274 BCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. PaktTI. 



1785. The edible roots of the * »I * 1 world arc chiefly the yam, sweet potato) onion, carrot, 

 anil turnip ; of the new, the potato. 



1786. The oleraceous herbs of temperate climates are chiefly the Brassica family, ami 

 other Cruciferas. In hoi climates potherbs are little used. Legumes, as the pea, bean, 

 ami Icidneybean, are in genera] use in most parts of the old world. 



17S7. The fruits of the northern hemisphere belong chiefly to the orders of Pomacea?, 

 .^fmygdalinese, Grossulariss, Rosacea?, Pidceae, and Amentaceo?. 



17SH. The fruits of the l.ast Indies belong chiefly to Jfyrticete, Guttifera?, Aurantiicea?, Musacop, 

 PSiaue, Cucurbitaces, Myristicee. &c 



1789. The fruits i'i Qtfna are chiefly Of the orders of Aurantiacca;, Jtfyrtikces, /fhamnea?, Pomacea?, 

 dalinee, Palma?, &c, 



17!M. ThefruiU <f .If net belong to Sapbteee, Pilmae, ChrysobaKinca?, Guttifera;, Apocfnex, Papilionacea?, 

 Mnaaeoe, and fticurbitaceai 



1791. Th<- fnnts <f South America belong to Anoniircr, Myrtaceae, 7"ercbintacea», Myristtceae, /'alma-, 

 BtomeUdceat, Sapilete, Laurlnec, Chrysobalanese, Music. •</•, Papilionacese, and Passiflbrese. 



1792. The most showy herbaceous flowers of the temperate zone belong to /Rosacea?, 

 Liliaceae, Zrideae, Ericmeae, RanunculAces, Primulaceae, Caryophylleae, (,'entia;<cw, &c, 

 Those of the torrid zone belong to the Scitam'mea', Amaryllis*?, liignomdccce, Mela- 

 stomacee, MagaoUuceee, Papilionacese, y/pocyneae, &c. 



1793. The most useful timber tress of temperate climates are of the pine or fir kind ; of warm climates, 

 the palm and bamboo. Tin: universal agricultural order is the Graminete. 



Sect. VII. Arithmetical Distribution of Vegetables. 



1794. The total number of species of plants known, amounted in 1820 to about 44,000, 

 of which :>s,000 have been described. According to Humboldt and 11. Brown, they 

 are thus distributed: — in Europe 7000; in temperate Asia 1500; in equinoctial Asia 

 and the adjacent islands 45CO ; in Africa 3000 ; in temperate America, in both hemi- 

 spheres, 4000; in equinoctial America 13,000; in New Holland and the islands of the 

 Pacific Ocean 5000 ; — in all 38,000. In Spitsbergen there are 30 species of perfect 

 plants; in Lapland 534; in Iceland 533 ; in Sweden 1299; in Scotland 900 ; in Bri- 

 tain upwards of 1400; in Brandenburg 2000 ; in Piedmont 2800 ; in Jamaica, Mada- 

 gascar, and the coast of Coromandel, from 4000 to 5000. It is now (anno 1829) 

 believed that there may be from 100,000 to 200,000 species of plants. Such is the 

 progress of discovery and of ideas. 



Sect. VIII. Distribution of the British Flora, indigenous and exotic. 



1795. Nearly thirty thousand species are enumerated in Loudon's Hortus Britannic us, 

 including all the indigenous species of il/usci, .Fungi, Fuci, A'\gse, and Fichcnes. 



1796. The natives of Britain, flowering plants, which enter into this Jlortus are 

 upwards of 1400 species; but the native British Flora contains in all above 3300 

 species. Of these there are about 1437 cotyledonous plants, and nearly 1893 imperfect, 

 or what are termed, in the Jussieuean system, Acotyledoneae. 



1797. Of the cotyledonous or perfect plants, 182 are trees or shrubs ; 855 are peren- 

 nials; CO are biennials; and 3 10 annuals. Of the trees and shrubs, 47 are trees; 25 

 above 30 feet high, and the remainder under 30, but above 10 feet high. Of the peren- 

 nials 83 are grasses ; the next greatest number belong to the first two orders of the 

 class Pentandria ; the next to the Syngenesia ; and the third to MonceVia Triandria, or 

 the Cyperaceas of Jussieu, comprehending chiefly the genus Carex. Most of the bien- 

 nials belong to the first order of the 19th class, and the first two orders of Pentandria. 

 There are 41 annual grasses ; 52 annuals belong to the first two orders of Pentandria; 

 and the next greatest number of annuals to Diadelptiia Deeandria, which includes the 

 trefoils and vetches. 



1798. Of the acotykdonous, or imperfect plants, 800 are Fungi; 18 sl'lgx; 373 

 iichenes; 85 Hepatica? ; 460 jl/usci ; and 130 Filices ; according to a rude estimate 

 formed in 1820. 



1799. In regard to the distribution of the perfect plants as to elevation, little or nothing 

 has been yet generalised on the subject. In regard to soils, 276 are found in bogs, and 

 marshy or moist places ; 140 on the sea shores ; 128 in cultivated grounds; 121 in mea- 

 dows and pastures ; 78 in sandy grounds ; 76 in hedges and on hedge banks ; 70 on 

 chalky and other calcareous soils; 6 1 on heaths; 60 in woods; 30 on walls; 29 on 

 rocks; and 19 on salt marshes ; reckoning from Galpine's British Flora, 1820. 



1800. In the distribution of the imperfect plants, the Filices prevail in rocky places and 

 wastes; most of the Musci, 7/epatica', and Lichenes, on rocks and trees; most of the 

 Fuci and ^'lga3 in the sea ; and of the Fungi, on decaying vegetable bodies, especially 

 trunks of trees, manures, inc. 



