EXPERIMENTS IN THE GROWTH OF PLANTS. 213 
shall be happy to forward some to any members of the Association on appli- 
cation, only asking for the sake of information, any notes that may be made 
on its progress. 
It is not a little curious that experiments of a like kind with the carrot have 
resulted in a failure. Upon reporting upon this last year, it was stated by 
Mr. Bentham, that Villemain had succeeded in advancing the carrot and 
some others, but had failed in all his experiments with the parsnip. This is 
curious, as showing that we cannot always command success in experiments 
of this nature—some circumstance or other may be wanting, and therefore we 
must not pronounce a thing impossible that we have tried ourselves without. 
success ; and at the same time it shows us that there are certain laws which 
operate to produce the changes we have noted, so that from a repetition of 
experiments of this kind we may hope to become acquainted with some new 
facts connected with vegetable growth. 
An observation of some practical importance may be here noted. Asa rule 
it may be laid down that neither parsnips nor carrots yield good roots in field 
cultivation in a district where these plants abound as wild natives, as they 
usually grow small and very much forked, digitated, “ finger-and-toed ;” and 
therefore, if grown as an agricultural crop under such circumstances, a much 
more careful preparation of the soil, even than that usually employed, will 
be necessary to ensure success ; and thus it is that success is much more 
general with these roots in garden than in field culture. 
But, besides, this own-grown seed tends much to degeneracy, especially in 
the field crop; and in the choice of seed we should always, if possible, choose 
that from a poorer soil and backward climate rather than in poor root soils 
to introduce a seed that had been grown in a district so much richer. These, 
indeed, may almost be considered as general laws. 
6. Economic anv Mepicina Piants.— The success which has attended 
my growing of many useful plants of this list in rough bits of ground, and 
otherwise waste corners of my garden, as well as in poor unmanured plots, is 
a matter of great interest, inasmuch as it shows that every bit of what is too 
_ frequently waste ground may be turned to account, and made to yield at 
_ least sufficient to pay the expenses, if not an overplus of profit; one item, 
however, the mere one of not losing, is gain, as cropping tends to get the land 
_ in workable condition. 
In the economic class, such plants as flax, hemp, teasels, chicory and 
_ sunflower are all worthy of attention as being capable of yielding a good 
return, and often in most unpromising positions. I shall now, however, in 
_ this department only dwell upon some experiments in the growth of Linum 
_ perenne (perennial flax). 
f In 1854 I sowed one of my plots with seed of the ZL. angustifolium 
_ gathered at Hele in Cornwall. It’ came up very well, and in 1855 might 
have been seen its plants in rows with branches a few inches long trailing 
along the ground, some with light, others with dark-blue coloured flowers 
somewhat small when compared with the ZL. usitatissimum or L. perenne; 
in this state it presented little to recommend it as a cultivated plant. In the 
_ past year it had advanced to a strong and vigorous upright plant somewhat 
more than two feet in height, with handsome dark-blue flowers, indeed 
_fivalling the Z. usitatissimum in size and beauty. As regards its fibre I 
have as yet had no opportunity to make experiments; but if in this respect 
it should equal the annual flax, I cannot help thinking that we shall have 
in the Linum perenne a plant of great economic value. 
__ As regards the specific distinction of the L.angustifolium and L. perenne, 
I must after these experiments express great doubts; nay, Iam almost inclined 
basa 
