488 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



continued quite as healthy and vigorous as when 

 supplied with water at the orifjinal root. In the 

 spring of 1817, I took off the large pot in which the 

 original roots were, and exposed the roots to the. 

 full rays of the sun, by gradually shaUinff off the 

 dry earth from among them ; this had no ill effect 

 on the plant, as it still remained perfectly healthy ; 

 it, however, had the eH'ect of makino; roots be put 

 out freely all over the plant, much more so than 

 had hitherto been the case. 



"In the latter end of the summer of 1817, I 

 placed a root in a third pot, which was put out 

 from a branch about three feet from the junction 

 with the piem, and on the opposite side of the 

 plant from thatwliich had supported it for some 

 time past. As soon as I Ibund this pot filled with 

 fibres, I supplied it freely with water, and kept 

 the 01 her small pot dry, as I had done before with 

 the original root, i found the plant still continue 

 equally vigorous as belbre. In the spring of 1818, 

 I took away the second pot, which I had for some 

 time kept dry, and exposed the roots gradually, 

 as I had formerly done with those in the origi- 

 nal pot, 



"The third pot, which now alone supported 

 the plant, was four feet from the lower end of the 

 stem, and very near to the extremity oi'the branch, 

 the original roots, and the second set of roots, 

 both hanging loose in the air. The plant, how- 

 t^ver, remained in this state for nearly a year in 

 perlect health. In May, 1819, 1 took a very small 

 pot, about two inches in diameter, and filled it 

 with earth as I had done the others, and set it on 

 the surface of the earth in the third pot which 

 now supported the plant. Into this small pot i 

 introduced a root which came from the same 

 branch, a little below the one which was in the 

 larger (third) pot. As soon as the small pot was 

 filled with roots, I supplied it (reely with water, 

 and gave the larger pot none but what might hap- 

 pen to run through the small one. After remain- 

 ing in this state lor near two months, I cut the 

 branch off between the two pots ; I still supplied 

 the small pot only with water, but occasionally at 

 this time threw a little water over the whole 

 plant. It continued to look as well as it had done 

 before. 



"In July last, 1819, I examined the small pot 

 (the fourth used) and found it completely filled 

 with roots, very little earth remaining in the pot. 

 By this time the plant appeared to me to be very 

 tenacious of life, and I determined to try whether 

 it would live wholly loithout earth, I accordinsly 

 took the small (fourth) pot off, and gradually 

 worked off what little earth remained among the 

 roots. I at this time, however, threw plenty of 

 water over th*e leaves, generally twice in the day : 

 this was done about the latter end of July, when 

 the weather was very warm, but it seemed to 

 liave no bad effects on the Fleas. 



" What may appear rather remarkable is, that 

 ihouiih this Ficus is a plant by no means free 

 in producing fruit in the usual way of cultivatinof 

 it, this specimen, quite suspended without a par- 

 ticle of earth, was loaded with figs during the 

 months of September, October, and part of No- 

 vember. Two fruit were produced at the axilla 

 of almost every leaf, and these were quite as large 

 as I had ever seen on the plant in the hot houses 

 of Kew Garden. The plant is beginning to grow 

 or extend, although it has now been suspended 



for eight months without a particle of earth, and 

 during that lime we have had very hot weather, 

 and also very cold weather. Roots have been 

 put out very freely all over the stem and branches 

 during that time. The plant now (February, 

 1819,) measures 7| feel between the extremity 

 of the root and the top of the branfhe.'^, and the 

 stem at the thickest part is 5^ inches in circum- 

 ference." 



EXPKRIMKNTS AND OBSERVAT lOiVS 0!V THE 

 ACTION OF CHARCOAL FROM WOOD ON 

 VEGETATION. BY EDWARD LUCAS. 



From llie same. 



" In a division of a low hothouse in the botani- 

 cal crardeii at Munich, abed was set apart for 

 young tropical plants, but instead of being filled 

 with tan, as is usually the case, it was filled with 

 the powder of charcoal, (a material which could 

 he easily procured.) the lar<jc pieces of charcoal 

 having been previously separated by means of a 

 sieve. The heat was conducted by means of a 

 tube of white iron into a hollow spai^e in this bed 

 and distributed a gentle wnrmth, sufficient to have 

 caused tan to enter into a state of fermentation. 

 The plants placed in this bed of charcoal quickly 

 vegetated, and acquired a healthy appearance. 

 Now, as always is the case in such beds, the roots 

 of many of the plants penetrated through the 

 holes in the bottom of the pots, and then spread 

 themselves out ; but these plants evidently sur- 

 passed in vicror and general luxuriance, plants 

 wrown in the common vvay, fov example, in tan. 

 S'jveral of them, of which I shall only specify 

 the beautiful Thunbcrgia alatn, and the genus 

 Peireskia, throve quite astonishingly : the blos- 

 soms of the former were so rich, that all who saw 

 it affirmed they had never belbre seen such a 

 specimen. It produced, also, a number of seeds 

 without any artificial aid, while in most cases it 

 is necessary to apply the pollen by th:^ hand. 

 The Paireski(B ;rrew so viijnrously, that the P. 

 aculeata produced shoots several pIIs in lenirth. 

 and the P. grandtfolia acquired leaves of a foot 

 in lenirth. 'Fhese facts, as well as the quick ijer- 

 minaiion of the seeds which had been scattered 

 spontaneously, and the abundant appearance of 

 younir Filices, naturally attracted my attention, 

 and I was (jradually led to a series of expRrimenls. 

 the results of which may not be uninteresting ; 

 for, besides being of practical use in the cultiva- 

 tion of most plants, they dfmonstrate also several 

 facts of importance to physiology. " The first 

 experiment which naturallv suggested itself was 

 to mix a certain proportion of charcoal with the 

 earth in which different plaints grew, and to in- 

 crease its quantity according as the advantage of 

 the method was perceived. An addition off of 

 charcoal, (or example, to vegetable mould, an- 

 peared to answer excellently for the Gesnerin, 

 and fiJoxynia, and also for the tropical jlwidea; 

 with tuberous roots. The two first soon excited 

 the attention of connoisseurs, by the great beau'y 

 of all their parts and their general Mppearance. 

 They surpassed very quicklv those culiivated in 

 the common way, both in the thickness of their 

 stems and dark color of iluir leavps ; liieir blos- 

 soms were beautiful, and their vegetation lasted 



