Experiments and observations on the vegetation of plants : which shew that the common opinion of the amelioration of the atmosphere by vegetation in solar light, is ill founded / by James Woodhouse.

  • Woodhouse, James, 1770-1809.
Date:
[1802?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Experiments and observations on the vegetation of plants : which shew that the common opinion of the amelioration of the atmosphere by vegetation in solar light, is ill founded / by James Woodhouse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    II. Of the Ejects produced by the Growth of Plants in atmofphc- ricul Air. On the 27 th of May, twelve plants ofperficafia polygonum, Growth of plan' two inches high, growing in earth, were confined in a glaisln atm0 ' mr' veflel in fifty-two ounce mcafures of atmofpherical air, of the purity of 100, and often expofed to the influence of folar light. On the 4th of June, they had increafed about two inches in height. The air being examined at this time, was found to contain ?%■§ parts of carbonic acid gas, and to be reduced in purity to 80. Several young plants of rhaphanus lativus, la- tura ftramonium, phytolacca decandra, zea maiz, phafeolus fativus, fidum telephium, amaranthus hyboidus, cucurbitaci- trullus, firjmbrium, and lactuca lativa, were alfo feparately confined in from forty to eighty ounce meafures of atmofpheri- cal air, which was examined at various times, from one hour to thirty days, after the plants had been placed in it. Carbo-They produce nic acid gas was generally formed, and whenever this circum-carbon)C acid. n i ii • r i • i---ni gasr and dirm- jtance happened, the purity or. the air was dimmuned. nifhed the pun Many of the lame kind of vegetables were alfo confined in of ^ air» forty ounce meafures of oxigenous gas, which had been well in ox;gen ,/•„, walhed in lime water, and the purity of the air was very gene- niih its purity rally leilened, fixed air being generated. They turned of acarbonic acid- white or yellow colour, and foon died, after being placed in at- inolpheiieal air. The fame effects are produced by the growth of plants as by In confined i the germination of feeds in common air, and by the fame caufes. Plants the de*l CSVini? D3rtS $L I If the leaves are confined a confiderable time, part of them de-ford carbon ar' cay, and the coal of the dead portion, uniting with the 6xigenfrnnacid,whi of the atmofpheric air, generates carbonic acid. This acid is decompofes. decompofed by the living leaf. Its coal isabfiracled, while its oxigen is left in the form of pure air. When the oxigen unites to the coal of the animal or vege- But when th* table matter of the loil in which the plants vegetate, or to the q0J^er>tha coal of the decayed parts of the leaves, and makes fixed air decompofition quicker than the living parts can decompofe it, the plants will p dics* ipecdily die. s When a plant in perfect health, growing in a foil which con- When the foil tains little vegetable or animal matter, is confined inatmofphe- ^.on,tain.s but b . . little ot organ, xical air, it will live a long time, without producing any change ized remain*, in it. Many of the vegetables which were the fubjects ofthefe the included A 2 experiments, J-£2