250 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
ground it grew, was, that “ the bulk of the roots of 
parsnips and carrots attacked by this parasite was 
reduced in plumpness by one-lialf;” and, from the 
one I saw, I believe such to have been the case; 
and, in what remained, there was more woody-fibre, 
and less saccharine, and other nutritious matter, 
than in ordinary roots. I should have wished to 
reserve this communication until I had opportunity 
to make more minute inquiries, both as to the state 
of the affected roots and of the identity of the para¬ 
site, but as the season for issuing parsnip seed is 
approaching, time is precious; and 1 would request 
you to use your influence in persuading farmers— 
whose crops have suffered by this new pest—from 
sending seed of diseased fields into the market. 
The sufferer—a Jersey farmer—declared that the 
portions of his crops which were affected sprang 
from seed obtained in England; but Islanders do 
not easily overcome their prejudices. 
“ This Orobanche —which, according to Vaucher’s 
nomenclature, would be O. Pcistinacce, or, in English 
might be named, Nicolle’s Broom Rape, in compli¬ 
ment to the gentleman who called my attention to 
it—is new to me, although I had found an Orobanche 
growing on an Eryngium maritimum in this island, 
which I pointed out to the late zealous botanist, 
Di\ Graham, of Edinburgh, when on a visit to 
Jersey. And I deplore the appearance of it the 
more, as parsnips and carrots are the only moist 
winter vegetables which do not communicate a dis¬ 
agreeable flavour to the milk of cows fed upon them. 
And I hope, that in extracting the pith of these 
remarks in an editorial notice, you will be able to 
check the progress of this new tax on the farmers’ 
industry.” 
Many of our readers will not understand what is 
the Orobanche, or Broom Rape, and, consequently, 
will be unable to determine whether their parsnips 
and carrots suffered from its attack. It is a para¬ 
sitical family of plants, which has not hitherto been 
thoroughly examined by botanists, and the only 
works upon the subject are Miclielis’ Treatise, pub¬ 
lished at Florence, in 1723, and Vaucher’s Mono¬ 
graphic des Orobanches, published at Geneva, in 
1827. The very name is a mistake, meaning literally 
“ The Vetch Strangler,” as if these parasites con¬ 
fined their attacks to the vetch or tare tribe. This 
is so far from being the case, that we see our Jersey 
correspondent found one on the sea holly ( Eryngium 
maritimum); Dr. Roxburgh describes another as 
infesting the roots of the China sugar-cane; and 
others have been found on those of the common 
bramble, wood chervil, ivy, and other widely differ 
ing plants. In England, the most common species 
is the larger broom rape (0. major), whose pale pur 
plish spike of flowers—not unlike that of some of 
the wild orchises—is very frequently seen in June 
growing close to the stem of the furze and broom, 
upon the roots of which it usually fixes, and preys 
upon their sap. The stem of this Orobanche is of 
a rusty colour, tinged with purple, about the thick¬ 
ness of a small finger, varies from six to eighteen 
inches in height, and is without leaves; the root is 
fleshy, sometimes bulbous, and when adhering to the 
[February 7. 
roots of the furze and broom, “ it claspeth aboute 
them with certaine lyttel rootes on*everye side, lyke 
a dogge holding a bone in his mouth”— {Linn. Trans., 
174). It belongs to the Didynamia angiospermia 
class and order of the Linnean system. 
It has been doubted, whether the Orobanches are 
really parasites; and it is quite certain that some of 
them are not, for they are found growing in soil 
away from other plants. But, on the other hand, it 
is equally certain that some are parasitical, and nour¬ 
ish themselves upon the sap of other plants. Thus, 
Dr. Turner, already quoted, says he has seen “ all the 
natural juice clean drawn out” of clover by an Oro¬ 
banche, probably O. minor ; we have seen O. major 
without any fibres, but those imbedded in the roots 
of furze; and, if this species on the parsnip and 
carrot, in Jersey, be established, another will be 
added to what Dr. Turner emphatically calls these 
“ choke weeds.”* 
We doubt the fact of the seed of the Orobanche 
being introduced with that of the parsnip or carrot ; 
but, as prevention and every caution is desirable, 
we recommend those who grow them extensively to 
wash the seed in two or three waters before sowing. 
The seeds of the Orobanche are probably in the soil, 
and if so, fallowing, and paring, and burning, seem 
the only remedies. We shall wait for fuller informa¬ 
tion before we notice the subject again; and we shall 
be obliged by any person communicating to us any 
relative facts. 
With very great pleasure we give prominent inser¬ 
tion to the following excellent communication, and 
hope that our readers may be benefited by further 
instructions from the same intelligent writer :— 
“ In treating of the cultivation of plants not indi¬ 
genous to this country, Mr. Beaton has judiciously 
referred to their original habitations, and to the 
peculiarities of their several climates. From personal 
experience I can attest, that his treatise on the 
Oleander is perfect, as I have seen it growing in its 
wild state in the south of Spain, under the precise 
circumstances described by him. Indeed I do not 
remember ever to have passed a bridge in Andalusia 
where the Oleander was not to be seen. 
“From a little incident, which happened to me in 
this country, I can also well understand the difficulty 
of obtaining bulbous roots at the Cape, at the proper 
time when their removal from the ground ought to 
be effected. Having seen in the south of Spain some 
very beautiful flowers of the Orchis, and having ascer¬ 
tained the locality in which they grew, I set out ac¬ 
cordingly in search of them; but I was soon brought 
to a stand still from my horse sticking fast in stiff clay. 
I was, therefore, constrained to postpone my attempt 
until the ground became harder, which an Andalu¬ 
sian sun soon effected. Taking a second departure, I 
* Dr. Carpenter says that, “ in many parts of Flanders, the farmers 
are altogether deterred from the cultivation of clover by one species 
of Orobanche, of which the seeds lie dormant in the soil, until it is 
made to support plants upon which the parasite can grow, and which 
it then attacks vigorously ”—(Vegetable Bliys. and Bot., 215). If this 
be the case with all the parasitic species, then either paring and 
burning, or sowing a crop on which the seeds will vegetate, and then 
sacrificing this, are the only apparent remedies. 
