FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 321 



form of vapor, which, being ratified by the heat of the 

 atmosphere, ascends, and extends through all the pores 

 of the plant; and here is imperceptibly carried on that 

 chemical process, which eventually serves to bring it to 

 perfection. 



SCRATCHES. This is a disease in the legs of Horses, 

 occasioned by bad blood, or too hard labor. The skin of 

 the legs b comes craked open, emiting a redish-colored hu- 

 mor. To cure the disease, wash the cracks with soapsudsi 

 and then rub them twice a day with an ointment of hogs- 

 lard, mixed with a little sublimate mercury. 



Another says that this troublesome disorder may be ef- 

 fectually cured, by the application of as strong a solution, 

 of copperas in water, as can be made, and rubing the legs 

 up and down, with a cob, each time. A few applications 

 will be sufficient. 



SEEDS. Many seeds will retain their vegetative faculty 

 for several years; others again cannot be made to germinate 

 after the first year, unless uncommon pains be taken for 

 that purpose. 



All seeds require fresh air, and if long deprived of this 

 they will lose their vegetative quality. If some kinds be 

 buried deeply under ground, however, they will retain this 

 quality for twenty or thirty years. 



Some seeds will lie a year, some two or three years, be- 

 fore they will come up ; and for this reason, when seeds 

 are brought from a distant country and sown, the ground 

 should not be disturbed during that length of time. 



Seeds of the dry kinds" are best preserved in their pods, 

 or natural coverings ; but those of all soft fruits, Sec. should 

 be taken out, cleansed, and dried. 



By experiments made by Mr. Humbolt, in 1793, it was 

 found that seeds which require thirty hours to germinate in 

 common water, could be made to germinate in six hours in 

 oxygenated muriatic acid gas, mixed with water; and by- 

 adding < the stimulus of caloric (heat) to that of the oxygene, 

 he was enabled still more to accelerate the progress of 

 vegetation.' He took the seeds of garden-cresses, peas, 

 French-beans, garden-lettuce, mignonette; equal quantities 

 of which were thrown into pure water, and ue oxygenated 

 muriatic acid, at a temperature of eighty-eight degrees Fah- 

 renheit. Cresses exhibited germs in three hours, in this 

 acid ; while none were seen in the water, till the end of 

 twenty-six hours. 



By means of this stimulant, seeds which were more than 

 an hundred years old were made to vegetate; as were other 

 seeds which had been kept for thirty years, at the botanic;*! 



41 



