62 OP UEA'KliSED PLANTS. 



buds. I presume there can be no doubt that succes- 

 sive new branches would deposit their wood in the 

 usual position. It is nevertheless by no means coinmon 

 for such inverted cuttings to succeed at all. An ex- 

 periment to a similar purpose is recorded by Dr. Hales, 

 Vegetable Staticks, p. 132, ?. 11, of engrafting together 

 three trecb standing in a row, and then cutting off the 

 communication between the central one and the earth, so 

 that it became suspended in the air, and was nourished 

 merely through its lateral branches. The same e xper- 

 inu nf was successfully practised by the late Dr. Hope 

 at Edinburgh upon three Willows, and in the years 

 1781, 2, and 3, I repeatedly witnessed their health and 

 vigour. It was observed that the central tree was sev- 

 eral days later in coming into leaf than its supporters, 

 but I know not that any other difference was to be per- 

 ceived between them. The tree which wanted the sup- 

 port of the ground was, some years after, blown down, 

 so that we have now no opportunity of examining ihe 

 course of its vessels, or the mode in which successive 

 layers of wood were deposited in its branches ; but the 

 experiment is easily repeated. 



Id the weeping variety of the Common Ash, now so 

 frequent in gardens, the branches are completely inver- 

 ted as to position, yet the returning fluids appear to run 

 exactly in their natural direction, depositing new wood, 

 as they are situated above the buds or leaves ; and if the 

 end of any branch be cut, all beyond (or beloiv) the next 

 bud dies ; so that in this case gravitation, to which Mr. 

 Knight attributes considerable power over the returning 

 fluidi, Phil. Trans, for 1804, does not counteract the 

 ordinary course of nature. 



