_ Proceedings of the British Association 
hence that'.the formation. of wood in plants is a function of their 
xiality spcshs ‘by, Light :—that the development of the flower is due 
cate. balance of the tek Actinism and Light, since we find 
Ps tie 
St bath, the luminous and’ chemical agencies are very active during 
_. the process, and that the: egny p3 fruit and the perfecting of the 
_ - healthful conditions of the seed are due toa * combiniation of the calorific 
~. influence of the solar rays ‘hie inorganic ‘bodies, ‘the author peter it 
: eee ened -beyond a doubt—Ist. That the maximum of chemical 
~ (ac | phe peeone | was to be found where there was the least quan- 
“tity of light and. heat.-2. That as the luminous power: increased— 
__. power) diminished, until it came to its minimum, where light—luminous 
“ power—existed at its maximum,-~3d. That although Be chemical influ- 
ence extended to the red or heat-giving rays, its operations were mate- 
rially modified, and to all appearance changed, by the combined opera- 
tion of the calorific power, and that results standing in direct opposi- 
tion to those obtained by the pure chemical rays were given’ by the 
chemico-calorific rays. In conclusion, the author pointed out the wide 
field for investigation which was opening to the experimentalist, and 
he showed. that, although much had bene achieved» by. the experi- 
ments already undertaken, there yet remained an extensive: ground 
fl Ace 
yet want the researches which shall satinfgotorily show whether these | 
phe nomena are due to one great principle modifie a] the matter on 
which it acts, or whether they result from the operation of forces com- 
bined in action, although very different in their Palteog effects. 
New Researches on the Condcdt tality of the Earth; by. Prof. 
Although the good oe power a the earth is at present gen- 
erally admitted and is advantageously applied to the construction of elec- 
tric telegraphs, i it must be confessed that nothing has been hitherto known 
of the laws and theory of this singular phenom menon. In England, 
ee Germany, and Russia, it has been found advisable, for several years 
past, to form the telegraphic circuit partly with the earth and partly 
with the metallic wire, instead of forming the whole circuit with me 
tallic wire oy: I was, f believe, the first to show, by exact see 
pence between the electrodes plunged in the earth has attained a certain 
length. Having laterally renewed my studies on this subject, nari 
confirmed and extended in a complete and ean manner t 
sions drawn from my former researches; I have also piesa ote 
| result, given above, by different wi cineutil processes. T 
