NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



403 



VEGETABLE ECONOMY. 



FUNCTIONS OF THE LEAVES. 



The leaves are the most important parts of plants, 

 performing various most essential functions in the 

 vegetixble economy. By them the actions of res- 

 piration, digestion, exhalation and absorption are 

 carried on. The leaf, it is considered, is formed by 

 an extension of the skin or cuticle of the plant, and 

 if examined, it will be found that a skin ni:.y be 

 stripped off from either surface, the interstices be- 

 ing composed of cells. The cuticle of the leaf is 

 furnished abundantly throughout its surface with 

 pores, called by botanists stomatas, through which 

 water and gases pass out and enter. These are 

 chiefly or sometimes wholly on the lower surface. 

 By these pores, are carried on the respiration of 

 air, and the exhalation and absorption of water. 

 Experiments have shown that some plants exhale 

 twice their own weight daily. A cabbage has been 

 found to exhale from 15 to 25 ounces daily ; a sun- 

 flower 20 ounces, on an average of 15 days, and on 

 a warm, dry day, 30 ounces. A leaf of a sunflower 

 weighing 31^ grains, with its stalk immersed in 

 water, took up, in 4 hours, 25 grains ; the leaf had 

 increased in weight only 4^ grains, so that 20^ grains 

 had passed ofi" by exhalation. At this rate the leaf 

 would take up its own weight in about 5 hours, and 

 exhale an equal weight in 6 hours. 



Plants of a juicy kind, or succulent, have usually 

 very few pores, and require much light to stimulate 

 their evaporation. Hence when melons are grown 

 in a frame, as many leaves as possible should be 

 exposed to the light of the sun, and the accumula- 

 tion of water from within should be prevented. 

 Some of these plants of the succulent kind, by rea- 

 son of a deficiency of pores, may be preserved a long 

 time without moisture. In the summer, exhalation 

 is most active ; and therefore plants cannot well be 

 transplanted, because from the injury to the roots, 

 absorption is checked, and is not sufficient to sup- 

 ply the loss by exhalation. In young plants, like 

 cabbages and lettuce, the roots suffer but little, and 

 plentiful watering will enable the plant to rally. 

 By keeping plants in the dark, exhalation is 

 checked, and thus a nosegay may be preserved a 

 longer time from withering. 



bon, the elements of the great mass of the vege- 

 table kingdom. In this, it is closely allied to ani- 

 mal food, and on this account as well as others, it 

 is a valuable addition to the usual food of animals. 

 We believe the cabbage worthy of high estimation 

 as a regular field crop, not merely for the pork 

 and cabbage trade, but as food for cattle and hogs, 

 and that it will he extensively cultivated for that 

 purpose ; but however this may be, we are confi- 

 dent that the cabbage affords the best means of 

 filling the ground which, from any cause remains 

 vacated the first of August. — Cultivator and Gu' 

 zette. 



Cabbages for Stock. — Every farmer, and in- 

 deed, every person having a garden and a hen, a 

 pig or a cow, will do well to have some cabbage 

 plants with which to fill the ground when early 

 croj)s have been removed too late for turnips. The 

 cabbage is a sure grower, and faithful in its mis- 

 sion, whether put out early or late. To secure 

 good, firni heads for table use, requires considerable 

 care in kinds, times, soil, and culture ; but to secure 

 a good growth of highly nutritious and valuable 

 food for stock, requires but a small measure of re- 

 gard for either. 



The cabbage contains a full proportion of nitro- 

 gen in addition to the oxygen, hydrogen and car- 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE SPAEROW AND THE HEN. 



^Ir. Editor : — I know not if there be anything 

 new in what I am about to relate ; at any rate, we 

 who have been brought up surrounded by brick 

 walls, look upon many of the common doings of 

 dame Nature as something wonderful, and many 

 of her every-day ways as anomalous or passing 

 strange. 



The first instance I have to record is that of a 

 little brown sparrow, which built its tiny nest in a 

 honeysuckle vine trained on a trellis close by the 

 front door. The bird built its nest and then was 

 absent for nearly a week. At length she appeared 

 and laid two little green-colored eggs, each about as 

 large as a good-sized pea. I am very sure tliere 

 were only two eggs, for I, as well as many others, 

 looked into the nest very frequently during the ab- 

 sence of the parent ; we thought she was manag- 

 ing very poorly, her absence, as 1 have remarked, 

 being frequent and prolonged. She knew, how- 

 ever, better than we could tell her, for lo, and be- 

 hold, one morning there appeared in the nest four 

 young ones, all, so far as we could judge, perfectly 

 formed, and in no wise connected ; she brooded 

 them from the 21st of June until the 1st of July, 

 on which day the upper tier of two flew, and the 

 day following the remainder. I said they flew in 

 tiers, for the nest was so small, they could not all 

 lay on the bottom, and the old bird used to perch 

 in the honeysuckle vine at night. The nest still 

 remains, and shall be respected, and not a straw 

 suffered to be touched or molested. I am in hopes 

 Mistress Sparrow will repeat her performance an- 

 other season in the same place. I assure her she 

 shall be protected, and that her proceedings have 

 given the occupants of our domicile, as well as nu- 

 merous visitors, great gratification. At any rate, 

 such doings are well worthy of record. 



My ornithological acquirements are so limited, 1 

 know not whether to consider the above a regular 

 performance, or a lusiis nnlurrt. I can only repeat, 

 well done. Mistress Sparrow ! four birds out of two 

 eggs, all reared safely, and I am in hopes, now en- 

 joying themselves amid summer beauties. I would 

 add, that during the whole time the parents seemed 

 perfectly fearless, not in the least alarmed, although 

 numbers passed in and out of the door during the 

 time, and all stopped to observe and admire. The 

 nest was about midway up the trellis so that a per- 

 son of common altitude could look directly into it. 

 The young birds appeared in a very callow state 

 when they left the nest. 



The next act on the part of the feathered tribe, 

 of which I would make brief mention, is that of a 

 hen belonging to a near neighbor of mine, Mr. 



