( 622 ) 



XXXI. — On the Blocking-up of Drains by the Roots of Mangold. 

 By Mr. Moore. 



To Mr. Pusey. 



Dear Sir, — The specimen of mangold-wurzel roots which I showed you 

 at Pusey a short time since, and which at your request I purpose taking to 

 London the second week in December, was taken from a drain constructed 

 of two large horseshoe tiles (6 inches by 3 inches), and placed in the land 

 at an average depth of about 27 inches. This drain was made some thirty 

 years ago to convey water to the farmhouse, and, consequently, there is a 

 constant stream flowing along its channel ; the whole of the field across 

 which the drain passes has recently been thorough-drained, and in the 

 month of September, the water having ceased to flow into the trough at 

 the farm-buildings, a man was sent to examine the ground to discover if 

 there was any appearance on the surface of the drain being stopped ; not 

 "finding any, he was directed to open the drain in a few places. Not being 

 acquainted with its exact course, he opened on a place where the mangold- 

 wurzel leaves appeared darker than the general crop, and on reaching the 

 drain at a depth of about 3 feet 6 inches it proved not to be the water-drain 

 already referred to, but one of the main drains laid down in the winter of 

 1847. This drain (size 4£ inches by 3 inches) was not stopped, the water 

 running freely (after the early rains we had in the autumn), but there was 

 a mass of fibrous roots formed in the bottom tile about 2 inches deep and 

 1^ in width, very similar to what I showed you, though much more white 

 and delicate. After having satisfied myself, both by tracing the roots from 

 the surface and tasting those in the drain, that it was really from the man- 

 gold-wurzel above, we proceeded to examine the water-drain, and had no 

 difficulty in finding its course, as the leaves of the wurzel were so decidedly 

 dark and luxuriant, more so than in the former case. On arriving at the 

 drain it was found completely choked with these roots, and the water was 

 totally stopped and forced out at the joints of the tiles in another part of 

 the drain. There can by no possibility be any mistake about the matter, 

 as the piece of mangold-wurzel was about 6 chains wide (4 acres), and on 

 either side potatoes and swedes ; and directly we were off the land on which 

 the wurzel was growing, the appearance of roots in the drain altogether 

 ceased. The impression produced on my own mind is this : that man- 

 gold-wurzel will always be liable to stop drains along which water continu- 

 ally flows, but not otherwise, because, generally speaking, in dry summers 

 there will be no water in drains on strong or clay soils to attract its roots, 

 and in wet seasons, or, as they are often designated hereabouts, " dropping 

 seasons," the plants would always have sufficient moisture in the active or 

 cultivated soil, and therefore would not be tempted to penetrate into the 

 uncongenial strata below. I think it may be accounted for, with reference 

 to the roots having gone down into the main drain first referred to, by the 

 fact of its being so recently laid ; the land was hollow, and a good deal of 

 the top soil had been mixed with subsoil ; no doubt, from the appearance 

 of the plants, they had found nourishment on their way, as well as in the 

 drain. I should therefore say it would be wise to wait a few years before 

 growing mangold-wurzel on recently drained land. 



Between this and the Society's meeting in December I purpose having 

 a few drains examined where we have grown large crops of mangold- 



