3/6 
REPORT— 1854. 
llns increase m weight in the growing hyacinth is due to the fixation of 
water, and not to the decomposition of carbonic acid in the atmosphere; at 
lea^t a smaller bulb which was placed under a colourless shade, and cut off 
from the external atmosphere by the edges of the glass dipping into water, 
grew and flowered perfectly well; and when removed from the shade on 
i larch 22ud, and dried as the others were, it gave the following weight:— 
Primary weight of bulb. Fully developed plant. Actual increase. 
6'25 gw. 1 ifj 7 grs. 542 grs. 
or as 1000 ; 1867,— 
a larger proportional increase of weight than in any of the other experi¬ 
ments, the actual increase being about the same as that of the other plant 
which grew under the colourless glass. 
The leaves that grew in the dark were perfectly etiolated, excepting just at 
trie tips, where they showed the normal green colour gradually shading <iU a* 
it descended. The leaves that appeared in the experiments with the obscured 
glasses, were somewhat lighter in tint than those growing where the direct 
radiance of the sun could find access. The character of the light, under 
which the flowers were grown, did not affect their colour at all in the way 
that might have been expected. They were all, as on the former occasion, 
o an equally deep purple; even that which grew in complete darkness «• 
lumted the same depth of colour in all the petuls, excepting a few of th® 
ow or ones. 1 he purple flower under the colourless glass when fading turrn 
to red; and this was also the case under the blue and yellow glasses; bu 
he flower under the red glass showed no trace of red colour, even when 
W i Ulte 8l T e led "P. nor was there any such change in the intense purple 
tha appeared where light was excluded. * t , kl 
P 2 iraen ‘ s ^ those just detailed, it is difficult to separate jjuj 
t j g f* le *J® 4 et adventitious circumstances from the gemnne 
which tva ^ °^ I fc , l)t. However, we may safely remark in the exp er * 
off* tl»i, vas conducted in perfect obscurity—the rapid and abundant g 
I nZlTP t'] 1 ’ general healthiness of the plant, the 
alteredV •»’ 116 P roduc ^ on of the colouring matter of the Bo" > j 
6 ,1 ,ts s, dsequent fading. The two experiments performed » 
of the ? ? P t ar r' as cloSf,, y '‘Hke as possible, until the last week, when 
ofth e m , ,e(1, Tl,e fact the chemical rays were cut off ft** 
with the nt! ad V 10 apparent difference. Their backwardness, as conP J 
position wbi^r fl ° Wers vvas Probably owing to their having been ptaJJ (|) . 
full li<ri,f pf?/ ' vas somewhat colder than that of those which rec _ . 
modified nt 6 ?Un< , tweets of obscurity were observable m ^ 
plants did T\** tp,e 3 r both absorbed touch more water than ^ 
rooj a, d'}nn c t effect 0f thc ** glass in interfering with tb 
and in tho r 1 duC ' Dg a bat *ly developed plant, was observed bjt h 
W o? IT :'« Crics ° f cx r'orimrnts. Us power of prevent** io 
causing !|‘ is rt -'»r“kablc. The effect of the y cIlo " h f’ ,|,e 
absorption of few ? nd straggling, and m 
appeared to a. . , Was a l so noticed in both instances. A» e 
P S Z £ ° of the hyacinth. ft, 
its production b n i 0Ur, ". g maltCr of leaves requires the action o j ^ 
observations hy {w l ^ . lum " lous «•)*• From aua °« ' a '„ Joined 
hold good in rJspectVo anU otbers ’ the sa , me 1,a5 ,Scinth ^ 
other witness a R u? t '. olours of flowers, but the purple hyac 
A number of pxn °-' 1 inc ^ uce us to doubt this too hasty eon - 
number of experiments on germination were made during the T 
