him who heedlessly should touch the milk- the Vegetable World, the author looks into sap that flows abundantly from its easily the geological history of our globe, in which wounded bark. Large blisters, painful ulcers, like those produced by our poisonons Su- he especially traces its progressive vegetamach, on'y more dangerous, are the inev- tion, and marks the changes of climate as itable consequences. This is the Antiar of indicated by the different tribes of fossil the Javanese, the Bhon Upas (signifying plants preserved in succes ive formations. Poison-tree) of the Malays, the Ipo of Celebes and the Phillippines, (Antiaris toxicaHe here also sets forth a theory that varieria; Lesch.) From it comes the common ties may form sub-species, which may pass Upas, (anglice, poison,) which is especially into distinct species, and even suggests that employed for poisoning arrows, a custom all species may have sprung from one. which appears to have extended formerly throughout all the Sunda Islands, but which This, in the present age, appears too much is now, since the introduction of fire-arms, like a retrograde movement, and merely a only to be met with among the savages of modification of the absurd Lamarckian thethe rugged and inaccessible mountains of the interior of the islands.” This chapter concludes with these reflec tions: "We shall not envy the inhabitant of the tropics the milk of his Cow-tree-and, content with the gift of the useful Caoutchouc, we readily resign the luxuriant nature of those regions, which have so much of the terrible mingled with their beauty. No remedy yet restrains the operations of those poisons; like the destroying Enigma, they oppose themselves to the human race, and make good the proposition, that the bright lights of tropical nature necessitate black shades among them, and that more than one Dragon watches these gardens of the Hes perides." The Geography of Plants occupies an important portion of the work, in which the reader is carried from the iceberg of Baffin's Bay, with its Arctic flora, through the zones of the Conifers, Diciduous and Evergreen Woods, to that of the Tropical flora. In this investigation we are shown the necessity of the study of climate, and of Isothermal lines, not coincident with parallels of latitude, but depending upon the physical conditions of the globe, influenced by soil, water, and other circumstances. We here also find a sketch of the distribution of the most important plants yielding food, which is possessed of much interest. ory of developments, which has been fully refuted. The conclusion of this chapter is devoted to the nativity of the food-plants, the changes affected in them by cultivation, the distribution of species, both by human and natural means, and the changes of climate, with their effects upon plants. In the last chapter we have the Esthetics of the Vegetable World. Here we find pcetry in plenty, and withal some mysticism. The author traces in plants symbols of Immortality, of Fertility, of Divinities, of Love, Honesty, &c., and traces the meanings of vegetable forms; he himself, however, acknowledges that the subject is obscure; with him, in his attempts to analyze beauty, we may quote this couplet: "Where all the wisdom of the wise man leaves him blind, There plays in free simplicity, the child-like mind." "From matter streaming it makes matter bright, In the next chapter, upon the history of traceable to the author or his translator, the CONIFERÆ. to settle it and make it firm. Then prepare 543 work is delightful, and the reader will rise the top with a compost of loam and sandy from its perusal more favorably impressed peat, mixing it freely with sand; upon this with the study of botany, and better acquaint-place an inch of pure sand, watering it gently ed with the aesthetics of the Vegetable World. the cuttings-take them off the tree just at The appearance of the book is attractive; the point where the last made wood joins to distinct type, and clear, white paper are the wood made the previous year; trim off, essential ingredients to literary comfort, and without wounding the bark, the lower leaves, or branches, if any, and insert the the reader must acknowledge himself in-cuttings in rows across the cutting pot till it debted to Moore, Anderson & Co. for so pleasant a treat as they have furnished. Coniferæ. is full. The best time to do this is about the month of October, though they will do pretty well even up to the March following. Water the cuttings gently, and allow the tops to dry; then place them in a very gentle hotbed, just warm enough to cause them to form a swelling at the base, but not so hot as to induce shoots, unless the operator has the convenience of a greenhouse to harden them off. They do not require bellglasses, or, at least, will root very well without them. I have just now several pots of cuttings of this tribe, that are rooting beautifully in a gentle hotbed set upon coal ashes, without any bell-glasses, and scarcely one has failed. PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS.-A cutting is a small twig, or shoot, taken from a living tree, to form, when rooted, a separate individual capable of growing to the same size as the tree it is taken from, and also, when old enough, of bearing seeds. The reason, in general, why we increase by cuttings is because the tree or shrub so propagated is either too young to produce seeds, or will not produce seeds in this country. This is especially the case with the more rare or lately imported Conifers; as, for instance, In putting in cuttings of Coniferæ in the the Funereal Cypress of China, and the above manner, I refer more especially to the Crytomeria from Japan, both of which strike more rare kinds, such as the Cryptomerias, root from cuttings easily, and soon form some Cypresses, Taxodium sempervirens, young trees with leading shoots and side Arbor vitæ, and some of the genus Taxus. branches in all points equal to seedlings. It Others that are more common may be sucis quite true there are some that will root cessfully propagated by cuttings put in early easily en ugh, but do not so easily form a in the autumn, under hand-glasses, on a perfect tree-some remaining with only side northwest border, where the sun leaves them branches, and never attaining a central lead-about ten o'clock. For such the ground ing shoot. The Araucaria excelsa is an in- should be prepared in a similar way to that stance, and also the Pinus nobilis, and one in the cutting pots, and the cuttings put in or two others. I once saw an Araucaria by the same method. The hand-glasses excelsa that, when imported from Norfolk should be kept on through the winter, and Island, had on it two leading shoots. The skillful propagator at Pine-Apple Place (Mr. Fancourt) took off one of the leading shoots. put it in as a cutting, and rooted it in a very short time. It grew apace, and formed as perfect a tree as the one from which it was taken. This gives us a practical hint how to obtain such perfect trees. All we have to do is to take out a central shoot, and thus induce several leaders, which may be taken off as soon as formed, and put in as cuttings. The way to manage cuttings of Coniferæ is first to prepare a pot to put them in; drain it well, and cover the drainage with a little moss; then fill the pot to within an inch of removed as soon as they begin to grow in spring. If labor is no object, these cuttings may be taken up and potted in small pots, and placed under a cold frame to encourage free growth, only take care to plant them out in nursery rows before the roots become matted round the pot sides. Should any of them have done so, carefully disentangle them, spreading the roots out equally on every side. These remarks on potting off the cuttings apply equally to those struck in pots on the hotbed.. The very commonest of Coniferæ may be propagated by cuttings in a still more summary way. As soon as the annual growth Boston. is perfected, take off the cuttings, and plant King is the editor of the Journal of Agrithem in rows across a shady border, making culture, a most able monthly, published at them very firm in the soil. The kinds that will grow by this simple means are the Irish Yew and its varieties, the common Arbor vitæ, the Swedish Junipers, and most other small-leaved varieties that are very hardy. The large-leaved Conifers do not strike easily by cuttings, but must, where seed can not be procured, be propagated by grafting, of which I shall write by-and-by. The lecture is a gallant attack upon the prejudices of classes, and particularly those of farmers, against what is known as bookfarming, and the introduction of science into the management of the barnyard and field. He shows, in a masterly manner, that to be a practical farmer it is not necessarily the case that a man should be a mere drudge,—an ox, an ass, and beast of burden-but one who brings with him the light of science; one who seeks and knows the causes of things; one who goes to the earth and asks her what part she plays in the production of vegetation; one who inquires of the passing breeze what magic in the kiss left in the nodding leaf, and of the gleaming light its kindly influences. Of the commonly received idea of a prac author would hold up for our imitation, we will allow the author to speak for himself, in his own most forcible and most illustrative language: No method of propagating this fine tribe is, however, so satisfactory as that by seed. Many of our readers are, no doubt, aware that great quantities of seeds are annually imported into this country, and from these we obtain abundance of young plants. Government has even paid some attention to this point, and has appointed four eminent nurserymen to raise the seedlings (I refer to the Deodar Cedar from the Himalaya mountains) to be planted in the Royal Fcrests. From this we must infer that the Commissioners of Woods and Forests either have no means of raising the seeds, or no men skillful enough to entrust them to. I have been led away, by the above re-tical farmer, and of the model which the marks, from my subject, and am tempted again to digress to inform our readers, growers of Coniferæ, that there is, in Scotland, a society established for the purpose of sending out a collector to search for seeds of Coniferæ, as well as other hardy trees; and I have been informed that they sent one out some time ago, and have just now received their first consignment of seeds from Oregon, which consist principally of Pinus nobilis, P. monticola, P. Pattoniana, and P. Ponderosa, besides several that are thought to be new. As public attention has been directed to our national forests, why does not the government send out collectors to gather seeds of good and rare hardy timber trees? If honestly done, the public would never grudge the expense, though the proceeds of this outlay would be for the benefit of the coming generations.-Cottage Gardener. Address of Wm. S. King, Esq., before the I HAVE received the above most capital address, and would be glad if I could lay it before the eyes of all my readers. Mr. To decide whether a stranger, who calls himself a farmer, has a right to the title, is not your first glance cast upon his clothes, to see if they be farmer-like; and your next upon his hands, to find if they are hardened by manual labor. If a man, in a black broadcloth dress coat, having hands fair to look upon, and uncalloused by contact with the plow-handle, presents himself to your notice, as a practical farmer, your politeness may or may not prevent you from laughing in his face, at the obvious absurdity of the claim; but you laugh none the less, in your sleeves, as you set him down for a fancy-farmer. Now, sirs, what right have you to deride this man's pretensions; and, off-handed, to pronounce that he is not a farmer, as accomplished as yourself, or even able to teach you what you have not yet learned, in your own occupation? It is because you consider that a practical farmer, is he, and he only, who labors with his hands; this would make ADDRESS OF WM. S. KING, ESQ. them tough; and the necessities of his occupation would compel him to wear more homely apparel. Is it true, that this it is, and this alone,-labor with the hands,—HARD WORK,—that makes the practical man? Then is your hired help, who follows the plow, day in and day out; who shivers in the wintry stable, and sweats at the harvest, many an hour when you are occupied about other affairs, a better practical farmer than you; for he often works more. Then is the ox, that he drives, the most practical, for he wears rougher and tougher garments, has harder hands, and does more hard work, than either of you. Farmers! you greatly mistake the meaning of the word practical. Stand with me upon the quarter-deck of a ship, as she strips for a battle with the storm. The bullying winds roar. The threatening sky descends and contracts. The angry waves lift up their heads. The tempest tost bark, now piercing the sky with her trembling masts, now driving headlong into the yawning trough of the sea, is freighted with human souls. Do they not now, if ever, need the services of a practical sailor to conduct them safely through the environing perils ? Who then is he, to whom all eyes instinctively turn, as under God, their only hope ? Is it that stalwart son of the sea, whose strength is the boast of the ship's company; -who can "swim farther, dive deeper, and come up drier, than any man in the crowd;" -who can "hand, and reef, and steer ;"who can mount the rigging, with a squirrel's agility, and tie all the fast-knots, and sliding knots, that are the sailor's pride; and splice, or "lay a cable, with the next man;" is this he, who is selected as the best practical sailor, to command the craft, in her hour of danger? Far from it, friends. The practical man, for the occasion, is yon dapper little fellow, with soft, white palms; sporting, mayhap, a seal ring; and dressed, as if inclined to give to tar and pitch, and all other defiling substances, a wide berth. He it is, this man, who has been educated for his position, and who directs the labors of others,-he it is, who is the practical sailor. 545 mers will persist in undervaluing it; and will set up sinews before it? The mists of prejudice will surely roll up the valleys and afar over the hills of the old Granite State, if many such lectures are written and delivered within her borders. If many such intelligent journalists write and print untiringly in the right direction ;-if "practical farmers" cast aside the prejudices of early education;-if they no longer rest satisfied with false modes, though taught by them of ancient days,—but by laboriously observing the path which Nature herself points out,-her wants and her necessitieswithin but a few, a very few years, it will be unnecessary for a lecturer to ask the following questions: How many farms, gentlemen, within the reach of your observation, are, by this definition, scientifically cultivated? On how many is the depth of the plowing gauged by the depth of the soil, the charecter of the subsoil, and a wise intention to render the fertile loam deeper year after year, inch by inch? How many farmers of your acquaintance, who enter on a farm with a soil three inches deep, undertake, as they well and easily might, to render it in ten years twelve inches deep? I would tell you here, that the experiments of thousands of farmers have proved, that by thrusting the point of your plow one inch, or three-quarters of an inch deeper at each plowing, and bringing to the surface so much of the inert subsoil, to be operated on by the atmosphere, and to be benefitted by the manure year after year, you will to this extent increase your active fertile soil, and gradually create another farm, as it were, under your old one. But this would be scientific farming; and, consequently, in the opinion of too many farmers, mere nonsense; notwithstanding that facts, plenty as blackberries, confront them with evidence. On how many farms in this State, or in any State, is the manure applied with sufficient knowledge of the component parts and If, then, in the hour of danger, when consequently of the wants, of the scil? On death rages for his prey, and the yawning how many is the manure itself prepared and sea shows the ready grave, men acknowl-preserved, so that it retains all of its valuedge the might of mind; why is it, that far- able constituents? Why, gentlemen, if one were to say that plants, to thrive, require food in certain proportions; and that if one of the necessary substances is not present in the soil, and is not supplied in the manure, the plant can not tl rive; and that in proportion as you have or apply the precise quantity of each ingredient necessary, so nearly do you come to getting the maximum crop,-you would set it down at once, in scorn, as scientific farming! And yet how else do you account for the fact, that one man grows a hundred bushels of corn to an acre and another but twenty? Why, clearly, because the land whereon the grew hundred bushels was naturally, or by scientific treatment, in a proper condition for cornbearing, had in its womb all the necessary kinds, and enough of each kind of food, that the young and the growing plant required for its leaves, its stalk, its tassel, and its ear. And how do you account for the fact, that you do not get an equal crop on the same ground the next year? Why, because the first crop has eaten up a good share of the food in the ground-pantry; and the third season, (if any man is silly enough to try corn again on the same ground, without having supplied food by manure,) the third crop would find the shelves pretty well cleaned; and the progeny of that year would be pigmies. On how many farms in New Hampshire is an accurate calulation made of the cost of growing different crops, so as to decide which is the most profitable to raise? On how many farms is an account kept of out-lay and income from each field and each animal, that the prudent husbandman may know where is the mouse-hole in his meal-bin? This is not done because it would be scientific farming. To be sure, a merchant who pretended to carry on an extensive business without keeping books, and without taking now and then an account of stock;" or who continued to deal in certain styles of goods without knowing whether he was making or losing money by the operation, would be held insane. But surely that is no reason why a man, who prides himself on being a plain, practical farmer, should farm by arithmetic. Do farmers hereabouts, or farmers generally anywhere, attempt gradually to improve their seed by early and judicious selections; and by always planting the best, instead of reserving the worst for that purpose; or do they sell all that is fit to be sold, and keep the poorest for home use and for seed? This gradual improvement of seed, such as Mr. Brown, on an island in Lake Winnepesaukee has made in corn-known as Brown corn-and as many others have made in many plants, and fruits, and flowers, by the simple selection of seed, with judicious cultivation,-this smacks rather too much of Science, for a practical farmer. Use of Lime. MUCH has been written upon the use of lime in agriculture, and yet this subject does not seem to be fully understood; some persons need "line upon line," just as some soils need lime upon lime. Lime is an element in all organic structures. The earthy portion of the bones in the higher classes of animals consist mostly of lime combined with phosphoric acid. The shells of the lower classes consist of lime combined with carbonic acid. All parts of the animal structure are derived from vegetables. Vegetables then must contain a considerable amount of lime, and as lime is not a constituent of the atmosphere, it must be contained in the soil. According to Johnson's table, one bushel of wheat contains six and two-fifth ounces of lime; a bushel of barley, six and one-ninth ounces; oats, two and three-fifths; a ton of turnips a little more than six pounds; a ton of potatos twenty-eight pounds; and a ton of clover hay, sixty-three pounds. These quantities vary considerably. This is especially true of wheat. When the soil is plentifully furnished with lime, wheat contains a larger per centage. The skin of the grain is said to be thinner, and the flour whiter, and finer, and more glutinous. In sols that consist largely of clay, the benefit of lime is most obvious. It loosens the texture of the soil and renders it less adhesive. It combines with acids, and thus sets at liberty other alkalies that may be contained in it. It is beneficial to soils containing large quantities of vegetable matter, as it appears to render such matters more soluble and more useful to the living vegetation. Almost every crop that is cultivated is improved by it. It is said to be injurious to flax and hemp, rendering their fibre thin |