1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



135 



of years. Twelve years commonly elnpsc before 

 the fruit-buds appear on the apple. In Ibrm aiul 

 size, these buds ditier so widely in appearance 

 from the buds which produce tlie annual spray, 

 that the most partial observer must conclude that 

 they cannot be the work of one and the same 

 agent: if it were so, the li'uit-buds, of course, 

 would be contemporary with those that produce 

 wood; this is sometimes the case with grafted 

 trees, but never with such as are raised from the 

 seed. If one universal system of fluid in [jiants 

 (a servant of all-work) is contended for, viz. the 

 albuminous current, how are we to account for its 

 extremely eccentric nature? To suppose that it 

 possesses the fiiculty of communicating color, 

 taste, and smell to the wood, bark, and leaves, of 

 a peculiar description, whilst it supplies the flower 

 and fruit with these properties of a totally different 

 description, is preposterous. In its journey through 

 the leaves, the alburnous fluid must, doubtless, all 

 undergo the same process of elaboration; conse- 

 quently, must possess a unity of character: the 

 whole mass must be applicable to one purpose 

 only, either for the creation of bark, wood and 

 leaves, or of flowers and fruit. It cannot be cre- 

 dited, that the same agent that gives to the capsi- 

 cum stem and leaves the green color and insipid 

 taste, is capable of communicating the inveterate 

 acrimony of taste to the seed, and high color to 

 the capsule. For my own part, 1 can see no way 

 of overcoming the difficulty of accounting for the 

 difference of color, taste, and smell, held respec- 

 tively by what I shall here designate as the two 

 grand divisions of the vegetable structure, except 

 a plurality of fluidal systems be admitted. In 

 short, the fact that these properties can be afi'ect- 

 ed by the manner in which a plant is treated, is 

 conclusive; color, in particular, may be altered by 

 treatment, without interfijring with any of the 

 other properties; a fact clearly demonstrative of 

 the independent action of the different systems. 



There are many other facts which might be 

 brought to bear upon this interesting subject; and 

 I may particularise the dahlia as constituting a 

 lucid example. Strictly speaking, the dahlia is 

 not a double-flowering plant; still, I affirm that 

 no plant ever introduced into our British gardens 

 has been so rapidly improved. Great are the 

 chan£Tes that have been efl'ected in the color, size, 

 and form of its flowers; still the stem and leaves 

 have kept a uniform similarity, differing but little 

 in appearance since the day of^ its introduction; a 

 fact clearly proving that one of the grand divi- 

 sions of the fluidal systems in plants may be 

 affected by foreign influence, without detriment to 

 the others. The improved condition of the dah- 

 lia, in regard to its flowers, I do not consider to be 

 a consequence either of contact or of alimentary 

 surfeit; but that it owes its origin to treatment in 

 accordance with the theory herein contended for. 

 Competitors at dahlia exhibitions, from observa- 

 tion, have learned the propriety of preventing an 

 excessive bloom on their best sorts, seldom ''per- 

 mitting more than three or four of the flowers to 

 expand. By this means the sphere of the seminal 

 fluid is curtailed, and the excess thus produced, 

 actmg upon a concentrated field of operation, un- 

 doubtedly causes the departure of the progeny 

 from the habit of the parent: whereas, it'' the 

 whole of the flowers which appear upon a plant 

 were permitted to expand successively, the semi- 



nal fluid would then be equally distributed, in such 

 proportion to each seed as would accomplish the 

 intentions of nature; namely, consentient repro- 

 duction. The following experiment, performed 

 by me some years smce, is so strongly corrobora- 

 tive of what is here advanced, that'l cannot resist 

 giving it in brief detail. 



At that period, I had a quantity of simple scar- 

 let ten-week stocks. Impressed with the belief 

 that my theory was worth a trial, I selected a 

 number of the plants; and, as soon as I observed 

 five or six seed-pods fairly formed on the flower 

 spike, every succeeding flower was pinched ofl^. 

 From the seed saved in this manner 1 had more 

 than four hundred doubles on one small bed. 

 Whether this success was in consequence of my 

 mode of treatment, remains to be proved by future 

 experiments; yet I cannot help thinking that it 

 was; and that, if I had left fewer seed-pods on 

 the spikes, the proportion of double plants would 

 have been still greater. 



In conclusion, I shall instance one or two more 

 facts in favor of ihis theory, which are acted on al- 

 most every day: I allude to thinning of grapes, 

 peaches, and other fruits; a process whereby the 

 quality of fruit is much improved, while the woody 

 part of the plant is not visibly affected. If the albu- 

 minous current were alike the source of woody 

 fibre and fruit, any operation tending to produce 

 mimediate improvement on the one would, as a 

 matter of course, be observable on the other: this, 

 however, is not the case. Again, when a tree 

 shows any decided determination to fruit bearing, 

 little or no spray-wood is made; on the contrary, 

 when an inclination to wood is exhibited, fruit ia 

 less plentiflil: circumstances clearly proving that 

 in Vegetables there do exist two principles, and, to 

 a certain extent, opposed to each other. It is in 

 consequence of the contention of these principles, 

 that practical men resort to ringing of the bark, 

 shortening of the roots, &c., as remedies bearing 

 the sanction of experience, for counteracting any 

 ascendency which the one may have obtained 

 over the other. I shall only add, that the expe- 

 rience which I have had of the working of this 

 theory has determined me to resume my experi- 

 ments on the first opportunity, the results of which 

 shall be faithfially communicated. 



Castle j/shby, Dec. 1837. 



From the Franklin Fanner. 

 HARVESTING OF CORN, 



To the Editor. — As the season is approaching 

 in which the farmers will commence the securing 

 the abundant crop of corn with which a bountifiii 

 Providence has blessed our country, it may be 

 pertinent to the occasion to offer a lew remarks 

 upon the best mode of harvesting the crop. 



Our Virginia ancestors and those who think it 

 wise to plant and cultivate and gather as our fa- 

 thers have done, pursue the old method; about 

 this time they gather the blades below the ears of 

 corn — after they consider the corn to be ripe, they 

 top the stalks and secure all of the fodder in stacks 

 for winter use. In November they pull the corn 

 and remove it to cribs, where it is husked out 

 at leisure. This mode is rapidly yielding in the 



