Episode 2 - Problems Galore

Hello! It's Billie Bean back again. I've been racking my brain, trying to figure out what to do about Wally Wheat's problem with low protein. Freddy Faba's the one to talk to. He's a faba bean - you may know him as a broad bean. Man, is he a bean with brains!

I found Freddy sitting under a tree, reading the 'Underground News' newspaper. He looked up as I got close. "This business with Wally wheat needs looking into," he said. "Is it really true, or is this another one of Albert Annelid's doom stories?

Albert has a reputation for seeing disasters around every corner, but this time he had his facts straight. I filled Freddy in on what I knew. "Let's check out the paddock Wally Wheat and his gang grew in last year. Maybe we can find some answers," Freddy said as he jumped up and folded his newspaper.

Freddy and I found the paddock soon enough. Freddy was using a magnifying glass to have a close look at the soil. "Ouch!" he cried out as a head popped out from underground and collided with the magnifying glass, hitting him in the face.

"There'll be no crop grown in this soil ever again! I just know we'll all starve. I think the headline should read 'Death to Hit Downsanup Downs'." You guessed it. It was Albert Annelid doing some investigating of his own.

I thought 'Faba Bean attacks Respected Journalist!' might be the next headline, but Freddy's not that sort (and Albert did apologise).

Freddy patiently rubbed his eye and pumped Albert for information about what he'd seen underground. Let me tell you, it was bad news! "There's nothing but cereal roots down there. Try as I might, I couldn't find roots from any other type of plant. And that's not all! See how my skin looks shrivelled? On my way here I passed through some soil that felt as salty as if I was at the beach!" Albert muttered to himself, "It all spells doom," as he wriggled towards the newspaper office.

"How do you see the situation Freddy?" I asked. "It's not as bad as Albert's painted," he replied. "But the situation is not good. I have a feeling that all those cereal roots have something to do with Wally Wheat's protein problems. The salt's a worry too. I know the Jones are working to stop it getting worse. The trick in farming Billie, is to produce great food and keep the land healthy at the same time."

What Freddy said got me thinking. Could any of us plants do anything to help with the salt problem ? Could our legumes' nitrogen fixation help Wally Wheat out? These were questions that needed more research.

I think I'll leave that to Freddy for now. It's too hot and dry at this time of year for me to think properly. I wonder how the farm animals are coping with this heat wave. Now that's another story...