210 TRANSACTIONS OF THE' AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



they form to-day the principal riches any more than are our 

 alimentary vegetables. 



"The horse, the ass, the cow, the hen, the pheasant, the peacock, 

 the Guinea fowl, and let us not forget the smallest, but not the 

 least important of our domestic animals, the silk worm, are the 

 gifts of Asia and Africa. Some, and the most precious, obtained 

 in high antiquity ; others acquired in the times of the Greek 

 wars, and of the Roman domination. 



" In modern times we owe to America the Cobaie, the Turkey and 

 two water fowls ; so that of the four quarters of the world, that 

 which has enriched Europe least is Europe itself 



"Oor domestic animals are ours, not by right of nativity, but 

 right of conquest. 



"Man has commanded and nature has obeyed. 



"But has he not sufficiently commanded ? Has not nature 

 sufficiently obeyed? Some have seemed to think so, and I have 

 been obliged to reply heretofore, and on many occasions, to those 

 who say : 



"Our domestic species, are they not sufficient for all our needs ? 

 The horse and the ox give us their force ; the beef, the hog, the 

 sheep and fowl their flesh ; the cow and the goat their milk ; the 

 hen its eggs; the sheep its wool ; the silk worm its silk. Where- 

 fore then new conquests ? We are rich enough. Shall we not 

 repose upon our riches ? 



"I have made an inventory of these pretended riches, and behold 

 what I have found : In nature there are at least one hundred and 

 forty thousand (140,000) species, only forty-three (43) of which 

 are subdued to man ! And, moreover, of these forty-three ten are 

 not found in France ! 



"It is sufficient to cite these figures ; comment is unnecessary. 



"We say then boldly, it is not for us simply to glean upon the 

 steps of former generations. Rich harvests are still in advance." 



Mr. Carpenter. — I take the ground that selecting the first seed 

 that ripens is the only way in which the acclimation of plants 

 can be effectually attained. For the shriib I think it is an 

 impossibility. But it is pretty evident that animals may be 

 acclimated. The cow and the horse were introduced into this 

 country in the seventeenth century, and the horse has already 

 become very different in Canada from what he is in Pennsylvania. 



Mr. Robinson. — I happened to be acquainted with the man 

 who grew the first bale of cotton shipped from the United Statesi 



