ADeJZeVPih9ir4m"}        Belladonna  and  Hyoscyamus.  537 
The  second  sample  experimented  with  in  191 1  consisted  of  a  lot 
of  seed  purchased  as  the  drug  Hyoscyamii  Semen.  Some  of  these 
seed  were  sown  on  February  22nd  and  a  second  lot  on  March  26th. 
Both  plantings  required  about  three  weeks  to  germinate.  From  these 
plantings  seventy  plants  were  secured  and  transferred  to  flats  con- 
taining good,  rich  potting  soil.  The  plants  all  made  rapid  growth  and 
began  to  send  up  flowering  shoots  in  about  three  weeks.  The 
characteristic  rosette  of  basal  leaves  of  the  biennial  plant  was  not 
present  in  a  single  specimen.  All  of  the  plants  flowered  before  the 
weather  was  suitable  for  outside  planting,  and,  although  the  plants 
were  small,  they  represented  typical  annual  Hyoscyamus  niger. 
On  April  26th  seed  of  Hyoscyamus  niger,  H.  albus,  and  H.  pictus 
were  sown  in  cold  frames.  These  all  germinated  in  from  eight  to 
ten  days,  and  H.  albus  coming  up  first.  The  soil  in  the  seed  beds  was 
very  light  and  sandy.  No  fertilizer  whatever  was  applied.  All  of 
these  plants  were  allowed  to  remain  in  the  cold  frames,  the  sash 
being  permanently  removed  as  soon  as  danger  of  frost  was  over. 
The  plants  were  crowded  in  rows,  and  the  rows  were  close  together.. 
Other  larger  growing  plants  around  the  cold  frames  soon  placed  the 
Hyoscyamus  in  quite  dense  shade.  The  conditions  affecting  the 
growth  of  the  plants  throughout  the  season  were  such,  that  had  semi- 
latent  biennial  characters  been  present  in  any  of  the  plants  one  would 
have  looked  for  a  large  number  of  biennial  forms.  The  result  of 
the  experiment,  however,  was  that  every  one  of  about  two  hundred 
plants  in  each  row  sent  up  the  flower  stalk,  produced  flowers,  and 
fruited. 
Experimental  Planting,  1912. 
The  first  planting  in  1912  was  done  on  March  2nd,  and  consisted 
of  three  lots  of  seed  freshly  imported  from  Germany  and  labeled 
as  Hyoscyamus  niger,  H.  albus,  and  H.  pictus.  I  secured  a  good, 
even  germination  from  each  of  these  trials  in  two  weeks'  time. 
About  seventy-five  plants  of  each  lot  were  transferred  to  flats  the 
1st  of  April,  and  to  three-inch  pots  May  14th.  Two  weeks  later 
they  were  planted  out  in  the  open  garden,  being  placed  in  plots  of 
two  different  kinds  of  soil.  One-half  of  the  three  species  were  placed 
in  a  very  light  sandy  loam  and  the  other  half  in  soil  consisting 
of  light  sandy  loam  mixed  with  about  equal  parts  of  rich,  well- 
rotted  peat  and  other  humus.  All  of  the  plants  made  a  good,  con- 
tinual growth  from  the  time  the  seeds  germinated  until  maturity, 
