British Association for the Advancement of Science. 13 



The Rev. J. Yates read a paper on the same subject. Wish- 

 ing, he observed, to make an experiment, on a large scale, which 

 might be exhibited at the meeting of the British Association in 

 Liverpool, a green-house, nine feet by eighteen in dimensions, 

 and with a southern aspect, had been erected in the yard of the 

 Mechanics' Institute, in Mount-street. It was stocked Avith for- 

 eign plants of all kinds, to the number of about eighty species. 

 A list of the plants, and observations on their condition and pro- 

 gress, accompanied the report. The general result of the exper- 

 iment was, that the plants had flourished perfectly well, being in 

 a vigorous and healthy state, without any extraordinary growth. 

 Many of them had flowered, and Canna and some Ferns had ri- 

 pened seed. The green-house had no flue, and no provision for 

 any artificial heat. It was judged best to construct it without a 

 flue, both as least expensive, and for the purpose of trying, by a 

 fair experiment, to what extent plants might in this state be kept 

 alive, even during the severity of winter, which would certainly 

 die if fresh air were more freely admitted. It was also to be ob- 

 served, that nothing had been done to prevent the water from es- 

 caping through the yellow sandstone rock, on which the green- 

 house was erected, and hence it had been necessary to give the 

 plants occasionally a fresh supply of water. Mr. Yates further 

 stated, that he had also grown plants under glass in London, where 

 no plant could be made to flourish without such a protection. 

 Nearly a year ago he planted Lycopodiuon denticulatmn in a chem- 

 ical preparation glass, with a ground stopper. During that time 

 the bottle has never been opened ; yet the Lycopodium continues 

 perfectly healthy, and has grown very much, although, for want 

 of space, the form of the plant is distorted. Seeds which hap- 

 pened to be in the soil have germinated, and Marchantia has 

 grown of itself within the glass. He also obtained a hollow glass 

 globe of eighteen inches diameter, and with an aperture sufficient 

 to admit the hand for planting the specimens. A variety of Ferns 

 and Lycopodiums were then set in the soil, which was properly 

 moistened with water. This having been done, the aperture was 

 covered with sheet India-rubber, its attachment to the glass being 

 made perfectly air-tight. No change of air could take place, except 

 by percolation through the India-rubber, which was every day 

 forced either outwards, as the air within the glass was heated and 

 expanded, or inwards in the reverse circumstance ; these Ferns 



