I88S.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



could never have conquered, or have maintained 

 the conqueror's hold, but for his victim having had 

 a footing before him In the Rocky Mountains 

 of Colorado, the first tree to take possession of the 

 rocky heights is the aspen poplar. No other tree 

 attempts possession of the sterile soil. No sooner, 

 however, does it spread over the vifide acres, than 

 the twisted pine (Pinus contorta) rushes in, con- 

 tests the ground, and finally conquers. No sooner 

 does it claim the ground for itself than various 

 species of fir appear ; and before the cycle closes 

 we have forests of fir only where once nothing but 1 

 aspen clothed the ground. The subject is still 

 more interesting in those parts of the world where 

 deciduous trees prevail, because of their greater 



number and variety of species. Hansen has re- 

 cently contributed to L Exploration, a paper on 

 succession in Danish forests. There, as in our 

 Rockies, the aspen first stakes its claim on land no 

 other tree cares to occupy. It scarcely begins to 

 flourish, however, before the birch envies it the 

 possession, and drives it out. If the oak then has 

 a chance, it will drive out the birch. The beech 

 then follows, and challenges the oak, which has 

 finally to succumb. The beech, indeed, is "the 

 terrible child " of these Northern forests. It wil\ 

 not begin any warfare with the barren rocks for 

 subsistence ; but it contests the ground won by 

 other species, and beats the original owners every 

 time. — Independent. 



Natural History and Science. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



FRAGRANCE. 

 BY A. W. HARRISON. 



Among all the harmonies of nature, those which 

 afford the most universal delight, which are appre- 

 ciated and enjoyed by the most lowly as well as 

 the most refined, are the accords of fragrance, 

 the harmonies of sweet odors. That these har- 

 monies are governed by laws as fixed and beauti- 

 ful as those that rule the play of colors in the 

 prism, or the vibrations of sound and the musical 

 scale, is a thought that suggests itself to the 

 inquiring mind. Yet while the latter have been 

 the subject of profound study for ages, and have 

 engaged the earnest thought and experiment of 

 the artist and the man of science, but little has 

 been done to discover the principles and from 

 them to deduce the laws which govern the actions 

 and the relations of those intangible, ethereal 

 odors that affect, pleasurably or offensively, the 

 olfactory nerve ; that fill the air we breathe ; that 

 give their peculiar savor to the fruits, the viands, 

 the beverages we consume ; that form an ever 

 present feature of our daily life. 



Pertumes are derived from a great variety of 

 sources, which were arranged by Mr. Eugene 

 Rimmel, of London, many years since in groups 

 of ten different kinds in the vegetable world , and 



one in the animal kingdom, which I will briefly 

 enumerate : 



1st. Leaves of flowers, as Rose, Violet, Jessa- 

 mine, Orange Flower, and many a score beside. 



2d. Herbs, as Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme, 

 Sweet Marjoram, Peppermint and others. 



3d. Leaves of trees and plants, such as the 

 Lemon Verbena, Citronella, Ginger-grass, and the 

 Bitter Orange tree, whose green leaf yields the oil of 

 Petit-Grain, a useful constituent of Cologne water. 



4th. The skin of fruits like the Lemon, Orange 

 Bergamot, Limette and Cedrat. 



5th. Spices, as Cinnamon, Cloves, Mace, Nut- 

 meg and Pimento. 



6th. Woods such as Sandalwood, Cedar, Rose- 

 wood and Rhodium, and the bark of roots, as 

 Sassafras and Sarsaparilla. 



7th. Roots, as Orris-root and Vitivert. 



8th. Seeds, as Aniseed, Carroway and Celery. 



9th. Resins and gums, as Balsam of Peru and 

 Tolu, Myrrh, Benzoin, Styrax, Camphor and other 

 gums. 



loth. Fruits and nuts, as Vanilla, Bitter Almonds, 

 and Tonquin Beans. 



The chief animal perfumes are Musk, Civet and 

 Ambergris. 



The Orange tree furnishes four different per- 

 fumes, all highly fragrant: first, the oil of Neroli^ 

 or Orange Flower, distilled from the petal of the 



