Lecture on Plant Life.—At the Museum on Friday night, in the presence of a
large gathering of enthusiasts, Mr. G. Chitty Baker delivered a lecture on
“How plants grow and how to grow them.” Mr. Bernard H. Woodward, Director
of the Museum, presided. The lecturer dealt first of all with the
germination of the seed, and traced the development of the plant to its
full growth. He showed how young plants send out their roots and attach
themselves to particles of the soil, thereby assimilating their food from
the moisture found in the soil particles. He laid great stress on the
advantage of adding humus to the soil. This, he explained, conserved the
moisture, and prevented the more soluble parts of fertilisers from being
leeched away. Mr. Baker also gave several instructive demonstrations
showing the capillary attractions in various soils, from coarse gravel to
peat, and had with him some fine exhibits of nitrogenous nodules on the
plants of trefoil and broadbeans. The lecture was followed with keen
interest by those present.
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