340 



Notices of Books. 



[April 



XIII.— Selections. 



I.— Letter fwm Mr. N. B. Ward to Sir W. J. Hooker, on the Groivlh 

 of Plants without open Exposure to Air, 



Wellclose Square, London, March, 1836. 



My dear Sir, 



I have lately heard that you wish for some information respecting 

 my new method of growing plants without open exposure to air. As I 

 do not intend to publish at present a detailed account, and as much 

 misrepresentation exists upon the subject, I feel great pleasure in 

 furnishing you with the principal facts, of which you may make any 

 use you please. 



The depressing influence of the air of large towns upon vegetation, 

 had, for many years, engaged my attention. 



The science of Botany, in consequence of the perusal of the works 

 of the immortal Linmcus, had occupied me from my youth up, and the 

 earliest object of my ambition was to possess an old wall, covered with 

 ferns and mosses. Compelled by circumstances to live surrounded by, 

 and enveloped in, the smoke of numerous manufactories, all my endea- 

 vours to keep my favourites alive, proved sooner or later unavailing. 

 I was led, however, to reflect a little more deeply upon the subject, in 

 consequence of a simple incident, which occurred about seven or eight 

 years ago. I had buried the chrysalis of a Sphynx in some moist 

 mould, which was contained in a wide-mouthed glass bottle, covered 

 with a lid. In watching the bottle from day to day, I observed that 

 the moisture which during the heat of the day arose from the mould, 

 condensed on the internal surface of the glass, and returned from 

 whence it came, thus keeping the mould always equally moist. About 

 a week prior to the final change of the insect, a seedling Fern and 

 Grass made their appearauce upon the surface of the mould. 



After I had secured my insect, I was anxious to watch the develop- 

 ment of these plants in such a confined situation, and accordingly 

 placed the bottle outside my study window. The plants continued to 

 grow, and turned out to be the Poa annua and Nephrodium Filix 

 mas. I now commenced a series of experiments upon other plants, 

 principally Ferns, selecting those that were most difficult of culture, 

 such as Hymenophyllum, &c. My method of proceeding was as fol- 

 lows : — Keeping nature always in view, I endeavoured to imitate the 

 natural condition of the plants as much as possible, as regarded the ex- 

 posure to light, solar heat, moisture, &c. Thus, if Ferns were the 

 subject of experiment, they were planted in the mould most congenial 

 to them, well watered, but all the superfluous water allowed to drain off, 

 and then placed in a situation having a northern aspect. If, on the 



