. 



'and l» nde f x Sen»Wr 



this y* ar . e W or rath* 

 e unacqaainted, o- ^ 



