Protection of Flo*wersfrom Snails and Slugs. 223 



very healthy, and rooted easily in it, but did not produce many 

 roots, as was the case with M. Lucas, but, on the contrary, very 

 few. Perhaps the cause of the difference lies in the sort of 

 charcoal used ; M. Lucas used fir charcoal, and I beech char- 

 coal. It is very desirable that more experiments should be made 

 with different sorts of charcoal, to find what effect the different 

 sorts have on the same species of plants. 



Besides primulas I have made experiments in charcoal with 

 leaves of Gloxinm, Streptocarpus Rexn, Gesnera bulbosa, 

 Crassula, Cotyledon, and ^sclepia^ carnosa, all of which rooted 

 very soon ; also with twigs of Hydrangea hortensis. Citrus, Jus- 

 tice, Ferb^na, Trachelium caeruleum. Pelargonium, Passiflora, 

 and some Aloes, Stapelm, and Cacti, which also grew extremely 

 well. I was completely unsuccessful, on the contrary, with R\xo~ 

 dodendron. Plumbago capensis, and English garden primroses. 



I must also observe that I had no dung or tan bed for my 

 experiments, but at first kept my pots in a common living-room, 

 and for the last few years only have used a small green-house 

 under the same roof as my dwelling-house. 



Although these trifling experiments have had no important 

 results, they may serve as an encouragement to amateurs, as they 

 show that no paiticular or extensive preparations are required 

 for putting them in practice. 



Art. X. On the Protection of Ploivers in the Open Ground, S^c, 

 from Snails and Slugs. By W. Walker, Esq. 



I ENCLOSE you a description of an apparatus of my invention, and 

 which I, and several gentlemen in our neighbourhood, have 

 found effectual in practice. The original, of which the enclosed 

 is a copy, was laid before the Society of Arts in 1839; but, as I 

 find the Transactions of that Society have only a limited circu- 

 lation, I conclude that a great majority of the cultivators of 

 valuable plants (who are the parties to be the most benefited by 

 the invention) may possibly never see the article referred to. 

 This induces me to forward it to you for insertion in the Gar- 

 dener's Magazine ; and, as the season has arrived when its value 

 may be appreciated, if you will have the goodness to give the 

 same early publicitv you will the more oblige. Yours, 



Hully March 15.* 1841. W. Walker. 



In the Advertiser of the 26th ult. appeared an article, by F. R. Horner, 

 Esq., M.D., Hull, on this subject, which was copied from the Gardener's 

 Chronicle. Dr. Horner acknowledged in that article that he was indebted for 

 the suggestion of the principle to a scientific gentleman of this town. Mr. 

 Walker, 34. Lowgate, is the gentleman alluded to, who has requested us 

 to insert the following letter, addressed to Arthur Aikin, Esq., Secretary 



1841. — IV. ,3d Ser. q 



