384 
REPORT— 1S54. 
those which flourished in the open air, while those in perfect darkness attained 
the greatest height of all. These last plants perished on the eighth day, and 
those in the yellow light on the ninth day, while all the others continued to 
vegetate. At the end of about five weeks, the plants growing under the red 
vessel were 4 inches and 9 lilies in height; under the violet vessel a inches 
and 3 lines; under the water vessel 2 inches aud 10 lines, anil 1 inch and 3 linrs 
in the open air. With respect to the general appearance of the plants, the 
leaves of those which grew in red light were smaller and less smooth than 
those of the plants in violet light, or than the leaves of the plants confined 
under water, or than the leaves of those which grew in the open air. Ai 
to colour, the leaves exposed to yellow light wore at first green and after¬ 
wards became yellow; those in red light appeared green and preserved a 
tinge of that colour; those in violet light were quite green and their colour 
augmented with their age ; while those raised in obscurity possessed ft” 
verdure at all." These experiments were repeated on French beans wh' 1 
nearly similar results, but beyond the observation that “ in proportion as im¬ 
plants grew in height, in different kinds of light, the number and size of the* 
leaves diminished," his attention appears to have been directed only to tin 
question of colour*. 
Besides the experiments already detailed in this Report, and those on wheat 
and Malope trifida described in my former one, I have a lew other obsena 
tions on the effect of various qualities of light on the growth of plants rom 
the seed, which it may be worth while briefly to record. They wereiMK 
on the CoWinsi'a biculur of the florists, and Mignonette. . . 
beeds of the ColMmia were sown in garden mould in glasses, sna p 
under the colourless, blue, yellow, red, and darkened shades, on a tabic w 
tore a window which had a N.W. aspect. 'The perforated boards were 
for supporting the glass covers. The experiment was commencec on 
6th of July in last year. On the 9th it was found that germinationhiul 'a 
p ace under each glass except the yellow, where no plant grewunfiltW: 
L ndcr the colourless glass, ihe plants grew and flourished till the 1 8 - 
of August, when they all faded and died. Under the blue and red g 
they grew well for awhile, but began to droop by the 26th of 
under the darkened glass existed rather longer, but they weretal OT 
and the eaves did not fairly open. Only three plants germinatedMm 
yellow shade; they were all unhealthy and died before the 26 th - ," j 
4th, seeds were sown afresh under each glass. Much the same ora 
growth was observed. j, J 
On October 12th, a hundred seeds of Mignonette were sown m f 
seven glasses filled with garden mould. They were placed a ^ 
an meh below the surface. Six of the glasses were eove'ed 
- ' the colourless, blue, red, yellow, obscured colourless, and ^ 
yt ow s ades, and the seventh was placed in a dark close . xfipKt 
o saved that the closet was rather wanner than the room. 1 ^r. 
af tnr begtui fir8t t0 germinate in the dark, then under the “ ^ 
“ few days, they appeared under the red,“ J 
nnd the obscured colourlesa glasses. 'toc yellow ray IongreM d - jr J 
y their germination. Those in the dark w* > 
J °"°! o ; D tf t ,U »l»ut November 1st; the others «*■*&'&» * 
orfnn 1 ""i er thc colourless glass, which was found still ah 
gieen loaves on December 10th. „ , * 
The investigations of many experimenters have shown 
* I'rom Ellis’s “Farther Inquiries,” &c. 
