191 1.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 337 



taken of the number of plants of the species. The same three weeds 

 were the most abundant as in March, but fumitory had greatly increased. 

 The creeping thistle had also much increased, and the convolvulus, 

 not noticeable in March, now took fifth place in abundance. The later 

 germinating annuals', black bindweed and knotweed, especially the 

 former, were very apparent ; Poa annua had also much increased. 



On July 8th the corn crop made it impossible to use the frame, and 

 the foot square area had to be judged by the eye. The shading effect 

 of the corn had then become very noticeable, the most abundant weeds 

 being the climbers, which were numerically in advance of chickweed, 

 speedwells, fumitory and others. Fool's parsley, apparently a late 

 germinating- annual, took a prominent place. 



In October the flora was practically a repetition of that of the spring. 



A Disease of Broad Beans (Jour. Bath and West and Southern 

 Counties Soc, Fifth Series, Vol. 5, 1910-11). — The Society's Consulting 

 Botanist, Mr. J. H. Priestley, is investigating the rust of broad beans, 

 (Uromyces fabae) which has been prevalent in the West of England. 

 This first attacks the leaves and haulms, upon which it appears as 

 rusty spots, and the spores rapidly spread to the rest of the field. The 

 fungus parasite is still under observation in the laboratory, but the 

 following facts with regard to it are indicated as being the most 

 important from the practical point of view : — 



1. Infection from year to year takes place from the diseased spots 

 on the old haulms stored in the rick, so that, if the disease is noted 

 one year, all possible care should be taken to diminish the danger 

 of infection from this source. 



2. The disease is seldom dangerous unless it attacks the beans at 

 a very early stage, and in parts of Worcestershire where the trouble 

 used to be serious, it has been almost completely avoided by sowing 

 winter beans. Where this disease has done damage during 19 10, early 

 sowing is strongly recommended for later years. 



Finger and Toe Disease (Jour. Land Agents' Soc, May, 191 1, Vol. x.). 

 — Mr. Walter E. Collinge, in this article, describes some experiments 

 with lime, followed by a dressing of sulphur, which he has found to 

 be an improvement on the usual dressing of lime alone for finger 

 and toe. 



A field known to be very badly attacked was treated in the autumn 



of 1909 with a dressing of 15 cwt. of ground unslaked lime. 



It was put on with a manure distributor, and ploughed in. In the 

 1 spring the same land was given a dressing of flowers of sulphur, 

 , 5 cwt. to the acre. An excellent crop of swedes was lifted 

 j tne following autumn, and the roots were practically free from disease. 



On only one corner of the field was any disease noticeable, and this 



very small. 



On this small patch there was a considerable amount of heavy clay, 

 \ which was in a very wet and sticky condition, and quite apart from 

 i the fungus disease, badly required liming. A part of this, about 



one-sixth of an acre in extent, was again treated with ground unslaked 

 ; lime at the rate of 12 cwt. to the acre in the autumn, followed in the 

 ! spring with sulphur as previously. When the swedes were lifted in the 



autumn of 1910 no trace of the disease could be found, and the physical 

 ; condition of the soil had wonderfully improved. 



