in accelerating Germination. %l\ 



philofophers. Profeflor Pohl at Drefden caufed to germinate 

 in oxygenated muriatic acid the feed of a new kind of eu- 

 phorbia taken from Bocconi's collection of dried plants, 

 no or 120 years old. Jacquin and Vander Schott at 

 Vienna threw into oxygenated muriatic acid all the old 

 feeds which had been kept 20 or 30 years at the botanical 

 garden, every attempt to produce vegetation in which had 

 been fruitlefs, and the greater part of them were ftimulated 

 with fuccefs. Even the hardeft feeds yielded to this agent. 

 Among thofe which germinated were the yellow bonduc or 

 nickar tree (guilandina bonduc), the pigeon cytifus or pigeon 

 pea {cytifus cajax), the dodonaa angi/Jifolia, the climbing mi- 

 mofa (mirnofa fcandens), and new kinds of the homaa.— 

 There are now fhewn at Vienna very valuable plants which 

 are entirely owing to the oxygenated muriatic acid, and 

 which are at prefent from five to eight inches in height. 

 Humboldt ciufed to germinate the clufm rofea t the feeds of 

 which had been brought from the Bahama iflands by Boofe, 

 and which before had refifted every effort to make them 

 vegetate. For this purpofe he employed a new procefs, 

 which feems likely to be much eafier for gardeners who 

 have not an opportunity of procuring the oxygenated mu- 

 riatic acid : He formed a pafte by mixing the feeds with the 

 black oxyde of manganefe, and then poured over it the mu- 

 riatic acid diluted with water. Three cubic inches of water 

 were mixed with half a cubic inch of the muriatic acid. J he 

 vefTel which contains this mixture mull be covered, but not 

 clorfely fhut •, elfe it might readily burft. At the tempera- 

 ture of 95 the muriatic acid becomes ftrongly oxydated ; 

 the oxygenated muriatic gas which is difengaged paiTes 

 through the feeds j and it is during this paffage that irritation 

 of the vegetable fibres takes place. 



X 4 XVI. Oh 



