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Having ascertained that potted hyacinths would be in season for at least a month I obtained a few pounds of strip brass, a supply of 1/16 inch iron screws, drills and taps. After several weeks, during which I must have brought joy into the homes of many of those engaged in the manufacture of 1/16 inch taps, the machine was complete.
The main structure was a double see-saw of brass, carrying at one end a tall tin fitted with a syphon. Soldering being an art as yet unacquired, marine glue and pitch were requisitioned for the fittings. At the opposite end of the beam was a counterpoise, and above the centre a long lever was pivotted, its distal end engaging a sixty cog gear wheel attached to the single picture turn of the camera.
Water allowed to trickle into the tin gradually depressed it, until the syphon came into action, when the tin shed its contents with a horrible gurgle and the counterpoise gaining the ascendancy actuated the lever and, according to adjustments possible, pushed the wheel round to the extent of from one to six cogs.
The next problem was that of suitable lighting. As the exposure averaged about 15 minutes per picture the question of intensity was not likely to be troublesome, but constant lighting day and night for a week or two wasa totally different matter : also paraffin was the only available illuminant. Lamps of the ordinary type proved quite useless, the products of combustion condensing upon the glasses being sufficient to reduce the light by about 50 % in 24 hours. The art of soldering was acquired and a battery of twelve little lamps, burning without chimneys constructed, the whole thing curiously reminiscent of the footlights of a toy theatre. To get reasonable constancy four were trimmed in the morning, four at 3 p. m. and four at night.
By the time these problems had been solved the hyacinth season was well advanced, but a backward specimen, still in the bud stage was obtained, and this, in nine days, completely opened. The quality of the negative, and the result viewed upon the screen left little to be desired. Covent Garden was promptly ransacked day after day for further suitable specimens ; daffodils, roses and lilies were all successful, followed by several failures which raised the question whether an atmosphere laden with paraffin vapour and occasional showers of sooty particles was altogether conducive to the welfare of plant life. Gas was therefore introduced, a burner of the acetylene type directed on to a mantle giving, with suitable condensers and mirrors a quite sufficient illumination. Unfortunately the uneven heating caused distortion of the mantle fabric and in consequence very variable exposure. To avoid this a clockwork platform was constructed which caused the mantle to revolve and also to rise and fall. An inverted type was used, through the base of the apparatus so as to impinge upon the inside of the mantle. This light.