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(These experiments very important ought to be repeated.)

Mimosa shaking

May 5 1877

Young Mimosa with four good leaves; in having lived in little hot place. Brought out into the f middle house for experiment; the sun shining & very hot‒   The plants are fairly sensitive to a touch.

8.44 Temp. 24C was shaken so as to be sent to sleep & then tied to bob by main stem of metronome beating 32 a minute.

8 50  all leaflets nearly open‒

8.59 stopped metronome in order to let plant rest & start again

9.21 Temp 31C shook plant by starting metronome; the shaking only sends closes the leaflets on 3 petioles of one leaf asleep.

The windows were some of them opened

9.27 Temp 24C The leaf has partly recovered

9.31 almost quite open.

9.35 Tied new plant to metronome & stopped metronome

10.7 Shook it by starting metronome— The leaflets on part of two leaves closed‒

10.17 Tem 30 Partly open again

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Mimosa shaking

PM

1.5 - made bob of pendulum actually knock hard against a leaf which closed it well‒ I Did not return till 1.35

1.35 all leaflets open except 2 or 3 which the metronome would not allow to open.

2.2 another plant arranged so that metronome knocked 50 times a minute at junction of secondary petioles [sketch]

Temp 23 1/2C

2.5 began to open

2.10  almost perfectly open‒

Leaflets now sensitive to a touch

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Mimosa watering

May 5 / 1877

3 plants arranged under a shower from a fine rose of watering can about 5 – 6? above ground

The head of water was filled from a cistern in the house & must have been about 15°C not taken till but not known for certain.

10.19  one plant put under

10 24 2 others. As there was a good deal of shaking in arranging the pots it is hard to say when the closure from wetness dates from.

10.35  a leaf which is partly closed is sensitive as to a touch as its leaflets shut more on gentle pinching

10.47 The leaf which has been constantly wet is only partly shut–

I went away here

11.2 Came back & found water supply gone wrong & leaves open

11.13 Put another plant under shower

11.18 Hardly shut at all

11.19 Shook it violently so that it a leaf shut up; leaving it under shower Temp 26C of air—

11.35  This leaf is opened but it had opened before this

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Mimosa

watering

11.40. Syringed this leaf  violently & made it shut & left it still under shower

12.1  still a little shut but nothing like the shutness produced by a good syringing—

12.11   Has now opened partly in spite of shower.

11.27 to 11.58} Syringed a whole plant violently & it kept shut – The syringing was continuous except for filling the syringe & a few seconds delay for looking to shower bath occasionally–

12.10 Leaves open