Penetration of Chicory and Burnet. 187 



flowering red clover, and white clover. With this small seeding 

 we had such an enormous crop of clover that the plants of the 

 plantation were mostly smothered, and I thought all the grasses 

 must he so too ; but these have now sprung through the 

 decumbent clover to such an extent that I have ordered the 

 ground to be continued as an experiment, and not to be replanted 

 for another year. This accidental experiment has, as regards red 

 clover, proved most interesting, as it has been shown that this 

 clover lasts longer than is usually supposed. The land was sown 

 in 1899, and yet thei-e was an abundant supply of red clover in 

 flower in 1903, and I exhibited at a meeting of the Farmers' Club 

 at Kelso on November 20th of that year plants in flower, and 

 about 4 feet long. 



The Downward Penetbation of Chicory and Burnet 

 EooTS. — In consequence of the Kale having washed away part of 

 the bank of a field on the Morebattle Tofts farm, we have this 

 year (1904) easily perceived the value of these plants iu opening 

 up hard pans, aud acting at once as di-ainers, aerators, and tUlers 

 of the soU. The seed of the plants I am about more particularly 

 to aUude to was sown in 1897, the land was hayed the year 

 following, and grazed for three years afterwards, when the field was 

 ploughed up. A strip on the margin of the river was left, and in 

 it were chicorj' and bumet plants. Two of the former were care- 

 fully taken up. The chicory was ia flower, and the plant was 5 feet 

 2 inches above groxmd, while the root measured 4 feet 5 inches. 

 The root for about a foot from the surface was much crooked, but 

 afterwards went straight down through a very hard clay pan 

 about 9 inches thick (a specimen of which, not unlike a piece of 

 soft rock, is shown at Clifton-on-Bowmont along Avith the entire 

 plant), and thence downward through a hard clay into the gravel 

 which lay below it. The hard pan and the hard clay beneath it, 

 are, together, 32 ins, in thickness. The root near the surface was 

 4J ins. round, and li in. at about 1 ft. down. Another plant was 

 removed, and has. also been preserved. This divided into eleven 

 roots close to the surface, each about l|^inch round down to about 

 a foot from the surface. The main root went down 3 feet 

 4 inches. I may here mention that I have obtained from the 



