516 Experiments on Kyanized wood, fyc, 



should be stated, however, that both boxes were painted, and, 

 therefore, this circumstance might help to preserve the plants in 

 the Kyanized box. 



In the month of June in the same year, some Kyanized wood 

 free from paint was put amongst the stems and leaves of Caland- 

 rinia discolor, and a common Pelargonium, and then covered with 

 hand-glasses. At the same time hand-glasses were put over an 

 equal number of plants of the same description which grew side by 

 side with the others. After growing in these circumstances for 

 three months, it did not appear that the Kyanized wood had pro- 

 duced any bad effects — the plants grew freely in both places and 

 the Calandrinia ripened its seed as freely in the one place as in the 

 other. 



It seemed plain from these experiments, that wood dipped in 

 Kyan's tanks produced no injurious effects upon plants in a dry 

 and cool atmosphere ; but there was no reason to conclude that it 

 would be equally harmless in a warm and moist one, because if any 

 chemical action took place it was more likely to do so in the latter 

 case than in the former. To prove whether or not this opinion was 

 correct, some plants capable of standing a very high temperature 

 were put under a hand-glass in the stove and several pieces of 

 Kyanized wood introduced amongst them. This wood was kept 

 moist by means of a small hole in the top of the hand-glass, but 

 the glass itself was never taken off for this purpose. In about 

 three weeks the effect produced was very different here from that 

 out of doors — the plants without exception began to look sickly, 

 those leaves which accidentally came in contact with the wood 

 became yellow and soon withered, and a fine vigorous specimen of 

 the sensitive plant was killed. The wood was then taken out, the 

 plants top-dressed and the hand-glass well washed. All the appa- 

 ratus was put back in the same place, the wood excepted, when 

 the sickly plants gradually recovered, their new leaves were fresh 

 and greenand were not injured as they had been before. 



