46 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c January 20, mi. 
localities, painting as opportunities permitted her the distinctive 
flowers which she not only met with on the ordinary thorough¬ 
fares, but explored hills and valleys in quest of. The lady does 
not intend the boundaries of Australia to circumscribe her pre¬ 
sent intentions. Her desire is to paint, as far as is possible, the 
wild flowers of the world, and she has now proceeded to Victoria 
to secure for it that furtherance which her devotion to her task 
is likely to acquire. ’ 
SELECTION OF VEGETABLES. 
For the information of the correspondent who writes under 
this heading at page 30, I may state that I placed Giant White 
Runner Bean, Shorthorn Carrot, Wheeler’s Tom Thumb Lettuce, 
William I. Pea, and Green Gage Tomato, first of their respective 
kinds, because I could answer from experience as to their merits 
in the majority of cases. To make matters more simple for your 
correspondent, I may say Giant White Runner Beans when used 
in that tender state when the pods are nearly full grown, but the 
beans hardly formed, are as green as desirable when cooked. 
Shorthorn Carrot is more suitable for all soils and situations than 
any other variety, as it comes more quickly to maturity and does 
not require such a depth of soil as the long varieties. A hundred 
plants of Wheeler’s Tom Thumb Lettuce may be grown either in 
frames or out of doors at any time of the year in the same space 
as would be required for three dozen of the ordinary Cos varieties, 
and its little heads will be found more serviceable and high- 
flavoured than any other that can be grown in the same time or 
space of ground. A Pea like William 1. that will come in very 
early and may be had very late can hardly fail to be a good 
useful Tea for anyone only growing one variety. Better could be 
named for particular times, especially for midseason, but con¬ 
sidering the season from first to last this Pea could not fail to 
give satisfaction. Carter’s Green Gage Tomato is a general 
favourite with all who have grown it on account of its prolific 
habit and rich flavour. Your correspondent has evidently doubts 
about the Custard Marrow, but as I and many others have proved, 
it is free-bearing and of very fine flavour.—J. Muir. 
THE EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY ON VEGETATION. 
{Continued from page 546, last vol.) 
How Plants Grow. —It has always been an,unsettled point 
as to the precise manner in which liquid sap becomes converted 
into the more solid fibres and tissues of the plant’s structure. 
The common belief has been that the sap undergoes some kind of 
elaboration within the leaves, and is then passed back again to 
commingle with other sap in the stems and branches, by which it 
is precipitated as a deposit. For such credence there is, however, 
not the slightest support, for no downward trace of the sap has 
ever yet been detected, nor would such a proceeding be possible 
without inverting the natural order of the existing arrangements ; 
but, on the other hand, there is the most indisputable evidence 
possible, as confirmed by the preceding experiment, that by electro¬ 
chemical deposition an albuminous fluid can be consolidated into 
a transparent gelatinous substance, and to those who are conver¬ 
sant with the principle of the “ electrotype” or the production of 
metallic castings, precipitated by electricity from a solution of the 
metallic oxide, the identity of the two processes will be readily 
apparent. In the one case the metal is made soluble by being 
combined with oxygen, and in this liquid state it is placed in con¬ 
tact with a conducting mould, when by withdrawing the oxygen 
it is again made insoluble, and becomes deposited as a bright regu- 
line metal, taking the exact form of the surface to which it is thus 
made to adhere. In the other case carbon takes the place of the 
metal, and by being combined with oxygen it also is rendered 
soluble, and constitutes the basis of all albuminous compounds. 
In figures 96 and 97 on page 547 of the last volume this fluid 
albumen, consisting of “ white of eggs,” is represented as having 
formed around the positive electrode (r) only a loose frothy mass, 
whilst around the negative electrode (e), which indicates the 
growing condition, it has assumed a specific form—a hollow and 
somewhat globular ball of jelly-like consistence, attached to 
which, as a tangent to the central part of the outer surface, 
springs the diaphragm (c G), which is brought into existence to 
separate the opposite electrical conditions of the two portions of 
the electrolysed albumen. On the same principle as the produc¬ 
tion of this diaphragm by the “ deflexion ” of force we have a 
very common but perfectly similar result occurring in our ordi¬ 
nary fishtail gas burners—two oblique jets of gas issuing from 
cylindrical passages strike together, by which they are then spread 
out into a flat flame transversely to their own direction, just in 
the same manner as in the above experiment. 
By analysing the structure of a common fowl’s egg in conjunc¬ 
tion with the preceding phenomena, it affords us a far better oppor¬ 
tunity of understanding that which takes place on a more diminu¬ 
tive scale among the cells of plants than, from their minuteness, 
could possibly be derived from these microscopic formations 
themselves. Thus, supposing the negative electrode (e) to be sur¬ 
rounded by a ring of positive electrodes in such manner that the 
force would be converging to the negative centre from all direc¬ 
tions, the transverse diaphragm would then necessarily become 
curved, so as to form an entire bag or envelope around it, just as it 
occurs in the egg, the shell being lined with a watertight mem¬ 
brane closely adherent to its inner surface. With regard to the 
shell itself ; this, too, is equally represented. Instead of the 
white of egg in figs. 96 and 97 let some plain water with a few 
grains of common table salt or a few drops of dilute sulphuric 
acid be introduced, and the lime out of the ivory (G) under the 
positive electrode (f) will then be taken up and carried away to 
the negative electrode (e), upon which it will crystallise, forming 
a whitish encrustation ; but with the white of egg the viscidity of 
the latter causes the lime to be arrested at the central diaphragm 
(C G), and there to form a layer of globular lime crystals identical 
with such as are seen in the hardening shells of crustaceans, such 
as shrimps, crabs, &c. Within the egg and floating in the albu¬ 
men is another bag containing the yolk, ■which is the immediate 
nidus of the embryo chick. But should this second bag by any 
accident become ruptured so as to suffer the different contents to 
mix together, it would be good-bye to all chance of a chicken. 
From this it is seen to be evident that it is the relative position 
which is all-important, and not merely the presence of certain 
compounds irrespective of their relative places. To secure the 
contents of the egg from the risk of such injury a most beautiful 
provision is made, which does not appear to be rightly appreciated. 
It is generally imagined that the vesicle of air contained at one 
end of the egg is intended as some sort of temporary sustenance 
for the bird before it leaves the shell; but this is a mere figment. 
Its real use is to act as an elastic spring to maintain the contents 
of the egg as always filling the interior, so as to avoid shaking. 
Were this air absent and the egg full when cold, the warmth of the 
bird would cause it to expand and burst the shell, like water-pipes, 
by the frost; but as air is compressible, although liquids are not, 
the air shrinks in bulk to make room for it, and then expands 
again whenever the contraction of the liquid may follow. This 
same principle has been adopted to prevent water-pipes, casks, &c., 
from being burst by the frost. In the case of the former a very 
small indiarubber tube, tightly closed at both ends, is inserted 
along the interior wherever it may be liable to become frozen ; 
but in the latter an uncorked empty champagne bottle is floated, 
neck downwards, in the centre of the jar or cask, and retained 
there either by being tethered to a brick or fastened to a stake 
placed diagonally across from top to bottom. 
Now, as the developing chick requires a supply of carbon out 
of which to form its flesh, feathers, and bones, &c., we find this 
supply stored up in the surrounding albumen—the white, in which 
it floats, and which disappears in proportion as the bulk of the 
bird increases. But this albumen is also the main food of plants. 
It has been generally asserted that vegetation derives its entire 
supply of carbon from the carbonic acid contained in the atmo¬ 
sphere. That, however, is a sweeping assertion that seems quite 
inconsistent with known facts. One of the richest manures that 
can be applied to plants is bullocks’ blood, the serum constituting 
the greater part of which is albumen. All animal and vegetable 
material is also composed of albuminous compounds rich in 
carbon ; and as these constitute the food of plants, it can only be 
by furnishing them with a carbon compound they can readily and 
rapidly appropriate.—W. K. Bridgman, Norwich . 
(To be continued.) 
SENECIO SPECIOSUS. 
Though not a novelty in the strict sense of the word, it is 
only recently that general attention has been directed to this 
plant ; and as from its attractiveness it is likely to become a 
favourite both for indoor and outdoor decoration, a few remarks 
upon the history connected with the species and the ornamental 
value of the plant may not be devoid of interest. 
First, regarding the native country of the plant there has been 
great confusion, for China, Mauritius, and South Africa have each 
been assigned as the portion of the globe whence it was first 
obtained. However, the claims of the last-named continent have 
now been fully established, and it is probable that if plants had 
been sent to England from China or Mauritius they had been 
previously introduced there from South Africa. Mr. N. E. Brown 
of Kew has devoted some attention to the history and synonyms 
