By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. 435 



where they grew well till Midsummer, after which all, except 

 one, indicated, by shedding prematurely their full grown young 

 leaves, the presence of excess of temperature. One tree, whe- 

 ther owing to any peculiarity of the constitution of the vari- 

 ety, or other cause, remained in full health till the end of 

 the summer ; when its wood and foliage, having become per- 

 fectly mature, and the latter beginning to turn yellow and 

 fall off, it was removed, in September, to the open wall. In 

 this situation it remained till the middle of December, its 

 Toots having been purposely carefully guarded from injury 

 either from excess of moisture, or of frost. In December, 

 owing to the high excitability the plant had acquired by the 

 treatment to which it had been previously subjected, its buds 

 shewed much disposition to vegetate; and it was conse- 

 quently taken from the pot to the situation it was intended 

 permanently to occupy. 



Supposing the minute fibrous roots of a plant, thus treated, 

 to be, like its leaves, organs of annual duration only, they 

 ought in this case to have wholly ceased to live ; but on the 

 contrary, I found them all alive, and all in the act of elonga- 

 ting. The evidence in this and in many other cases, of the 

 fibrous roots continuing to live and vegetate in a second sea- 

 son is positive ; that of my opponents is wholly negative, and 

 a little positive evidence in this, as in all other cases, is more 

 than equivalent to a great deal of negative evidence. I must 

 therefore conclude, in opposition to the opinion of those 

 whom I am much disposed to treat with deference, that the 

 preservation of the minute fibres of plants is important, and 

 I believe almost every experienced gardener will coincide 

 with me. 



