THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



31 



as the vehicle of floatage-motion in the tubes and cells 

 of life is sufficient, and the temperature not too high, 

 there orgnnic life, adopting every possible form and 

 character in accommodation to circumstances, extends. 



The scheme of animate existence (man in some de- 

 gree excepted) is the greatest possible number of living 

 things in the highest possible health and perfection. 

 This can only be attained by the seeming severe, but 

 inflexible, necessity in following out tlie power of varia- 

 tion, along with the principle of selection by competi- 

 tion in species. The laws of nature are necessarily in- 

 flexible and unchangeable. Wisdom and provision in 

 man depend entirely upon Nature's trutJi — upon the 

 unalterable security of these laws. Wisdom, or even 

 common sense, could not exist were these laws modi- 

 fiable in any way whatever. For what^ wisdom but a 

 knowledge of these laws .■' So great is the economy of 

 Nature in multiplying organic life, that even death 

 itself is made to subserve to life ; the cause of death in 

 a larger organism being not unfrequently the invasion, 

 under the name of infection, of animalcule life extend- 

 ing to millions — permeating the whole body of the 

 larger ; while, again, the process of resolution of the 

 dead body into its gaseous and earthy elements aff'ords 

 existence to millions more : and even the healthy living 

 animal is so far inhabited. 



I challenge anything of Bridgwater prize origin, or of any 

 other higher origin, as showing grandeur of design— means to 

 end — display of infinite wisdom equal, or to be compared to the 

 great self-modifj-ing-adaptive scheme of Nature which I many 

 years ago pointed out in " Naval Timber and Arboriculture," 

 and which Mr. Darwin has in his recent work so ably brought 

 forward. To some this law of nature may appear rigorous* 

 ruthful, inexorable. But it ia necessarily so — could not be 

 otherwise to effect the purposed end — to group all nature in 

 innumerable distinct species, er.ch of the most admirable lit- 



cloud (particles of soot) at sea. Electricity has also a power 

 of suspending minute particles, and which it seems probable 

 that minute life such as the aiiriil spider can produce and 

 avail itself of, as a power of suspension aud locomotion. I 

 once had an opportunity of witnessing the floating efl'ect of 

 the parachute or pappus appendage of thistle-seed. Having 

 found that the auuual, or rather biennial cow-thistle (Sonchus 

 oleraceous) was very much relished by cows, horses, and pigs, 

 I gathered a quantity of the ripe heads before the seeds had 

 taken to flight, and laid them to dry in a large empty room ; 

 shut up, lest they should get away. After remaining so for a 

 few weeks, I went into the room to gather up ray dried seeds, 

 but no seed remained where I had laid them, only the recepta- 

 cles or basement seats of the seeds. On looking around, not a 

 seed was to be seen, hut turning my eyes upwards I dis- 

 covered they had all gone aloft, and were adhering to the 

 ceiling, and especially clustered about the members of the cor- 

 nice. This aerial fancy of the seeds put me out of conceit of 

 my plan of thistle culture, and I did not sow them as I in- 

 tended. Were this plant cultivated in drills, and horse-hoed 

 between, the quantity of bestial food would be great. In 

 my rich soil many of this sow-thistle reach 8 feet high and 1^ 

 inch in diameter of stem as weeds. The pappus is easily 

 destroyed by friction in a bag, which renders the seed man- 

 ageable. When afloat in the air, the night dew, the fog of a 

 cloud, or a few drops of rain, bring them to earth, where they 

 adhere. 



neas to circumstance and position, spread out and coveting 

 the glad face of earth. 



Look around at the vegetable creation ! No space is left 

 unoccupied, with the exception of the arid desert and the 

 frozen Poles. The whole habitable earth is closely covered 

 with innumerable shapes of beauty, " that toil not, neither do 

 they spin ; yet the Queen of Sheba in all her glory was not 

 arrayed like one of these ;" the green mead bestrewn with 

 flowers of richest dye aud sweetest perfume, "painted with 

 delight;" the magnificent trees, the graceful shrubs, in vest- 

 ment of green, jewelled over with blossoms, all fresh and pure 

 as the blushing morn, breathing incense, sweetening the 

 atmosphere — though so pure themselves, purifying it of poison- 

 ous or corruptive matter prejudicial to the higher orders of 

 animal life. We caunot believe that those compound beings, 

 those charming clusters of life, when they wake from their 

 quiet slumbers at the dawn, to banquet upon dew-drops and 

 bask in the first sloping rays of the glorious sun, are without 

 a glad sense of existence, a sense of their innocent life — do not 

 partake of nature's joy. The ancient Sclavonic deity Ligho 

 was the Goddess of Spring and flowers and joy. Is a family 

 alliance to he repudiated with those most gorgeous floral de- 

 velopments which embellish nature in the warm climates all 

 the year round; the magnolias, Victoria lily, lily of the Nile^ 

 &:c., and those magnificent blossom festoons depending from 

 climbers (woodbines) which so gracefully decorate the tropical 

 forest ? Is a relationship not to be coveted with those most 

 interesting denizens of nature, which in our colder climates 

 come to visit us in spring : the primrose and the daisy, the 

 violet, hyacinth, and wild thyme, so sweet in beauty, fragrance, 

 and purity — sweet from memories — sweet from associations 

 with spring, and youth, and joy. As instance of the desired 

 connection, we name our fairest pet-children Rose, Lily, Dilly, 

 Flora, Olivia, Susanna, and we plant a rose upon their grave. 



In the last number of the Edinburgh Review I observe a 

 critique upon Mr. Darwin's work, in which the writer tries 

 to throw distrust upon the law of the origin of species. In 

 the old sly way of hackney critics, he attempts first to ap- 

 pear candid, by generoushj conferring on Mr. Darwin sonie 

 modicum of praise in regard to some not-important fact 

 stated in his work — just enough faint praise as damn tbe 

 work. He then proceeds to exhibit his own extended in- 

 formation of the arcana of natural history, collected from 

 every naturalist writer of note, and from the excess of 

 which he seems to suffer from indigestion. Having swal- 

 lowed so much knowledge as a naturalist, his crowd of 

 ideas appear to have got into confusion, so that he can come 

 to no conclusion about anything whatever, excepting that 

 there is no advance in the knowledge of Nature's laws in 

 Mr. Darwin's work. This critic, naturally querulous, and 

 uneasy from repletion, will neither do anything himself nor 

 allow that others do. His condition is to be pitied : 



" A surfeit of the sweetest things 

 The greatest loathing to the stomach brings." 



I hope that this naturalist will not yield so much to an 

 insatiable appetite, and masticate a little better, so as to be 

 in a condition to assist in our advance in this field of na- 

 tural science, of which we yet remain so ignorant. But he, 

 like the greater part of naturalists, maj"-, like my professor, 

 be afraid of the cutt}' stool — (see Gardeners' Chronicle^ 

 May 12, I860). Instead of differing with this naturalist, 

 as he seems disposed to do with us, I agree with him 

 that there is ia nature a vast field of discovery," but of 

 rather difficult attainment, j'et within the compass of 

 human science. But, to advance, something else than 



