370 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER,! 



June 12, 1829. 



of a vine at this season, the sap will flow from tlie 

 wood, between tlie pith and tlic bark, and not from 

 the bark itself. But at a later period, as before 

 Stated, wlien the tree is in leaf, tlic s;ii> will ap- 

 pear, after it has been elaborated, in the inner 

 part of the bark. It is fur this reason that in tap- 

 ping maple trees they always cut into the wood, 

 for if you cut throug^i tlie bark only, the sap will 

 not flow. 



From this, and other experiments that have 

 been made, it appears that the sap is retained in 

 the cellular tissue, or the vascular organs, during 

 the winter, in a soluble state, and as soon as the 

 heat of the sun is sufficiently great to liquify it, 

 it flows from all parts of the tree where these ves- 

 sels exist, and more or less abundantly, according 

 to the nature of the plant. These vessels being 

 larger and more abundant in some trees than in 

 . others, and probably better filled with sap in some 

 than in others, this may be the cause why ma- 

 ple trees furnish sap so abundantly when cold 

 frosty nights are preceded by warm summer days, 

 and why the sap will flow from the south side of 

 this tree, when it will not from the north side. 



May not this answer one, if not two of Mr Cof- 

 fin's questions, viz. the fourth and eighth'} Per- 

 haps it is not conclusive as to the last. But I do 

 not understand that it is necessary that it should 

 freeze in the night to induce the sap to flow in 

 the day — only that when frost is succeeded by a 

 warm sun, the saj) will flow more abundantly than 

 it does ordinarily when there has been a succes- 

 sion of warm days, and the sap lias been constant- 

 ly flowing ; by which means, perhaps, the organs 

 that contain the fluid may be exhausted, and may 

 require time to replenish themselves. All this, 

 however, is but conjecture ; for I have never 

 found any satisfactory reason offered wliich will 

 explain this phenomenon, as it is most certainly, 

 if it be true, that frosty nights are 'iiecessai-y to the 

 flow of the sa]), as above stated. In tropical 

 climates, where there is no frost, trees are tapped, 

 and the sap flows regularly and constantly — more 

 in the day than in the i::iglit, because there is 

 more heat to aid its circulation. But this seems 

 to show that frost at nig'it is 7iot necessary to its 

 flowing in tlie day time. 



Is the circulation of the sap perinanent duriii" 

 the warm season ? Ahhough trees, generally, 

 cease to put out new, or extend their old shonta 

 during midsummer, (that is the latter part of June, 

 July, and the early part of August,) and the ter- 

 minatiug buds of tha shoots of the year, are, in 

 many trees formed ; when the heat or dryness 

 has jfassed off, these terminating heads v.'ill fre- 

 quently hurst out, and make a new growth. This 

 is called the growth of the second crop. If the 

 sap does not cease, altogeth.er, to circulate, it cer- 

 tainly becomes so sluggish that we find the bark 

 will adhere to the wood, wliich in the sjiring could 

 1)3 easily separated. And after midsummer the 

 sap having resumed its coinsa, the bark can again 

 be detached with ease, —iience it is, that in botii 

 sjiring and fall you caii bud trees, wliile in winter 



and midsummer it cannot usually be done. 



Whetiier this arises from the extreme dryness of 

 the soil, which (iirnishes little or no nourishment 

 to the roots during its continuance ; or whether 

 most of the sap that is drawn into them, and 

 thence into tlie tree, is carried ofl" by excessive 

 jicispiration during the hot and dry season ; or 

 whether it he owing partly to both, are questions 

 we shall not undertake to decide. But to us there 



appears no doubt that, to these causes, jointly o| from the earth are received, and passed into tho 



roots, and tlience to the trunk and branches of the 

 tree. . 



The little suckers and fibres are filled with eella 

 or tubes which open into each other, and serve, 

 perhaps, as a sort of pump, by which the sap is 

 drawn from the earth and forced upwards to its 

 Ultimate destination. This process is, however, 

 supposed by some, to be aided by electrical influ- 

 ences. 



The experiments of Dr Hales by means of cap- 



illary tubes, carried sap from the top of the stump 



of a young tree that he cut off transversely in the 



pring, I think 16 or 18 feet ujiwards, and this 



severally, are to be attributed that apparent inac 

 tivity in the sap that is so manifest during mid 

 summer; and which lead many people to believf 

 that its circulations are slopped altogether 



But the princijial question is still unanswered 

 and I have no doubt will remain so. We may, 

 however, examine it a little, and sec whether it 

 may not be accounted for by a union of causes.- 

 The querist says he knows that heat affects the 

 circulation of the sap, but wishes to know how it 

 ailects it .' 



That most plants are dependant on heat for 

 the active circulation of their sa]), there can be 



no doubt. But heat applied to one part of thelWilhout the aid of heat, or chemical influence of 

 plant, while the other is exposed to frost, will af-l^ny kind. What then may not be expected from 

 feet that part only that is immediately within its/iho^se powerful agents when brought into opera- 

 influence. This is another proof that the sap re- tion on a set of capillary tubes so minute, in some 

 mains in the body of the tree, as well as in the cases, that a sti'ong magnifying glass is required 

 roots, ready to be acted upon, and set in motion|to discover their existence ? Beside, when we 

 whenever heat is applied to it. For instance if a V-onsider that this body is endowed with life, while 

 grape vine be planted in the open ground, and a the tubes of Mr Hales were not, we must not won- 

 branch of it be led into a hot house, every bodylder, 1 think, that this theory is supported by some 

 knows that the part exposed to the external ain physiologists. 



will remain without showing any signs ofvegeta-l After all, we are still left in doubt as to many 

 tion 

 and 



tho branch out doors, leaving the centre of it onlv might be said, and the subject much better eluci- 

 within, we shall see that both the lower body anc datr-d by a scientific writer who had leisure to in- 

 the terminating shoot, which are exposed to a cold vestigate it ; but as I must have exhausted your 

 atmosphere, will remain in a dormant state, while patience, as I fear I shall that of your readers, I 

 the centre will send forth shoots, leaves, and youna will leave the other questions of Mr Coffin to some 

 fruit. If you reverse the position of the vine, bj one better qualified than myself to satisfy his de- 

 placing the roots in door.s, and leaving the centre mands. CULTIVATOR. 

 of a shoot out, the effects will be reversed. The Broohline, June 1, 1829. 



]iart near the roots, and the terminating branch j 



■will then shotv life, while the cenlre will show 

 no marks of vegetation. 



Heat then is the principal agent in putting the 

 sap in motion ; but how does it affect it .' is the 

 question of Mr Coffin. 



; while the branch \^^thin will be in full leaf, points in regard to the phenomena of the circida- 

 ^rowing vigorously. If we carr3' the end o' tion and elevation of the sap. But much more 



FOR THE HEW ENGLAND FAnSIER. 



If the cellular tissue contains, beside the watery 

 fliiid we call sap, a variety of other substances 



POULTRY, &c. 



Mr Fessenpen — I am a young farmer and 



liwc paid considerable attention to the raising of 



loultry ; and for the purpose of securing my gar- 



Jcus from the depredations of my hens, have en- 



which are susceptible of chemical influence ; and '^^"^'"^ "''*'' ^ "'^" "'"^ l>";kets, a yard of an acre 

 if, when these are excited by heat, they are set in P"^ »" half of ground, m which I keep them shut 

 motion, and a change is produced by chemical, or "? ' ^"* '™'" ^"'"« ""^'^ "»' °'''"' "'^y '"^^'e this 

 "electro-chemical agency," which decomiioses, ^^"^^" ''°"<' comparatively nothing. Now, I am 

 and recombines them, in such manner as to make ''<"S""""ig t« think that this results from keeping 

 the properjuices, or elaborated sap which forms '"" "'^ny "'' ''«='" together. Will you, or some 



the annual growth of the tree ; why nnay it not 

 by both, or cither of these powerful influences, 

 produce .such a degree of rarefaction of the air 

 and sap which is in the capillary tubes, or ctm- 

 ducting vessels, as to extend them, aided by the 

 principles of vitality in the plant, from the roots to 

 the ii'most extent of its branches. 



But heat alone is not sufficient to produce the 

 wonderful effects which we see annually in the 

 gvowt'i of plants of various kinds. The immedi- 

 ate influence ol' the sun and air are highly bene- 

 ficial to their growth and maturity, and are almost 

 ii!dis]!eusable to the existence of most plants. If 

 a plant be covered with a box, three sides of 

 which are closed with plank, and one side with 

 glass, tlie plant will incline or bend towards the 

 glass, through which both heat and light are ad- 

 mitted. This sliows the tendency of plants to 

 seek these aids as a mean of suji])iiiting their ex- 

 istence. 



The spongy nature of the small filires that grow 

 from the roots of trees, to which are attached mi- 

 nute suckers with open porous skins, is the mean 

 by which the necessary supply of watery solutions 



of your corrcs|iondents inform nie how many may 

 )e kept in such an inclosure, with profit ; having 

 i house to roost in, fifty feet by ten, and divided 

 iito four apartments. 



Last winter, in the month of February, I lost a 

 ■onsiderable number of fowls, by a disease, which 



do not recollect to liave seen treated of in any 

 vork on poultry, unless it is that called by Mow- 

 Ivay the Roup. I, however, think it a different 

 dsease from that. My hens had their mouths so 

 filed with canker that many of them could not 

 cai and frequently one or both of their eyes were 

 so iwollen that they could not see. Some, which 

 livid cannot now see from one eye. Of course 

 noie ^vere cured which were blind in both. Af^ 

 ter trying several medicines without success, I 

 gavathem meal and water, having first dissolved 

 in it a quantity of Glauber's salts, by \\ hich I 

 savid some of tlieni. Can you tell me of a better 

 me;lod, and the cause of the disease .' 



CEDAR FOn HEDGES. 



(Vie of your correspondents makes some inqui- 

 ries concerning hawthorn fences, Would not 

 red cedars, or as they are commonly called 



