6g 



crops. Most important therefore, of all the means of com- 

 batting this disease are the measures taken to prevent the 

 spores of the fungus reaching and infecting the soil. It 

 would seem to be obvious to anyone who has observed the 

 damage this disease can cause, that the greatest care ought 

 to be taken to collect and destroy by burning all diseased 

 roots. Again and again this disease occurs both in fields 

 and gardens, and in almost every case diseased roots can 

 be seen left lying about, to rot and infect the land. Quite 

 recently the writer watched a farmer carting the least 

 diseased portion of a crop of swedes, scarcely a root of 

 which had escaped attack. The most badlv diseased 

 plants, already putrid and rotten, were being left in heaps 

 to rot on the field, and then doubtless would be ploughed 

 into the soil. In such cases not only does the soil of the 

 field or part of the garden where diseased plants were 

 grown become infected, but the fungus is carried on the 

 boots of workers, on tools, or if, as so frequently happens, 

 diseased roots are throvv^n on to the rubbish heap to rot, 

 the disease ultimately gets spread over the whole field or 

 garden. Diseased turnips are fed to animals, and though 

 there is no direct evidence, it is quite possible that the 

 spores pass uninjured through the bodies of the animals, 

 and return to the soil in farmyard manure. The greatest 

 care ought to be exercised to destroy all diseased material. 

 Burning is the safest plan or, failins; that, it should be 

 gathered into a heap and thoroughly mixed with quick- 

 lime. 



The Club-Root disease has been noticed to be par- 

 ticularly abundant on soils which are badly drained, at all 

 sour, or deficient in lime; the disease is practically 

 unknown in chalky or limestone soils. As direct methods 

 of treatment therefore, the drainage of the soil should be 

 improved, and a most drastic system of " liming adopted. 

 Wherever the disease has been prevalent it is best to treat 

 the ground immediately with freshly slacked quicklime at 

 the rate of h to i cwt. per square rod, spreading it evenly 

 over the ground and digging it in. Freshly prepared 

 quicklim.e is much better for this purpose than ground 

 lime, which varies considerably in the amount of active 

 quicklime which it contains. Gas lime, though valuable 

 as an insecticide, is a poor substitute for quicklime, since 

 it contains a much smaller proportion of active lime than 

 either of the other forms. 



