Science and Practice in Farm Cultivation Part 3

ON THE ART AND MYSTERY OF TURNIP-SEED ADULTERATION.

It has already been shown that turnip-seed is largely adulterated; it remains now to point out the nature of the admixtures, which may be summed up under the following heads:-

1st. Old seeds are mixed with new.

2nd. Charlock, "Indian rape," and other seeds of the _Bra.s.sicaceae_, are mixed with genuine seed.

1st.-The crops of seeds vary so much in their produce per acre, in one year, as compared with another, that in most years there is a superabundance of some kinds and a scarcity of others.

Now, as most seeds are of comparatively little use except for sowing, the surplus stock can only be disposed of at extremely low prices.

Accordingly some wholesale seedsmen buy large quant.i.ties in the "glut season," as it is termed, and store them until the same articles fail in crop. For instance, swede and turnip seeds, 1857 crop, could be bought everywhere at from 15 to 20 s.h.i.+llings per bushel; but owing to the destruction of the roots in the winter of 1859, seedsmen in 1860 had to pay the growers 50s. per bushel. Now, in 1860 there were wholesale houses selling those seeds which they had by them for the same price.

Such people can, it is true, warrant their seeds to be genuine, as they well know how much turnip-seeds deteriorate by keeping; the mixing of this with good seed is still a species of adulteration; and if not mixed at all, we can then only say that the evil is so much the greater.

As an evidence of the amount of deterioration caused to turnip-seeds by keeping, we here re-produce the table of trials of ten sorts of good seeds made in September, 1860, in contrast with experiments from the same sample, in the same month of the present year (1862), premising that the samples were kept in what we should consider a dry but not too warm a temperature.

TABLE 6.-_Germination of Ten Sorts of Turnips._

+---+-------------------------------------+--------+--------+ Came up Came up No. Name. Copy of Label. 1860. 1862. Percent. Percent. +---+-------------------------------------+--------+--------+ 1 Mousetail, 1859 96 46 2 Pomeranian or White Globe, 1859 86 44 3 Nimble Green Round, 1859 96 94 4 Lincolns.h.i.+re New Red Globe, 1860 90 58 5 Yellow Tankard, 1859 92 62 6 Smart's Mousetail, 1860 98 92 7 Green-topped Stone, 1860 84 88 8 Sutton's Imperial Green Globe, 1860 98 80 9 Green-topped Scotch, 1860 90 86 10 Early Six-weeks, 1860 90 70 Came up (average) = 92 72 Failed = 8 28 +---+-------------------------------------+--------+--------+

These figures are interesting as showing that though the different sorts are not affected equally, yet the seed of 1859 failed on the average to the extent of 388 per cent., as against 246 for the seed of 1860, and 28 as the average of the whole samples. Such is the great difference between two and three year old seeds.

2nd.-Even the above _genuine seeds_ (!) are not unfrequently mixed, and we may now examine the nature of some of these mixtures. Charlock and Indian rape are all _prepared_ for this purpose: that is to say, they are rendered incapable of germinating before mixture-"Dead men tell no tales." Now rubbish, so prepared, is well known in the trade as 000 seed. Under this denomination all seedsmen know it, and it can be procured by the trade at about 7s. per bushel.

With respect to this 000 seed, we direct attention to the following letter addressed to a most respectable firm.

SOUTHAMPTON, _April 27, 1860_.

GENTLEMEN,-Being in possession of a new and improved method of killing seeds without the use of any chemicals, so that the seed when in a 000 state has not that unpleasant smell it has when killed by the old method, and does not look perished if it be crushed. A man by the new process may kill ten or twelve quarters per day, and the apparatus is so constructed that it is impossible for a single seed to leave it alive; and one great advantage is, that if you want a sack of 000 seed in a hurry you may kill a sack of rape or turnip, or any seed, and have it fit for use in an hour.

Seed in the process of killing increases in measure and weight, and when you send it out to be killed, of course, the seed-killers keep the extra weight and measure. If you think it worth your attention, I will send you a small working model, so that you may kill a few pounds of kale or cauliflower, or any small seeds in a few minutes, and instructions for making a large one on receipt of a Post-office order for 2.

Yours truly,

To this the Messrs. Sutton append the following remarks:-

The writer of the above being unknown to us, we had the curiosity to call at the address given, and ascertained that it was no "hoax," but was a.s.sured by the "inventor" that he had supplied several tradesmen with the apparatus, and that he was _formerly_ in the seed trade himself. We may add, that we have since heard from the same individual at another sea-port town to which he has removed.

Having got possession of this circular, and being desirous of becoming acquainted with so notable an invention, we lost no time in setting on foot a negotiation for the possession of the secret, and having traced the inventor in his removal from Southampton to Gosport, we then had letters addressed to him upon the subject, and, if promises had been of any avail, we might possibly at this time have been in possession of a very improved and expeditious method of making 000 seeds, only that we have learnt the undesirable nature of pay beforehand.

Our next inquiry was for a sample of 000 seed itself; but, although it is well known in the trade, we have hitherto failed in procuring it. We had hoped that our seedsmen might have been able to procure some through some of their friends. The result was, that we made application to a most respectable London firm, receiving the following reply:-

LONDON, _February 27, 1861_.

SIR,-In reply to your favour received this morning, we take leave to say that we shall have pleasure in complying with your request for a sample of 000 turnips, if we can obtain it. But we do not keep it ourselves, nor do we know the parties who prepare it, it being something of a trade secret. We will, however, apply to some of our friends here to let us have a small quant.i.ty, but doubt if they will let us have it, as it is a matter they are rather chary respecting, and _although perfectly well known and understood in the trade, they do not care to have it known beyond_, and our asking for a small quant.i.ty will be sure to lead to the question, "What do we want it for?" We could obtain a large quant.i.ty without hesitation.

We remain, &c.,

The sentence we have placed in italics will be quite sufficient to show how well the matter of 000 seeds is understood in the trade, and how easy it is to get bushels of it, no questions being asked, while a small quant.i.ty, required only for investigation, may be refused.

It appears, then, that the machinery exists by which any one in the seed trade may quietly and easily commit enormous frauds. And it is plain that the very notoriety of this machinery, together with the condition of many of the samples of seed which we have examined (see Chap. VI.) prove that this machinery actually is employed by many seedsmen to the great injury of their customers.

We cannot, then, be doing wrong in urging any one to make trial of the seeds he is about to buy before he sows them, or even before he purchases them. Where the experience of a number of years already exists, the character of the seedsman is a guarantee for the good quality of his goods, and experience of this kind is indeed a more perfect carrying out of the system of preliminary trial or experiment, which we recommend especially to all new customers.

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS.

Root-crops are especially liable to injury from the depredations of insects. Thus the turnip may have its seed more or less destroyed by weevils. Immediately the seed appears above the ground, commences the attack by the turnip flea-beetles. The bulb is pierced by beetles, ending in those excrescences called "turnip-warbles;" and there is reason to think that even the root-fibrils are in some soils made the depositories of the eggs of insects, which give rise to extraordinary malformations.

Carrots and parsnips are liable to have the best-grown root made useless by its being pierced and eaten by the larvae or grubs of a small fly, known as the _Psila rosae_.

Even the mangel-wurzel, which has been so strenuously recommended as a subst.i.tute for the turnip on account of its freedom from insect attacks, and connected with which Curtis only describes a single insect, a leaf-miner, called _Anthomyia Betae_, upon which he remarks that "these insects will seldom cause any loss to the mangel-wurzel crops should they ever abound to any extent." In spite, however, of this, we find that the increased growth of this crop has caused a corresponding increase in the insect, to such an extent that, during the last two seasons, many crops have entirely failed from its depredations; as witness the following communication to the _Agricultural Gazette_ for August 23rd, 1862:-

My mangel crop was drilled the 17th May, and came up most favourably. On Monday, the 2nd June, I asked my bailiff what was the matter with it; he said, "Oh, it was a sharp frost last night;"

but on examination I found that instead of frost the leaves had within them a maggot, which had caused the plant to brown and die off. The late rains and growing weather have enabled the plant somewhat to revive, and also fresh plants to come up (for I had drilled 7 lb. per acre), but found to-day several leaves with maggots in them. My man told me "a quant.i.ty had eaten themselves out of the leaf and dropped;" and that he saw "a vast number of sparrows picking up those maggots." I send you herewith some plants I brought up from the farm. My idea is that the seed was damp and bred the maggots, or that the leaves had been "struck with a fly,"

and then the maggot followed. You will please let me have your ideas upon these points.-S. S.

The maggot, or larvae, here described is that of a fly called the _Anthomyia (Pegomyia) betae_, mangel-wurzel fly. An allied species will sometimes be found on the common dock-leaves, mining their galleries between the dermal cells of the leaves.

We have for some time observed the increase of this pest, and we are prepared to state that now we seldom see a crop that is not greatly injured by its attacks. Mr. Curtis thinks that the best method to destroy them is to employ boys to crush the leaves between the thumb and fingers at the part where the larvae can be seen; and with this we fear we must for the present be content, unless we could devise some means to take the fly before its eggs are laid in the leaves.

We need not here dwell at length upon the natural history of those pests of the turnip-the _Haltica nemorum_ (striped flea-beetle), and _H.

concinna_ (black flea-beetle), as the nature of their ravages are tolerably well known. Thus much, however, may be said; namely:-

_a._ These insects are called fleas because they have the power of hopping on being disturbed, much after the manner of a flea.

_b._ They have some five or six broods each year; the earlier ones probably being bred on charlocks and other weeds of the same natural order as the turnip; and hence, then, charlocks are pests, not only as being weeds, but as breeding-places for one of our most mischievous insects.

_c._ They migrate from their weed-haunts to the first crop of turnips, where much of their mischief may be prevented by simply dusting over the young plants with any fine powder, road-dirt answering the purpose as well as anything else.

Various devices have been employed for keeping away and killing these little creatures. We have used a contrivance for catching them, which may be described as follows:-

Some thin board (or boards), making a surface of about 4 feet long by 2 feet wide, is furnished at one end with a pair of light wheels of just sufficient diameter to lift the board about 2 or 3 inches above the plants. To the other end may be attached two crooked handles in such a manner that the machine can be wheeled flatly over the plants, or if four wheels be employed, one at each corner, a single handle can be used either to push or pull the implement. When used, it should have its underside painted over with tar or any handy viscid substance.

This should be used on bright days, the operator pus.h.i.+ng it over the rows of turnips, so as, if possible, not to throw his shadow before. The middle of the day will be best, not only for this reason, but also because these creatures feed more actively at that time.

Now, our experience in the use of this simple contrivance on small experimental plots convinces us that a small boy could easily keep under the enemy in a good-sized field.

But now comes a very important question for consideration. Cannot we do more than kill a few of these creatures? cannot we adopt such plans as will render our _crops_ tolerably safe from their depredations? We think so, and to this end advise the following method of proceeding:-

Let each turnip-grower prepare for the enemy by sowing from the eighth to a quarter of an acre of turnips in a sunny part of the farm as early as the first week in April. These patches would quickly attract all the turnip flea-beetles from the wild _cruciferae_ on which the first broods seem to depend, and in this small compa.s.s they can be killed in detail with the simple contrivance just described, so that when the real crop comes up there will be none, or at least only a few, beetles to emigrate to it; whereas, as we now manage, by the time the crop of turnips is sown, enough of the creatures are too often bred to render it necessary to sow two or three times before we can secure a crop.