A3TD DEW BY THE GREEX PARTS OF PLANT?. 325 



grow vigorously. Three blossoms were borne and expanded on 

 these shoots with their apices only in water. 



By July 7th a great quantity of adventitious roots had made 

 their appearance from the nodes in water. 



This Musk-plant thus grew slowly, but well, for more than a 

 month ; and on removing it from the perfectly dry soil, several 

 subterranean buds were pushing vigorously. 



One learns also from this experiment, as from previous ones, 

 that it is immaterial to a plant which way the water may flow; 

 tor it was downwards in the shoots with their apices in water, but 

 of course upwards in the shoot in air. 



A similar plant left without water on the same day (June 4th) 



became flaccid in two days, and perished utterly in two or three 

 more. 



Other plants, such as Lysimachia Nummularia &c, gave similar 

 results. 



10. On the Advantages of Syringing Plants in a Green-house. 



This is, of course, a universal practice ; but if the roots be the 

 sole absorbing organs, as has been supposed, why do not gardeners 

 confine the water to the roots ? According to M. Duchartre, 

 one would infer that nature only rains upon plants and deposits 

 dew upon herbs solely because it cannot be helped, but with no 

 direct benefit to vegetation. But it would seem that, by syring- 

 ing, practical experience has forestalled the scientific rationale. 

 Gardeners have all along believed in its efficacy, though they may 

 not have " proved" the actual leaf-absorption. The physiological 

 experiments of Hales, Bonnet, and others, down to those of Bous- 

 singault and myself will now, it is hoped, give a complete proof 

 of this fact ; and we may thus sum up the advantages of syring- 

 ing :— It keeps the leaves clean from dust, and helps to wash off 

 insects. It moistens the cuticle, and so renders it more pervious 

 to carbon dioxide (Barthelemy). It also renders it more capable 

 of absorbing water ( Garreau). It checks the loss by transpira- 

 tion {Duchartre), and so enables the terminal shoots and young 

 leaves of a plant to be well supplied with sap by drawing upon the 

 reserve fluid in the stem. It keeps the air cool by evaporation ; 

 and, lastly, it is actually imbibed by the leaves and green parts of 

 plants, and so helps to compensate for any loss from within the 

 plant, and thus supplements root-absorption. 



What is true for svrinaW is. of course, equally true for rain. 



