i879-] * NOTES FROM THE PAPERS. 117 



of heat to descend, consequently it does not regain the heat it has lost during 

 the period of the lowering of the temperature of the air nearly so quickly as 

 the air is warmed by the sun's increasing force ; therefore the above-ground 

 parts of plants are placed under the growth-exciting influence of heat continu- 

 ally in advance and excess of the roots, until the turning period has arrived in 

 the pot season, when the force of the sun begins to come, &c; " and, continues 

 the writer, " I would recommend those who look upon bottom-heat as indis- 

 pensable to the successful cultivation of plants from hot countries, to consider 

 this fact ; and, I think, they cannot fail to see that applying it (bottom-heat) 

 as is ordinarily done at the commencement of the forcing season, in a volume 

 equal to or often considerably above that in which the heads of the plants are 

 placed, is diametrically opposed to the conditions under which they are found 

 in a state of Proteus, when the earth's heat is in excess of that of the air, 

 only at that time the season's growth is being matured." " Fail to see ! " We 

 should think not, after such a perfectly lucid and convincing argument as this. 

 The "stagnant air" in the "upper surface" of the earth is an obstruction 

 we did not calculate upon before ; and the said upper surface argues an 

 " under " surface somewhere, which is just a little puzzling, but all the rest 

 is perfectly clear. We know you do not believe the statements here made 

 about the temperature of the earth, Mr Editor, and no doubt you could tell 

 us to keep our eyes open, and look at the thermometer, &c. ; but, sir, you 

 have preconceived opinions, and are unreasonable. Such problems, we would 

 respectfully inform you, are not now settled by the thermometer, nor yet by 

 the eyes, nor any of the senses ; they are decided, sir, upon the ratiocinative 

 principle alone, and of which we have just furnished you with such a beauti- 

 ful example in the above extract. By this method you do not need to trouble 

 yourself with experiments and observations ; you can demonstrate any problem 

 n nature without leaving your easy-chair, as we are about to demonstrate now, 

 that your contemporary is not only quite correct respecting the temperature of 

 the earth, &c, but that the heat of the sun never reaches this earth at all. 

 The "stagnant" air and other obstacles which obstruct the sun's heat, are 

 nothing to some others that the writer in ' The Chronicle ' might have cited. 

 For example, there is the stagnant air in the surface of the sun itself — we like 

 to start with a good solid assumption ; next, there is the 90,000 odd miles of 

 luminous atmosphere; outside of that the "sun spots," which have been 

 troublesome lately; and beyond all, the 95,000,000 of miles to be traversed 

 before the sun's heat could reach this earth, not to speak of the "stagnant 

 air" and other things. Now, sir, here are four great sources of obstruction 

 sufficient to stop all the heat that ever was evolved out of matter since the 

 beginning. " It follows, therefore," as your contemporary puts it, and as we 

 have satisfactorily demonstrated, that there is no such thing as sun heat ; 

 and if plant cultivators would only "consider this fact," they would adapt 

 their practices accordingly. 



It was to be expected that the introduction of the St Michael's Pine-apples 

 to our market would have a sensible effect upon prices of home-grown Pines 

 and Pine culture in this country ; but another and rather unlooked-for effect 

 of the plentiful supply of the St Michael's fruits is a reduction of the price 

 of Grapes also, and just at a season when these are most remunerative to 

 the English growers. Fruit -sellers, it appears, are discovering that their 

 middle-class and most numerous customers, finding the imported Pines excel- 

 lent and acceptable dessert fruits, and at the same time cheap, are buying Pines 

 in preference to Grapes. Probably the bad times have something to do with it 



