Proceedings. 143 



at first made entirely with cut flowers ; but the author 

 afterwards tried the experiment of taking a hyacinth and 

 narcissi out of the soil very carefully, and then placing the 

 root fibres in aniline water. In twelve hours the petals 

 began to colour, and the plant gradually became tinctured 

 throughout by the pink dye. The filtering appendages, 

 found at the tips of the rootlets, apparently prevent the 

 absorption of much of the colour, because the petals do 

 not become so deeply tinged, nor so quickly, as with cut 

 flowers ; but it is clearly seen that the vein tubes proceed 

 from the roots, and thus complete the system from root to 

 flower. The veins are beautifully shewn by the microscope 

 as clean tubes — running in parallel lines, gradually branch- 

 ing out as they proceed, and as they approach the margins 

 being much and finely branched. When the coloured 

 water reaches the margins of the petals, they thus become 

 deeply tinctured, especially in the narcissi, — illustrating the 

 cause whereby the daffodil so frequently obtains the deeper 

 colour at the margins of the corona. It is the same with 

 the Leucojum and snowdrop. The most singular results 

 were obtained from variegated leaves of the ivy and 

 acuba — plants which, in the winter season, one would 

 suppose, had the leaves quite dormant. Single leaves of 

 these plants, with the leaf stalk placed in aniline red water, 

 began to colour in about three hours, and in twelve hours had 

 the margins deeply coloured. Leaves thus separated from 

 the stem of the plant were thus shewn to have an absorptive 

 and circulating power in themselves, even if detached from 

 the stem. The pistils of the flowers always become 

 coloured — which the author considers an important fact, 

 as shewing that the solid matter of the colouring fluid is 

 secreted by the fruiting vessels of the flower. It has been 

 stated lately, that the free use of sulphate of copper for 

 dressing the vines in France, and watering the vineyards 

 |or the prevention of the Phylloxera, has been found to 



