MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 247 



from the kitchen, including broken glass and china was thrown, out wnicn is 

 now filled up with broken tiles and some earth. The depth of this pit is 

 about 2 feet. 



2. The seed germinated in five days and after 2 weeks the plant began to 

 grow very rapidly. In the beginning of September the lamina of the largest 

 leaf on the plant measured 17" broad and 16" long, the petiole of the leaf 

 being 8" long. The plant attained a height of 9 feet, (I still possess the stem 

 of another plant which grew to the height of 10 feet but its flower head is 

 slightly smaller), and the diameter of the stem at six inches above the ground 

 was 5|" (in a third plant I had a diameter of 65" at 6 inches above the 

 ground and fully 9" at the base). The terminal flower head appeared in the 

 third week of August and continued to grow in size long after opening, and soon 

 obtained a diameter of 13 inches excluding the ray-flowers which themselves 

 were three inches long. After the corolla shrivelled up the head began to 

 grow very rapidly, indeed at the same time the seed was setting. The plant 

 was cut down on the 24th of October, when all the seed was perfectly ripe 

 and white. The weight of the whole head immediately after cutting, without 

 any portion of the stem, was 150f tolas, i.e., nearly 4 lbs. The diameter of this 

 head measured 17" excluding the bracts. The number of seeds was 2,820 out 

 of which 21 were double. The weight of the seeds was 14^ tolas, and they 

 were f of a seer by the native volume measure. 



3. This was the only flower head that the plant produced. 



4. It was found necessary to protect the ripening capitulum, by means of 

 a piece of cloth tied round it, from birds such as sparrows and wild pigeons 

 which seem to be fond of the seeds. 



5. Helianthus annuus is very susceptible to influences of heat and light. 

 Thus the cotyledons, when they come up, keep open during the day but 

 close by night, in order to prevent excessive radiation of heat and also to 

 protect the young bud that lies between them. There, however, appear to 

 be some mistaken notions about the heliotropiom of the flower heads, the 

 common belief being that all flowers are turned towards and move with the 

 Sun, which is not exactly correct. 



6. When the first (i. e. terminal) bud appears, it continues to move with 

 the Sun for some days. Thus in the morning it is turned towards the East, in 

 the middle of the day it points vertically upwards and in the evening towards 

 the West. The duration of the period of these mutations, depends upon the 

 condition of the weather and the vigour of the plant. Once the flower head 

 is open, all movement ceases, the peduncle taking a definite position and 

 becoming rigid. Most of the terminal flowers face the East. The secondary 

 heads which are produced on the axils of leaves show no power of movement. 

 About the time that the whole plant is ripe and about to dry up, resin has 

 formed in abundance in all the parts of the plant (especially the apical ones), 

 which give out a sweet scent. 



7. There are many interesting problems connected with the growth and 



