NEW ENOLiANP FARMER 



Published by Jo i^7"b!^ps6ell, 'atlVbT^JVorth Market Street, (at the Agricultural Warehouse).— Taotii.s G. Fessewd en, Ed ito:- 



VOL. VII. 



^QgrON. FRIDAY , JUNE L2, 1829. 



No. 47. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAKD FARMER. 



I D refer to some of the experiments and observa- 

 ^^ I ions of men celebrated for their physiological 

 Knowledge of the vegetable kingdom. 

 We are told that all plants are composed of 



r,,«r.,T, Arrir^w nv ssAP m TUFFS &c I "^''-l and flnid parts; the solid parts remain sta- 

 CIllCULATION OF SAP IN rilLbb &c I ^^^^ ^^^.^^ change-" Varying," say the 



BiR FsssENDEN-In the New England F™ ' ..j^' ., ,„,„i„u^,l both in mechanical admix- 

 of the 8th ult., the followu,g quest.ons -^-^ed v m- ^_^^. y ^ .opposition." The primi- 



by Mr Coffin, Secretary to !'>« f'f.''^^';^;^,'^' Le solid components of the vegetable textures, 

 all, or son.e of which, he wshes to have ans ver- '^„^j fibre-from which are formed 



ed ^^--'"'^T''"' VTJ^lel\^<^ — W"- structures, the cellular and 



up by some one better acquamted w.th he sub ti^.^^es, and the various combinations of 



ject than 1 am ; hut as they reman> -gleeted, I a^c ^,^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ 



hope my imperfect attempt to answer «°'»« " ^,^, olutions of the soluble materials of the 



them, and to investigate others, w,l bo received vate y ^^ ,^^,,,, ^f which, and the 



with indulgence; and that h-eafter any e ro,» ^J^ ^,^.^^^^^ components, by 



which I may run mto, may be pomted out by .^^^ , „,3,l,^,„i,^, ,„d chemical agency, influ- 



some of the learned readers of your valuable pa 

 per. 



The questions are. 1st. What causes the circu 



ueans of mechanical and chemical agency, influ 



need by the principles of life, solid components, 



extures, and secretions, are formed." The size 



,,r J u , rt'o„. it? o'lk these cells varies in different plants, and in dif- 

 lation of sap? How does heat aftectit? 2d. j the same plant : so much so that 



What makes it flow earher .h one ^md of tree ^ ent , („ the naked eye, while others 



than in another 3d. Is there any obhque c^rcu- - -. -^^ ^,^^^ .^ .^ ^^.^ ^ ^ ^.,,„„ 



lation, or .s n wholly perpendicular ? 4th. What .^^^^ ^^^ ^,^^ 



becomes of the sap in the winter, does it return to » --r a ^^^ ^ g^„^^ 



the roots, or does it remam '"'"=, "^^'Lhic;' ihysiologists cot tend that these are chatinels 

 What becomes of the oxygen and hydrogen which ^^^^ "^^j^,^ ^^^ ,;,,, „,h,r3 i;,p,ne it.- 



constituted a portion of the sap, after the carbon j ^^V' j ,^^,.^P ^^^^ ,,, contain proper 



is se,,arated from these substances into wood .'- ^^^^ "» - ^ ^^^ ^/^ ^^^^^^i^ ^^ij, 



6th. Is the -'-■'=^"ono sap i«.rn«nent during ^^ .The cellular tissue," says a modern 

 tlie warm season, or not ? ith. Why does the ,^'> 'M J physiology, "besides contain- 



wind have so much influence on the running of ij'j';'- J" ^ J J ^^^»J;„ ,,,i„ou., 



sap? 8th. Why IS it necessary tha it should ^.w-, , ,^^.^_^^,, ^ S^ .^ ^^^^ ^,^^ 



tJiaw in the '1-3'- -^'l f-- '"the n.gh , in-order "'y.^_^^ - ^^ .^,^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^.^^ proper juice, or 

 that maple sap should run well ? ^'h. Why J« ^^ is difltused sideways through the 



evergreens remain green through the winter.'- eiauowuua i, _■'... 



10th. Is there a diflTerence between the power d" 

 conducting heat jiossessed by different trees? II 

 so, which are the best conductors ? 



Many of these questions have not, I believe^ 

 been answered to the satisfiiction of physiologists 

 up to the present day, although some of them 

 have been the subject of speculation and experi 



plant ; and many changes, effected by electro 

 chemical agency, occur in the juices which fill its 

 cells." If this opinion be correct, the third ques- 

 tion of Mr Coffin seems to be answered. 



From experiments that have been made, it ap- 

 pears that if a tv/ig be cut, with the leaves ex- 

 panded, by putting the cut end into a watery so- 



have been the -^ject o s cn.a ion ana exper. ^V^^^^ ^^^^-^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^^^^. ^^. 



ment for more than a •^^'''''T^. Jf 'f'^^.^^^^'^'^^lend into the leaves, and to the top of the shoot, 

 they been entirely able to satisfy them.ehes o" ^^^^^ ^,^^^^ ^^^ ^j^^ ^^p^ ^^. 



many of the points, or phenomena that aie '" ,.^„j,f^^.„„ ^..^.l^ of the plant. This is said to 

 volved in the economy of vegetable nature, aU co"J'^«n= v- P.^ ^^ transpiration 



though they have all adopted certain theon<^ , he - , !„,, P,,^,, j^, leaves are fresh 



which seem to enlighten but not to -tisfy tl. whic . t g ,^ ^^ l^^ ^1 i,,^ 



minds of investigators It cannot be expected j on ^ '^wiy e J^ ^^^ ^^ ^ 



therefore, that I can throw any new light on th ^^ ';'«;; ^^'^.^ ,eason,!if we make a transverse 

 subject ; but I .nay bring together some of the oU , laterje^i ^^^^^^_^^ ^^^^ ^^^,. ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^,^^ ^^^^ 



**"'^^- . , , ,1 „-„^, i bark near the wood is filled with fluid. This is 



The first questions are, what causes the eirci- • of a different description from 



lation of sap? And how is ,t -^'^^';'^l^^^\Z^t.U^cU the sap rises; the first behig 

 To enter into all, or even many of the t! eo cs , ^^J^ ^,^^^^ ^^^ j .^^ ^,,^ 



which exist on these points, is no m my P"^«'' i^^.^ trees, and are called proper vessels, 



even if I had the inclination, tor it woul,l mvdve ,h '1^ o, y " t ^^^^.^ ^^^^P^.l_^ ^^ 



more time than I have to spare, and more reseach , ^J - ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^,, elaboration in the 



than my habits will permit. I must, therefore, in^ .io\\ nwaius u.c j ^ _ 



confine myself to some general views, which, al 

 though they can afford no proof, they may indjce 

 others to investigate the subject. To this enl it 

 may be necessary in the outset to look into'he 

 construction, or organic conformation of plaits ; 

 the nature and properties of their juices ando.ier 

 6ubi5tanccs contained in their cellular tissue, md 

 vascular organs ; the liability of these to h< in- 

 fluenced by the chemical operation of heat ; and 



leaf Is it, then, that the perspiration of plants is 

 one of the means by which the sap is brought into 

 circulation ? 



That there is considerable connexion between 

 the perspiration of plants, and the circulation of 

 the sap, there can be but little doubt, from the va- 

 rious experiments that have been made. Dr 

 Hales tells us, that he took several branches of a 

 pear tree, on some of which he left the leaves. 



■ while he stripped them from the others. AH theac 

 branches were then accurately weighed, and the 

 cut ends put into vessels which contained a cer- 

 tain weight or quantity of water. The branches 

 which retained their leaves, imbibed from 15 to 

 30 ounces of water in the space of twelve houni 

 in the day, according as they had more or less 

 leaves ; and it is remarkable, that notwithstanding 

 this great imbibition, the branches furnisiied with 

 leaves weighed less at evening than they did iji 

 the morwing, so much had they lost by transpira* 

 tion : but it was not so with the branches deprived 

 of their leaves. They imbibed but one ounce uf 

 water, notwithstanding which, they weighed more 

 at evening than they did in the morning. This 

 Dr Hales thinks an incontestible proof of the cer- 

 tain connexion between the perspiration and el- 

 evation of the sap. 



But when we recollect that early in the spring, 

 before the leaves are put out at all, the sap flows 

 more abundantly than at any other time, (as iu 

 the maple, and grape vine) and particularly so 

 after cold nights are succeeded by warm days, it 

 seems that other causes must be looked for to 

 solve this great phenomenon. It is known that in 

 proportion as the leaves expand and increase on 

 these and other plants, the wound made by tap- 

 ping, or cutting off a branch, ceases to bleed, as it 

 is termed ; — and that when the tree is in full leaf, 

 it will not bleed at all. The cause, therefore, of 

 the Jlow of tlie sap is not transpiration, although 

 its circulations are mainly dependant on the leaves. 

 For if a branch which is growing vigorously m 

 summer, be deprived of a portion of its leaves, it 

 will diminish its vigor ; and if we strip it altogeth- 

 er it will cease to grow. We also know that 

 those branches that are most abundantly furnish- 

 ed with leaves grow the best— it woidd seem 

 therefore that the leaves are organs of suction, or 

 pumps, to elevate or keep the sap in circulation 

 during the summer, or temperate season of tha 

 year. How then are we to account for this pro- 

 digious flow of the sap in the spring, before the 

 leaves are developed ? 



Mr Duhamel says that in the spring, before the 

 leaves are out, the flow of sap comes as much, at 

 least, if not more, from the upper part of the 

 wound or cut in a tree, than it does from the low- 

 er iiart ; and from the experiments made by him, 

 and others, it seems to be proved. He took a 

 young tree, which he sawed off about 18 inches 

 above the ground. The upper part of this tree ho 

 suspended in the same position in which it grew. 

 This was done very early in the season, (I think 

 February) before there was any appearance of 

 vegetation. For several days successively he ex- 

 aniinrd both the stump and the suspended top of 

 the tr;:e. When the weather was cold, tiie cuts 

 of both remained dry, as they did during the 

 nights— but when warm, sunny days succeeded 

 frosty or cold nights, both the stumps and the top 

 became moist at the wound, and the juices in 

 some instances were active enough to fall troiii 

 die cut of the upper portion of the tree ; but in all 

 cases when there was suflicient heat to affect the 

 .lump, the sap iu the detached part was equally 

 put in motion. This was, I think, a sycamore 

 tree. In this case, as in making a transverse cut 



