AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 281 



dered extremely rare, a most beautiful double orange African marigold. My friend wished 

 to keep it to himself, — he would give no seed, but he presented me with a flower. When this 

 flower had faded, and was cast aside, seeing the seed looked black and good, I saved them, 

 and at the next spring's sowing I sowed them at the same time with the yellow, which we had. 

 They appeared several days before the others. Simple as this was, it led me to ponder on 

 what we gardeners had always held inexplicable — namely, that on sowing hawthorn-seeds 

 some should come up in one year, while, of the same sowing, some should not appear till the 

 second or third year ; and I have since been led to the conclusion, by many similar observa- 

 tions and experiments, that those which came up first were "greener" when gathered than 

 those which took a longer period. 



So much for saving seed which we wish to germinate readily. But let it not be forgotten 

 that, if we wish to preserve seed safe and sound to a remote period, the reverse of this must 

 be aimed at; that is, the riper the seed can be obtained, the better. Now, supposing the seed 

 come to hand dry and hard, perhaps from some foreign country, — perhaps old, or perhaps from 

 having been preserved only for a few months in an old coat-pocket, seed-chest, or some other 

 dry, warm place, — how are we to proceed ? Still look to the softening of its shell. Suppose, 

 for instance, we have a barrel of peach-stones to sow at once some spring, which, perchance, 

 have been stowed away during the whole winter in the dry store of some dealer. AVhat shall 

 we do ; crack them ? Yes, that may do, but it is a tedious operation ; can't afford so much 

 time ; can do for them in a better way than that. Lay them anywhere aside thinly. To-day, 

 with a water-pot, pour boiling water on them ; to-morrow, let them dry ; the next day, again 

 pour boiling water on them, as before. Several successive days of this treatment will do. 

 Another way is, to expose them anywhere to a heat of 100°, or thereabout, for a few hours ; 

 afterwards pour cold water on them ; then dry them again. Repeat the operation a few times, 

 and you may easily have peach-trees the same year from stones sown in the spring. This 

 mode of softening shells is adapted to any kind of hard, bony seed. The heat expands the 

 pores, the moisture enters, and the work of a whole winter's freezing is effected in a few days. 



There are many kinds of seeds which have not exactly " shells" for protection, but which 

 nevertheless get pretty hard coverings, if once allowed to get dry. Many of the sterculiaceous 

 and leguminous plants are of this description. I have seen, of the former tribe, seeds of the 

 hand-plant (Cheirostemon platanoides) remain three years perfectly sound in a pot, resisting 

 every attempt of change of heat and moisture to get them to germinate ; when a simple soak- 

 ing in boiling water for a few hours, on their arrival from Mexico, and for a few hours before 

 sowing, would probably have caused them to spring up in as many days. Boiling water is 

 very efficacious poured over such seeds, and left thereon a few hours ; or where there is any 

 objection to the use of such hot assistants, though I have never found it to hurt any thing, the 

 seeds may be steeped for two or three days in cold water. I have raised Virgilea luteas from 

 hard and dry seed in this manner in a few days, after being gathered ten months. Alkalies, 

 acids, and various preparations have also been used with various success in softening the in- 

 teguments of seeds. I do not myself value any of these means much, believing, as I do, that 

 a proper and judicious employment of heat and moisture is abundantly sufficient for every 

 purpose. 



Agriculture in Liberia. 



From the recent report made to the Liberian Government, respecting the condition of the 

 model farm and plantation in that colony, we obtain the following information : — 



There are now about five thousand coffee-plants in the plantation, the oldest of which — 

 namely, those planted out in 1850-51 — are some of them seven feet high, and the average 

 height of that lot of plants five feet. 



The young plants now growing from the seed sown towards the end of the year are so nu- 

 merous and so promising, that they will probably, at the very lowest estimate, furnish five 

 thousand additional healthy plants, and it is, therefore, fairly presumed, that at the end of 

 this year the plantation will contain ten thousand flourishing young coffee-trees. 



The vines are now increased to twelve hundred plants. Thirty of the most forward plants, 

 three years old, bore a crop in January and February of several hundred bunches. These 



