236 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. 
December 30. 
Should it be jiroveil, by further and more accurate 
experiments, that if the leaves of root-crops are cut off 
before those roots have arrived at maturity, and that, 
notwithstanding such removal of tlie loaves, tlie roots 
will go on increasing in size and nutritious constituents 
equally with other roots of the same crop from which 
the leaves have not been cut off, then will a heavy blow 
have fallen upon some of the opinions hitliorto main¬ 
tained by vegetable physiologists. It will be a heavier 
blow to those opinions than to the botanist, this dis¬ 
covery of the transmutation of Myilofs into Wheat, for 
it comes upon us like a thunder-clap, and is in direct 
opposition to laws which we have been compelled to 
live under now nearly fifty years; whereas, every 
schedule and clause of tiie law of sports and crossings 
have been critically canvassed over and over again, and 
even pushed much farther than M. Kabro has done, Imt 
without actual proofs, like his. 
Two specimens of the Swedish Turnip were on the 
table at the Horticultural Society’s last meeting, not 
quite so purple, perhaps, as Mr. Skirving’s variety, 
but as flue specimens of size and texture as ever. 
Mr. Skirving exhibited in London. The whole tops 
of them were cut olf down to tho quick last Se])tem- 
ber, and the wounds were now healed over ; these 
turnips, therefore, could never push another leaf from the 
crown; but several eyes below the crown pushed and 
made a few leaves. They were not of a size, however, to 
give any support to the bulb ; they were rather S]irouts, 
sucking from, rather than adding substance to the bulb, 
according to our present ideas. 'I’hat part of the lecture 
which referred to this fact was listened to with intense 
interest. It began by telling us that the Rev. Mr. 
Smith, author of “A Word in Season,” was a scientific 
farmer; that his land was stiff, and not well-suited for 
experiments; but that by striking at the roots of popular 
notions, and following out notions of his own, results 
were obtained as far beyond present opinions as his 
plans were different from common practice; that his 
turnips, last year, after cutting the to])s oft' as early as the 
tops of the two before us were cut, the yield was twenty- 
seven tons to the acre; that he could not get on the land 
this autumn to ascertain, by actual w'eighing, tbe posi¬ 
tive weight of the present croj), but that be guessed it 
run from twenty to twenty-four tons per acre; that these 
turnips are in drills five feet apart, and a crop of early 
potatoes was got from the intermediate spaces before the 
leaves of the turnips spread out to cover the ground; 
that after lifting the potatoes, the middle spaces were 
deeply trenched, but only taking a small quantity of 
the new-broken ground to the surface; and, lastly, that 
before the leaves met and got crowded over the trenched 
parts they were cut for a green crop, and that the 
cutting of them did not hinder the turnip from swelling 
and getting heavier. 
After the meeting, the philosojdiy of all this w’as 
canvassed, and the question was asked—Why should 
the skin of a turnip, exposed to the full influence 
of the sun and air, at a certain age, not be able to 
assist and finish the growth, seeing that an apjile. 
or a gourd, has to do as much ? Why not, indeed! i 
You seldom read or bear of an experiment or invention ^ 
without its suggesting another. And why should we ! 
not have under-ground turnips, like carrots and par¬ 
snips, to get rid of the “ strong, turnipy flavour” pecu¬ 
liar to the garden turni])? The “ disjiosition” to sport 
in this direction has often cost the farmer more than j 
i Ids share of tho “burden” of this heavy country: we | 
i allude to the “bunch of keys,” the “ fingers and toes,” 1 
and the “ forks and tails,” into which the turnip “ runs” j 
every year. | 
We must declare our opinion, however, that, at present, 
the experiments of the Rev. ilr. Smith, and of others, 
do not prove that turnip bulbs will increase in size and ' 
' nutritious constituents after their leaves have been cut 
off. They prove no more than that the leaves may be 
so cut oft' at the concluding time of their growth, and 
that tlie bulbs remain well-preserved iu the soil. Now, 
did we not know all this before? Have not gardeners, 
for years past, cut their carrots and jiarsnips down into 
the quick, and found that they were jireserved better j 
than by any other mode ? \ 
It is quite true that fruits will improve in colour and ' 
flavour after they have been gathered, but they must j 
have attained their full growth previously; and cer- ! 
tainly, after being so gathered, they never increase in 
weight, nor even if left on the jiarent plant after this is 
denuded of leaves. Again, if a J’each, or other fruit, is 
on a branch from which all the leaves fall off beyond 
it, that fruit remains stunted and deficient in flavour, or 
perishes entirely. 
In conclusion, we advise our readers to suspend their 
judgments until experiments more numerous and much 
more accurate have been tried. Let us have rows with ! 
their tops cut oft' alternating with rows from wdneh the ; 
tops are not cut off. Let us have some of the tops cut 
off at the end of August, and some early in September, ' 
before the bulbs have completed their growth iu size. ' 
If iu such cases the bulbs go on not only to increase in ‘ 
size, but to increase in nutritious constituents also, 
as much as do those on which the usual amount of 
leaves have been left, then will it have been proved that 
leaves are not essential for bulbs in the concluding 
stage of their growth; and gardeners, in future, grati¬ 
fying their jiraiseworthy love of neatness, probably may 
cut oft' the leaves of Crocuses, Tulips, and the like, 
when their bloom is over, without heeding the warnings 
of physiologists and “ such small kine.” 
COVENT GARDEN. 
On the morning of Tuesday, the 21st inst., at an hour ■ 
when half tbe population of this northern hemisphere | 
were comfortably wra|)t in the arms of sleep, Ave were 
wending our way to Coveut Garden Market. It was an 
early hour; such an one as, fortunately, we have little , 
experience of iu this dark, humid season; but, being \ 
anxious to furnish our readers with some account of j 
this great mart during Christmas week, W'e encountered 
the difficulties of the undertaking, and after a walk of 
