424

Sequel of Mr Naismith’s Inquiry

tlie moss in the pots, spread around the surface, and bound it sofast together, that it was with difficulty it could be torn asunder.

October 14 4h. A few grains of the wheat of each pot havingbeen kept, and those of No. 1. and 3. being more full of juicethan those of No. 2., which were already shrivelled, each wereput in a separate paper, and the whole put under one cover, andlaid in a dry place, that they might become equally dry. Theirproportional weight this day was—20 grains of No. 2. were equalto 12 of No. 1. and 13 of No. 3.

It has been observed by others, as a singularity in peat-moss,that the reptiles wlych frequent cultivated land are not to befound in it. This struck the present writer very strongly manyyears ago, on seeing a piece of moss turned over, which had theappearance of a fine rich black mould, yet not a single instanceof the earth worm (iumbricus terrestris) was to be found in it,though this reptile abounds in all fertile soils ; and even roundthe edges of peat-mosses, where the land water has carried earth,and the plough made encroachments, and mixed it with the moss,the earth worm, and the mole in pursuit of it, is very prevalent.As putrid vegetable matter seems evidently to be the food ofthis reptile, it would appear, either that the vegetable matter inrotten moss is not in a fit state of preparation for their food, orthat the undecomposed substanoe does not afford them a suit-able lodging. To try if the moss in the flower-pots, which hadnourished large plants, would furnish accommodation to earthworms, a number of small ones were gathered, and a dozen putamong the moss of each flower-pot, leaving them to stand in theopen air. In about a week after, the flower-pots were examined,and not a single worm remained in any of them.

October $0tk. The moss in one of the flower-pots having beenwell dried, was reduced to charcoal, by burning in a close ves-sel ; and though the season for making experiments on vegetationwas nearly over, the flower pots were filled with friable mouldtaken from a piece of waste ground covered with grass, but hadnever been known to get any manure, and a quantity of peatcharcoal mixed with the mould of one of the pots.—On the 10 lh■of November, three grains of barley were planted on each pot,and they were placed in a warm corner of a room. The plantscame up equally on both ; and as soon as they appeared, theywere placed in the inside of a window for the benefit of the light.The plants made slow and equal advances for several days; afterwhich, the temperature being still moderate, and a fire always inthe room, those growing over the mixture of charcoal, visibly ap-peared to be gaining the superiority, which became daily morediscernible. They continued growing slowly till about the mid-dle of January 1814, when the cold became so intense, that not-withstanding every precaution, the plants languished and madeno more progress .—January 21th ; All hope of carrying the ex-