79 
MANGOLDS RUNNING TO SEED. 
One of the most curious features about the crops of the past 
season was the large proportion of mangold plants which 
“ bolted ” or ran to seed prematurely. This was reported frorh 
all parts of the country, but appears to have been worst in the 
north, where in many cases the majority of the plants ran away, 
until the fields seemed to be carrying a quite unfamiliar crop. 
Nor was the bolting confined to mangolds ; to a less degree it 
was seen in all biennial crops — in carrots, swedes, cabbages, 
even in Brussels sprouts and broccoli in the gardens. There was 
little in the character of the season which would have led one 
to expect such a result ; there was no sudden heat or drought, 
nor any check to growth such as would bring about a premature 
ripening followed by a renewal of activity. On the conti’arj, 
the whole early summer weather was remarkably uniform, 
being of a persistent westerly type ; though temperatures 
were generally low this was more due to lack of sun and 
warmth during the day than to cold nights ; the actual rainfall 
was never heavy, but the number of rainy days was above the 
average. September was the only dry and warm month in the 
year, but the mischief had been done long before September ; 
the mangolds at Rothamsted began to run up in July, the bolted 
heads were all cut off in early August, and though they shot 
up again not many fresh plants had bolted when the crop was 
lifted in November. 
On the Barn Field at Rothamsted, which has now been 
growing mangolds for the last thirty-two years, counts have 
been made from time to time of the proportion of mangolds 
running to seed on the different plots, whenever any large 
number was to be seen. Curiously enough in 1907 there was 
very little difference in this respect between plot and plot ; 
whatever the manuring, whether light or heavy, good or bad for 
the yield, much the same proportion of roots had run to seed ; 
perhaps rather more on the plots receiving rape cake as a 
source of nitrogen than on the others. But in more ordinary 
• seasons the greatest proportion of bolters are always to be 
found on the plots manured with ordinary farmyard dung, 
irrespective of whether any artificial manui es ai’e also supplied. 
On the plots manured with artificials only no difference can 
be found between the effects of sulphate of ammonia and 
