REPORT ON YARIOrS MANURES AT CnTSWICK. 
25 
lings were observed in all six boxes of each plant on the following 
dates : — 
i. Dactylis, April 16 ; ii. AntJioxantJium, April 16 ; iii. Lolium 
perenne, April 14 ; iv *. ^oa pratensis {annua ?), April 16 ; v. Po« 
trivialis {annua ?), April 12 ; vi. Bromus mollis, April 12 ; vii. Tri- 
folium pratense, April 10 ] viii. Lotus corniculatus, April 12 ; ix. 
Trifolium repens, April 8 ; x. Blantago lanceolata, April 12 ; 
xi. Achillea Millefolium, April 12 ; xii. Carum Carui, April 26. 
During the period from April 1 to 26 rather more than an inch 
of rain is recorded to have fallen at Chiswick, 0"54 (or about half) 
of which fell on the 23rd, when all but the Carum had already shown 
above ground. The amount of rain, then, received by the plants 
during germination was trifling. The temperature of the soil in 
the boxes was unfortunately not noted ; but in the garden adjacent 
the soil at one foot in depth was noted at an average of 44i°'l E. from 
April 1-7, of 50°-7 from April 8-14, of 51°-3 from April 15-21, 
of53°'l from April 22-28. It may fairly be assumed that the 
seeds, which were buried only an inch or two below the surface, 
were exposed to a proportionately higher earth-temperature than 
that just mentioned. 
Speaking in general terms, it may be stated that the leguminous 
plants were the first to germinate ; these were followed by the 
Plantain and the Milfoil, and subsequently by the grasses, begin- 
ning with Bromits mollis and Poa trivialis {annua ?) ; but the 
latest of one set germinated at about the same time as the earliest 
of the next, and so on. Latest of all, and after a considerable in- 
terval, was the Caraway. 
The seedlings of each of the twelve species made their appear- 
ance about the same time, irrespectivelyof the nature of the manure. 
One month after the sowing of the seeds, viz. on May 3, the 
seedlings in all the six boxes of each set were observed to be in 
the same stage of development, though there were differences in 
the degree of vigour &c. in the various boxes, and individual differ- 
ences in each box, as will hereafter be stated. 
Hence, as might have been anticipated, no perceptible influ- 
ence was exerted by the manures until after the appearance of 
* As already stated, there was considerably more Poa annua than P. pratensis 
or trivialis in boxes iv and v. It will also be observed that there was a difference 
of four days in the appearance of the seedlings above ground in the six boxes 
iv. and v. respectively. As the large admixture of Poa annua was not _detectcd 
for some time, it is not certain to which species the dates above cited really belong. 
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