500 
ACCELERATION OF THE GROWTH OF WHEAT. 
tlie several opinions which had been 
formed respecting the different kinds of 
su^ar obtained from the cane, grapes, 
and other plants, and had found, from 
numerous experiments, that the analysis 
of the sugar of grapes was within the 
average afforded by those of different 
cane sugars, of which he considered 
that there existed two distinct kind. 
Upon subjecting the sugar from the 
mangel wurtzel to the same processes as 
those to which the East India sugars 
were submitted, he had obtained crys- 
tals in no respect different from those 
of the cane sugar ; and he, therefore, 
considered the two kinds in every res- 
pect identical. He considered, that the 
quarter of a cwt, of the malt from man- 
gel wurtzel was equivalent to a i)ushel 
of common malt, for the purposes of 
brewing. The climate best adapted to 
the growth of the plant, was that of the 
vallevs rather than on the tops of hills, 
and from c ■imputation, he thought that 
there were in England about .500,003 
acres of land favourable to its culture. 
Mr. G. Webb Hall stated, that he 
had been an extensive grower of this 
plant, and that from experience, he was 
not prepared to take so sanguine a view 
of the benefits likelv to he derived from 
its cultivation as Mr. Rootsey. Although 
crops might occasionally grown, 
which yeilded 6 ) or even 90 tons per 
acre, he considered, that 4-0 was above 
the average. But i' was not the case, 
that the quantity of sugar to be obtained 
from any crop increased in pro])ortion to 
the weight of the crop from the same 
ground; and in France it was found, 
that one crop of 23 tons would often 
yield as much as another of 40. In 
lEssex, it had been found, that the plant 
which before Christmas ynelded sugar 
would after Christmas furnish only a 
molasses, incapable of beir>g crvstallized. 
'Fhe great difficulty of crystallizing the 
sugar, arose from the rapidity with 
which the acetous fermentation took 
place, and which in our climate it was 
extremely difficulty to avoid. In the 
West Indies, the process was accom- 
plished in three days. He considered, 
that sugar prepared from the mangel 
wurtzel in England could never com- 
pete with that from the cane ; and if 
the manufacture of it were successful in 
France, it was rather to be attributed to 
the government regulations, by which it 
was protected, than to any other cause. 
even admitting the climate of that coun- 
try to be more advantageous than that 
of England for its growth. 
Some crystalline fragments of pure 
white and transparent sugar, resem 
bling sugar candy, and of considerable 
dimensions, which had been naturally 
formed in the flowers of Rhododendron 
Ponticum, were then exhibited to the 
Section, Professor Henslow. There is 
minute glandular spot near the base, 
and on the upper surface of the ovarium, 
whence exudes a thick clammy juice, 
which, on desication, crystallizes into 
the substance here mentioned. 
Mr. G. Webb Hall read a communica- 
tion ‘On the Acceleration of the Growth 
of Wheat.’ After pointing out the ad- 
vantages which might accrue to agricul- 
ture, from the attention given by scientfic 
men to certain su'Jects with which it 
was connected ; and the absolute neces- 
sity which now existed for making the 
most extensive and careful investigations 
concerning many j)oints of great impor- 
tance to the success of agriculture, he 
proceeded to call the attention of the 
Section to a statement of facts, by which 
it would he seen that the usual period 
allotted to the occu|)alion of the ground 
for a crop of wheat might be very ma- 
terially abridged. At an average, this 
might he estimated at ten months, 
though twelve, and even thirteen, were 
not unusual, and eight might Ije consi- 
dered as the shortest period for tiie or- 
dinary winter wheat. By a selection of 
particular seed, and a choice of peculiar 
situation, wheat sown early in March 
has been on different occasions, ripened 
before the middle of August, a period 
scarcely exceeding five inontlis. Mr. 
Hall considers it an unquestionable law 
of vegetation that the offspring of a 
])lant of early maturity itself se^ks to 
l)ecome so likewise, even when jdaced 
in unpropitious circumstances, and that 
it recedes with reluctance from the con- 
dition of its parent. Hence the seed of 
a crop which has been ripened in five 
months has a better prospect of produc- 
ing another crop equally accelerated 
than that from a crop which has been 
longer in ripening. He also asserted 
that the acceleration of a crop was fur- 
ther promoted by thick sowing, which 
likewise might be considered advantage- 
ous in checking and stopping the mil- 
dew. 
