398 On managing Plants during their Voyage from China, 



my subsequent experience completely confirmed me. I be- 

 lieve their death is entirely caused by the salt atmosphere, 

 which they cannot endure ; and it is obvious that if under 

 glass, they would be secured from this. 



Much depends upon the season of the year when plants 

 are brought from China. The period of leaving China should, 

 if possible, be J anuary or February, as the sun at that time is 

 not far distant in point of latitude from the ship's course, at 

 least not so much so as at some other parts of the year. As 

 the ship bears to the North of the Line the sun will be doing 

 the same. Another great object is to arrive in England as late 

 in the spring as possible, after the cold weather is past ; many 

 plants are often lost after coming into the English channel. 



I adduce the following circumstances in support of the 

 foregoing observations. When I was outward bound to China, 

 with fruit trees, esculent vegetables, &c. under my charge, 

 my plants were placed in the long boat, between the side of 

 the long boat and another boat within it ; one portion was 

 exposed to the sun and light, and these, generally speaking, 

 did well ; the remainder were so placed that they got little 

 or no sun, and nearly the whole died while they were passing 

 the Cape of Good Hope, the plants being tender and full of 

 sap, the climate cold, and the ship sailing to nearly 40° south 

 latitude, at our Midsummer, that is in the Midwinter there. 

 When homeward bound, I had four boxes filled with Camel- 

 lias, each box containing ten plants ; two of these were placed 

 on the poop (as most of my plants were,) these had not a sick 

 or dead plant in them when they arrived in England ; the 

 two others were placed under the poop projection, which 

 together with the deck for many feet was covered with an 



