856 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [jan., 



Finger-and-Toe (Northumberland C.C., Guide to Expts. at Cockle 

 Park for 1909). — The swede crop of 1903 was practically destroyed by 

 finger-and-toe in a field at Cockle Park. 



In February, 1904, various dressings were applied on twenty drills, 

 and swedes were grown continuously thereafter. The following shows 

 the percentages of sound roots on the plots in each year from 1904 to 

 1908, and indicates how slowly lime acts in checking the disease, no 

 doubt owing to the time it takes to get thoroughly mixed with the 

 soil : — - 



Percentage of Sound Roots. 



Plot. 



Dressings and cost, 1904, 



only. 



1904. 



1905. 



1906. 



1907. 



1908. 





2\ tons lime 



31/3 • 



O 



I 



10 



48 



r5T 



2 



5 tons lime 



62/6 . 



O 



4 



7 



52 



14*6 



3 



10 tons lime ... 



125/- • 



O 



0 



7 



61 



68-5 



4 



4 tons gas lime... 



IO/- . 



O 



0 



0 



29 



6- 4 



5 



10 tons " lime mud "... 



25/- ■ 



O 



1 



7 



64 



5T3 



6 



No dressing ... 





O 



0 



0 



0 



3'i 



7 



5 cwt. sulphide of lime 



? . 



u 



1 



0 



5 



ft 





(2 tons ground lime, 1907). 













8 



8 tons flue dust 



? 



0 



0 



5 



0 



9 '4 



9 



2 cwt. sulphate of zinc 



? 



O 



0 



0 



0 



92 



(3 tons ground limestone, 1937)- 



The percentage of sound roots was quite small until 1907, even on 

 the best plots, but this does not imply that the remainder were worthless, 

 as in many cases a large proportion were only slightly diseased, and 

 these were practically uninjured for feeding purposes. 



The lime was slaked to a fine powder, ploughed in four inches deep 

 and the plots deeply harrowed, but its action was slow, and with the 

 exception of gas lime, it was most effective in the fourth and fifth 

 years after application. Although the crop was a total failure in 

 1903 it has since averaged about 8 tons per acre on the undressed plot, 

 and it is concluded that good cultivation and the keeping of the soil 

 in good tilth are the most effective means of checking the disease. 



All the lime dressings were very effective, ten tons per acre giving 

 the best results at first, but in the later years, ten tons lime mud at 

 one-fifth the cost was quite as effective. This latter is a bye-product, 

 containing about 30 per cent, of the equivalent of lime (CaO), chiefly 

 in the form of carbonate, and was obtained from the United Alkali 

 Co. at Gateshead for from is. 6d. to 45. 3d. per ton. Applications of 

 sulphide of lime and sulphate of zinc were tried, but gave no results, 

 and ground limestone and " flue dust " are now being tried in their 

 place. 



Finger-and-Toe (Field Expts. at Harper Adams Agric. Coll., Kept. 

 1908). — Four plots on a field, which had in previous years been badly 

 affected with this disease, were dressed with (1) i\ tons slaked lime, 

 (2) no lime, (3) 4 cwt. Fingtocide, (4) 1 ton ground lime. There was 

 practically no disease present on Plot 2, and on all the other plots the 

 roots were healthy and sound. There was, however, a slight increase 

 in the yield per acre, the limed Plots producing 22 cwt. more swedes 

 than the "no lime" Plot. 



Spraying of Potatoes (Univ. Coll. of North Wales, Bangor, Agric. 

 Dept., Bulls, in and vi., 1908). — These experiments have been carried 



