224 
Board would be glad to be favoured with any chee you may be 
able to offer on the subject referred to by pé Dai 
ig 
The Director, (Signed) T. H. ELLIOTT; 
Royal Gardens, Kew, S.W. Secretary. 
(Enelosure.) 
(Copy) 
Woodbine, Upton Park, Chester, 
Sin, June 4, 1894. 
AM not sure that I am right in addressing nyalt, to your 
Department upon the particular subject upon which I am about to write, 
but if not perhaps you would kindly say to what authority I might best 
apply or refer me to some reliable printed statement bearing upon the 
matter. 
I want some information to confirm or correct impressions of my own 
upon the question of hybridisation or cross fertilisation. The question 
may be briefly stated thus. Where Swedish turnips have been kc 
out to stand for seed crop, will they be “stained” if a crop of, say 
common yellow turnip (not swedes) was ‘Slowed also to stand ftd bc 
(and therefore in bloom at the same time as the swedes are) growing 
upon land contiguous to the surface? It used to be a belief that yo 
standing for * seed" should be isolated and separated from other 
Brassicas Ao of which are in flower at the same time) to secure 
purity of type. JVow in some ofthe swede growing mis I notice 
swede standing newt to a piece of cabbage, then a field, sa say of common 
turnips, then say swede again, in consecutive and "uade fields and 
all in full flower at the same peri 
On questioning the seed farmer, he tells me recent theories seemed to 
be advanced that swede and common turnip separated by a piece of 
cabbage, brussels sprouts, or other Brassica of the cabbage type, were 
perfectly safe and would not be hybridised. 
If you would kindly give me your reply or refer me to some standard 
of recent authority or printed report upon this subject I should be much 
obliged. 
Yours faithfully, 
The Secretary, (Signed) EDMUND J. BAILLIE. 
Board of Agricultur 
Whitehall, Tendon 
Roya Garpens, Kew, to BOARD or AGRICULTURE. 
Royal Gardens, Kew, 
Sir, June 20, 1894. 
Iuave the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 
No. 29,526, relative to the hybridisation of plants of swede and common 
turnip grown from seed. 
2. There can, I iini: be no doubt that plants in small numbers of 
different species or varieties of Brassica would be hybridised and would 
therefore not produce pure see t appears, however, to be fo und in 
practice that where these are grown in large, even if contiguous, breadths 
the amount of hybridisation, if any, is ele gets 
(Signed) W. T. TgisELTON-DYER. 
Whitehall, London. 
