50 Experiments on Plants in Charcoal. 



the Public Conservatory, previous to the late calamitous 

 fire, can bear testimony to their beauty and luxuriance. 

 The earth of one large camellia, (double white,) with 

 about 250 blooms was nearly altogether changed, the tub 

 having fallen off with much of the earth. 1 hardly ex- 

 pected to save the blossoms, but they opened in as great 

 splendor as the others. It seems to me that the period of 

 the opening of the flowers was also generally accelerated. 

 We had 20 or 30 out the first week in November, and the first 

 week in December, just previous to the fire, I counted 

 above 500 in full beauty ; this Avas certainly earlier than 

 we had them in previous years. 



Passiflora Loudon//, which, under the best of common 

 cultivation, has always yellow and unhealthy looking 

 leaves, was placed in this mixture with the addition of 

 charcoal drainage. The rapid change in its appearance 

 was surprising, and although, from unavoidable circum- 

 stances, it was removed into this soil just previous to flow- 

 ering, yet instead of being checked, fresh flower racemes 

 shot forth, and, with the others, opened their beautiful 

 blossoms in the greatest splendor; the foliage becoming of a 

 fine healthy green and spread open, not curled in at the 

 edges. 



I had several other experiments in progress on the use of 

 charcoal, some of which I had hoped would have thrown 

 light on its immediate action on the roots of plants — a sub- 

 ject on which we are at present in the dark : unfortu- 

 nately, these with many others were destroyed by acci- 

 dental fire. 



My impression from these trials is, that although char- 

 coal alone is nearly useless, yet when mixed in due pro- 

 portion with the earths and salts, usually found in soils 

 and manures, its presence is highly beneficial, and greatly 

 promotes the luxuriance of vegetation, as far as regards 

 stems and leaves. Of its value in the production of flow- 

 ers and seeds, I am not, for the reasons before stated, able 

 to give an opinion of any worth. 



it may be thought, and probably is in part true, that 

 much of the luxuriance of the last named experiments 

 arose from the use of Guano water ; but from other experi- 

 ments with charcoal, instituted for the purpose of making 

 comparisons with Guano, and in which of course none was 

 used, I cannot hesitate to beheve that some portion of this 



