DISTRIBUTIOX OF PLANTS. 57 



Carolinas. Whoever has ascended Mount Washington must 

 hare been struck by the gradual dwarfing of the forest firs and 

 birches, until at last they rise only a foot or two above the 

 ground, and, before he reaches the summit, disappear alto- 

 gether. The distribution of plants with relation to latitude, 

 elevation and climate constitutes a department of our science 

 called Geographical Botany, which is both exceedingly interest- 

 ing and of much practical importance in agriculture and hor- 

 ticulture. jMultitudes of exotic plants are now cultivated 

 under glass in an artificial climate, and the highest success in 

 this branch of culture can only be expected when the natural 

 conditions of each species in its own habitat are thoroughly 

 known and imitated. This knowledge is also invaluable to 

 those who desire to introduce from abroad hard}" trees and 

 shrubs, as is well illustrated in the attempt to grow the Patago- 

 nian beech in England. Notwithstanding its evident ability to 

 endure the temperature, it was observed everywhere to perish, 

 except in a single locality on the sea-coast, w^here the air was 

 ver}" moist, as in its native land. Every intelligent cultivator 

 of fruit understands that he must adajDt the varieties he would 

 raise to the soil and climate of his localitv. Hence the Amer- 

 ican Pomological Society has prepared with great care cata- 

 logues of all kinds of fruit which are specially adapted to the 

 different sectioijs of our extended country. Even in Massa- 

 chusetts there is a marked difference in the adaptation of 

 varieties to localities. The bouquet of wines and the flavor 

 and perfection of fruits is effected often by very obscure 

 causes, and there is abundant need of well-educated and 

 shrewd observers everywhere in the domain of horticulture. 

 The best wines and the best fruits are always in demand at 

 the highest prices, and only those who can produce such can 

 hope for distinguished success. Even the age of the vine 

 influences in a noticeable manner the quality of the wine, — so 

 that in Burgundy, where there are productive vineyards two 

 hundred years old, it is said the worth of a vineyard, as deter- 

 mined by the value of its product, cannot be known before the 

 end of thirty years from its planting. In the Azores, young 

 orange-trees bear fruit with a thick skin and many seeds, while 

 trees one hundred years old and more, produce a much more 

 valuable fruit- with a very thin skin and no seeds. Ai-ound 



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