West London Gardeners' As&ociatiun. 475 



would-be landscape-gardeners, however inconsistent with the principles of 

 design and true taste these ideas might be. 



April 17. — Mr. Leyton gave an introductory lecture upon chemistry. He 

 commenced by tracing the rise and progress of chemistry from the earliest 

 ages. He first treated of the great progress it must liave made before the 

 time of Moses, from the curious manufactured articles mentioned in the 

 sacred writings. He next viewed the profound depth which the Egyptians 

 must have penetrated, into this science from the relics yet extant, and the ap- 

 parent miracles which their adepts in the science were able to perform. He 

 also touched upon the chemical improvements introduced by the Persians, the 

 Phoenicians, the Arabians, and the Chinese. Mr. Leyton then explained, at 

 considerable length, the false notions of the alchymists, in respect of their 

 doctrine of the philosopher's stone ; the panacea, or universal remedy, the 

 universal dissolvent, and the universal ferment. He also showed how several 

 useful discoveries were brought to light in the midst of these wild schemes of 

 infatuated deception, and finished by enumerating what great men, what great 

 discoveries, and what altered notions of philosophy, brought about the cliange 

 from alchymy to a rational system of chemistry. 



AIny 1. 1837. — Exhibited. Three rose plants, from the Duke of Devon- 

 shire's villa at Chiswick, very full of buds, which had been taken out of the 

 ground, and potted the same spring. Mr. Judd read an essay upon the pre- 

 paration of the cherry tree for forcing, with hints upon the construction and 

 general management of the cherry-house. Mr. Judd approves of the May 

 duke variety ; recommends purchasing the trees from the nursery two years 

 before forcing them ; planting them, at first, in the open ground ; taking them 

 up and potting them early upon the following autumn ; plunging the pots in 

 an open space of ground; covering them with old dung; watering them liberally 

 during summer, and piiiching oft' any blossoms that appear ; giving plent)' of 

 air on removing them to the forcing-house, commencing at from 4U^ to 50° 

 Fahr. ; shading the house when the fruit are stoning; raising the temperature 

 when beginning to colour ; and using tobacco-smoke and tobacco-water for 

 thrip, black fly, and caterpillar. A great number of members delivered their 

 sentiments on this essay; the only objection made being to the accompanying 

 plan ; some considering that it was rather flat for early forcing ; and that, as 

 two fires were used, two small houses might have been as serviceable. Mr. 

 Temple recommended syringing with water, scarcely so hot as the temperature 

 of the house. Mr. Ayres disapproved of animal manure for stone fruit ; which 

 vi'as met, and remet, by instances and facts corroborative of its favourable and 

 unfavourable tendencies. A discussion took place with respect to clearing 

 cherry trees from insects; washing or painting them all over with various so- 

 lutions, in winter, being considered the best method; and various remedies 

 were mentioned for the destruction of the thrip, though it was allowed no 

 effectual mode of destroying that insect has yet been discovered. 



May 15. 1837. — Mr. Leyton gave his second lecture upon chemistry', and 

 commenced by exemplifying the theory of Phlogiston, invented by Stahl, 

 which was supported for nearly half a century by all the greatest chemists of 

 the age. He then proceeded to elucidate its overthrow by the more rational 

 theory of Lavoisier (after the discoveries of Priestley and Black), who esta- 

 blished oxygen as the universal acidifying and alkalising power, as well as the 

 supporter of life, and combustion. He then referred to the overthrow of the 

 latter theory, by the sublime discoveries of Sir Humphry Davy in respect of 

 chlorine, iodine, &c. ; showing that the most powerful of the acids (nuiriatic 

 acid) was destitute of oxygen, &c. Mr. Leyton, dividing his subject into three 

 divihions (the simple substances, the compound substances, and the laws of 

 decompositionand recomposition), expatiated upon the simplegaseous elements, 

 and the peculiar compounds they form with each other. He then pointed out 

 the remarkable contrasts effected by the combination of some of the gases, 

 such as in nitrous and nitric acid, which are composed of the same substances 

 as form atmospheric air, but in different proportions, showing that a greater 



