ON NATURALIZING TENDER PLANTS. J 



winter. In a lower, but not less useful depart- 

 ment of this art, the Parsnip, the favoured 

 root of the island, is remarkable for its bulk and 

 goodness. 



But the circumstance to which I would chiefly 

 call your attention, is the naturalization of a 

 native of very warm climates, the Canna Indica ; 

 a circumstance which confirms and illustrates 

 the remarks made by Sir Joseph Banlfs, on the 

 naturalization of Zizania aquatica. This very 

 tender plant has become thoroughly habituated 

 to the climate, scattering its seeds every year, so 

 as to prove a weed in the gardens which it has 

 occupied. I attempted to introduce it here al- 

 so, from seeds which I brought from Guernsey ; 

 but my experiment was interrupted by an ao 

 cident, and I have never since attempted to re- 

 peat it. I think it is not only desirable that it 

 should be repeated, but that similar attempts 

 should be made to naturalize other ornamental 

 or useful plants, which have as yet foiled us, 

 chiefly perhaps because the trials have been ill 

 conducted. Abundant experience has shown, 

 that the propagation of a plant, by cuttings or 

 offsets, has little or no effect in changing its con- 

 stitution, and the instances above cited, equally 

 show us, that the seed will produce a hardier 

 progeny, a progeny which in time may possibly 

 be habituated to bear all the range of tempera- 

 ture which the globe affords. To carry this 



