1907.] 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



247 



Degeneration of Potatoes. — A case of what is termed degeneration in potatoes has 

 been reported from Warwickshire. The runners from the potato stems instead of 

 bearing tubers were pointed, and after pushing their way 



Miscellaneous Notes throu g n the to P and sides of the ridges opened into leaf. 



Such cases have been recorded occasionally since the 

 introduction of potato cultivation into Europe. The 

 latest theory, supported by experiments, is that the suppression of tubers is due 

 to the absence of a certain fungus which in the ordinary potato occurs in a state 

 of symbiosis, and thereby causes the formation of tubers. The whole subject is one 

 of great interest, and is at present the subject of study at Kew Gardens. 



Leaflet as to Ensilage. — In view of the unsettled character of the weather and of 

 the consequent difficulty in securing the hay crop, the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries issued a Press Notice at the end of June, drawing the attention of farmers 

 and others to the system of ensilage as a means of conserving crops of grass and 

 clover. Copies of Leaflet No. 9, which describes this process, may be obtained post 

 free and free of charge upon application to the Secretary, Board of Agriculture, 4, 

 Whitehall Place, London, S.W. Letters of application so addressed need not be 

 stamped. 



Chicago Cattle and Horse Shozv. — The Board are informed by the British Consul 

 at Chicago that the Annual Cattle and Horse Show will be held at the Chicago stock 

 yards in December next. Mr. Finn observes that at this show there have always 

 been prize-winning specimens of British breeds of cattle and horses, but although 

 some very good Shire and Hackney horses are brought in, the results are not 

 favourable owing to few mares of these breeds being imported. It will therefore 

 take several generations before either breed gets a real hold in America, unless some 

 English breeder will risk sending some good mares to a Show, such as the Chicago 

 one, and selling them by auction at its close. The United States breeder would then 

 get some stock from which to breed and would be more inclined to purchase fresh 

 blood in the future. 



Demand for Grass Seed in Germany. — His Majesty's Consul at Dantzig in his. 

 Report to the Foreign Office (Annual Series, No. 3,819), observes that clover and 

 grass seeds were scarce in Prussia in 1906, and British grass seeds were in good demand 

 at high prices. There was also an increasing demand for agricultural machines. 



Effect of Fresh Air on the Growth of Calves. — According to a note in the 

 Deutsche Land. Presse (April 6th, 1907), an experiment was conducted in Curland to 

 compare the growth of calves when confined in the cow-house, and when turned out 

 in a yard during the day. Two similar lots, of eight and nine calves respectively, 

 were thus treated for about five weeks, and it was found that those turned out in the 

 open air made consistently better progress than those confined in the sheds. The 

 average increase in the five weeks was 58 lb. in the former case compared with 39 lb. 

 in the latter, the feeding being identical in each case. 



Sorrel Dock or Sheep's Sorrel. — This weed, Rumex acetosella L., is sometimes 

 exceedingly troublesome, and may even almost monopolize the ground whatever be 

 sown. Where the weed is giving trouble lime should be applied at the rate of 30,cwts. 

 per acre if the land is light, or up to 3 tons per acre if the soil is heavy and wet. 



Reclamation of Mud Flats. — A useful grass for the protection of muddy foreshores 

 is the Spartina stricta, which is found in places all along the south coast of England, 

 and also up the east coast as far as Lincolnshire. Another variety, Spartina alterni- 

 flora, is restricted in this country to the Southampton district, where it has become 

 very abundant. This species, which may possibly have been introduced from America, 

 is of stronger and more rapid growth than the native S. stricta. This grass, it is 

 believed, rarely seeds, but in any case it is confined to muddy foreshores, and is not 

 likely to thrive in any adjacent agricultural land. If the shore to be protected is 

 sandy and not muddy, good results cannot be expected from these grasses. Lord 

 Montagu of Beaulieu in giving evidence before the Royal Commission on Coast 

 Erosion referred to the useful qualities of these grasses in the reclamation of mud flats, 

 and an article on the subject appeared in the Kew Bulletin, No. 5, 1907. 



