18 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 1. 



rectly to the depcriplion, in the same way Ihat we 

 turn directly to the (iefinilion ofa word in adii'tion- 

 ary by means of Uie alphahetical order of arrange- 

 ment. In determining tlie name of a plant, we 

 first find the class to which it helotios, Ilien tiie or- 

 der ol' this class, then the genus of this order, 

 and lastly the species of this genns. All plants 

 belonging to the same species are considered to have 

 originally s|)rung from the same seed. Co!ise- 

 quently^ if there are ditierent varieties belonging 

 to a fjpecies, they must have been produced by 

 changes in successive generations of that species. 

 But the seed ot one species can never so change 

 as to produce plants belonging to a difl'ernt species. 

 For instance, the pear and the apple belong to the 

 same genus, hut to ditlerent species; consequently 

 seed of the pear can never so chanire into varieties 

 as to produce apple-trees; nor can seeds of the 

 apple ever produce pear-trees. There are many 

 diti'erent sorts of apples, which are all varieties 

 produced by a change in the original seed of the 

 species; but no change of this kind in any species 

 can ever produce a difi'erent species. Hence, if 

 a tarmer should hear the opinion advanced, that 

 one plant may deteriorate, or in any way be trans- 

 muted info another plant, he should ascertain 

 whether the two named plants belonir to the same 

 species or not; if they do not, he may be confident 

 that such transmutation can never fake place, if 

 they are found to belong to difierent genera, the 

 certainy of no such change, becomes, if possible, 

 still greater. 



The botanical or scientific name ofa plant, is the 

 name of the genus and the name of the species to 

 which it belong, joined together; thus the name of 

 the genus to which the apple belongs, is pyrvs and 

 the name of the species is 7nalus; consequently the 

 botanic name of the apple is pyrus mains. The 

 pear also belongs to the genus/)j/n/.s, and the name 

 of the species is cfmmiun/s; thereidre the botanic 

 name of the pear is pyrus convnunis. The terms 

 apph and pear, are tlie English or common names. 

 There is a great advantage in being able to ascer- 

 tain the botanic names of plants, as well as in mak- 

 inguseofthem instead ol'Englisii names,) except in 

 the most common of all plants, as the apple, pear, 

 currant, &c.) Many plants which are very useful 

 either for n)pdicine, fijod, or other purposes, are 

 known in difi'ereut parts of the country by very 

 ditlerent Fnglish names; and often the same name 

 is applied to very difl'erent plants; thus a name 

 which in one place might be applied to a valuable 

 and useful plant, might in another p.lace be applied 

 to one which possesses no useful properties, or 

 even to one extremely poisonous. Hence the use 

 of English names only, is sometimes attended 

 with damxerous consequences. But in all countries 

 botanists make use of the same botanic names, and 

 such difficulties are thus prevented. 



Plants are supplied with nourishment in two 

 ways. The first is what they absorb at the roots 

 through the spongioles, which contain a great num- 

 ber of exceedingly small pores. The nourishment 

 which the plant receives in this way is Water, with: 

 the difierent substances which are dissolved in it, 

 such as the soluble parts of manures. As soon as 

 it is absorbed, it passes to the trunk or stem, and 

 ascends in it through the sap vessels, which are 

 very fine tubes running lengthwise through it, as 

 well as throuo'h all the branches, the stems and 

 email veins of the leaves. TliObC vessels or pores 



may be seen easily with a good microscope, by 

 shaving ort' a thin cross slice from the stem ot 

 a plant, or li'om apiece of wood. While this liquid 

 is thus ascendiuii', it is called the sap. It passes 

 into the branches, and thence into the leaves, 

 which being flat and thin, expose it to the light 

 and air, and it then undergoes a coir.-plete change; 

 the greatest part of the water of the sap passes off 

 into the air in the form of vapor, through very 

 small pores in the surface of the leaf; at the same 

 time, a part of the air is taken into the leatj and 

 unites with the remaining sap, so as greatly to 

 change its nature and quality, and it is now no 

 longer sap, but is called \he proper juice; and this 

 is the second way in which nourishment is supplied. 

 It now begins to flow down the branches and stem 

 of the plant through another set of tubes or vessels, 

 and is gradually converted into the solid parts of the 

 plant. Thus we see that a part of the nourishment 

 is taken in at the roots, and a part at the leavs; but 

 all the nourishment which every plant receives, 

 must pass through the leaves, before it can be 

 changed into wood. Hence we see that the leaves 

 of plants are quite as inq)ortaRt to them as their 

 roots. The knowledge of this principle has a vast 

 number ol a[)plicationB in practice, some of which 

 are of great inqiorlance. It teaches us that mutil- 

 ating plants by stripjjing them of their leaves while 

 in a growinij state, is always an injury to them; 

 hence the stripping of the leaves of corn for fodder, 

 which is in some places practised, should never be 

 resorted to, nor should the practice oftojiping corn 

 be pursued for the same reason; hence also the 

 practice of cutting off' the leaves of mangel wurtzel 

 ibr feeding cattle, before the roots have attained or 

 nearly attained their full size, should not be 

 adopted. But in some cases the leaves are the 

 chiefcrop, as in the mulberry for silk; in such case 

 it is necessary to avoid stripping them too closely 

 or frequently, in order that the growth may not be 

 too often nor too suddenly checked. The knowledge 

 of this principle also teaches us an easy way to 

 destroy hardy and pernicious weeds. It has been 

 commonly supposed that in order to destroy them 

 the roots must be destroyed; but this is not at all 

 necessary; if we only destroy theleavesby burying 

 them or cuttngof] the stems, it is plain their growth 

 is stopped, and if this is continued the roots die. 

 JNlany years ago, when it was found that the roots 

 of the Canada thistle sometimes penetrate several 

 feet into the earth, many despaired of ever being 

 able to extirpate them; but if they had been 

 acquainted with this principle, they would have 

 known that the roots might have been easily killed 

 bycutlingofi'thesupply ofnourishment fiom above. 

 which has since been very successfully done in 

 a multitude of instances. 



It is the proper juice (above referred to) which 

 generally gives to plants all their useful properties 

 in medicine, djeinir, &c. hence it is necessary in 

 extracting these substances to know in what part 

 of the plant the proper juice is to be found. 



The course of the small tubes or pores throuffh 

 which the sap and juices flow, may be seen in some 

 plants by cutting off their branclies with a very 

 sharp knifi^- and plunging the cut ends into colored 

 water. Thus, if a branch cut from the poke be 

 placed in a dye made from the Bra?,il wood, and put 

 in a warm place, in a few hours the dye will be 

 found to have run up the stem into the leaves, 

 flowers, and even the fruit. The part of the stem 



