270 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



spoken of as having been mild and open. Cultiva- 

 tors are anticipating a favorable spring. I per- 

 ceive those who have apple orchards are prepar- 

 ing to guard by tar, against the ascent of the 

 grub, that deposits the egg from which springs 

 the canker worm — that bane of all good orchards. 

 Were it not for this devourer, the acres appro- 

 priated to orchards would be the most valuable 

 on the farm. Essex. 



April 12, 1859. _ 



SOIL-PLANTING IN HOTBEDS. 



In a recent number of the Farmer I noticed 

 soil-planting in hot-beds recommended. My ad- 

 vice to those inclined to try the experiment, is to 

 be moderate in their expectations of success. I 

 made the experiment some tv/o years since — and 

 like most of my plants — got bit for my pains. 



The grub which I transplanted itito my bed 

 with the soil nearly destroyed my planting. 

 Those which escaped the gruD, found it an im- 

 practicable aifair to attempt to root through a 

 compact soil, consequently they yielded up the 

 design with all the gravity of a nonplussed ten- 

 dril. And my first planting of that year was 

 duly chronicled a failure. H. M. CouCH. 



Georgetown, March, 1859. 



For the Neic Fii^'lmid Farmer. 



HOM7" PLANTS GROW---L1CSSONS IN 

 BOTANY, 



My Dear Sir; — I have for many years, ever 

 since I was old enough to know what the benefits 

 might be, been in favor of the farmer's studying 

 the natural sciences. As long ago as 1840, I 

 wrote a series of articles on thi.s subject, which 

 were published in the old Netv England Farmer, 

 edited by Henry Colman. Each year since then, 

 I have been more and more impressed Avith the 

 truth of what I said, and the number of those 

 of the same opinion has nobly increased since 

 that time, insomuch, that many efforts have been 

 made, and some of them, I am happy to say, with 

 signs of success, to establish institutions in which 

 these branches shall be taught, with special ref- 

 erence to the needs of young farmers. Success, 

 I say, to every effort in the cause. Let such 

 schools be multiplied all over the land. 



But it is easy to see, that however numerous 

 these may become, their number will always be 

 too small to meet the universal demands of the 

 young farmers of America. We must have a 

 starling point short of them, and that point must 

 be the home of the young, and the "peoples' col- 

 leges," the district schools ; for as numerous as 

 higher institutions may become, the great mass 

 of American youth are, probably, through all 

 time, to receive their school education in these 

 humbler institutions. 



I am aware there have always been obstacles 

 in the way of introducing these studies in our 

 schools. Not in the children, be it understood ; 

 they are born naturalists, and only need to have 

 this principle of nature drawn out, to become 

 eminently so. But parents, blinded by other 

 objects, have looked with unholy indifference on 

 the useful and beautiful in the world around 

 them, and have diverted the minds of their chil- 

 dren to other, less attractive studies. Then, we 



have had no text books adapted to the capacities 

 of the young. They must be so clogged with 

 scientific technicals that the clear sunshine of 

 beauty they should bring, was provokingly be- 

 fogged with perplexity and darkness. Then we 

 have had but few teachers qualified to the task, 

 or rather pleasure, of giving instruction in these 

 branches. They have been educated to other 

 and often less useful and less attractive sciences. 



We rejoice in one series of scientific text books, 

 adapted to the wants an 1 capacities of the mem- 

 bers of our common schools, and shall hail its 

 introduction as the dawn of a new and brilliant 

 era in thfir existence. Prof. Gray, in preparing 

 his botanical works, has fully comprehended the 

 wants of the young. His "How Plants Grow," 

 commences the work of vegetable physiology and 

 botany in the germ, and leads the pupil on, just 

 as young plants grow; naturally and familiarly, 

 in a style that any child can comprehend as easily 

 as they can any ordinary reading lessons. 



This work is followed by his "Lessons in Bot- 

 any," written in the same farailiar style, but lead- 

 ing the student up another grade in this beauti- 

 ful and attractive science. And then comes his 

 ♦•Structural and Systematic Botany," whose course 

 is still upward and onward, until led into the 

 "Manual of Botany," decidedly the most full and 

 understandable work on the science we have ever 

 seen. 



In addition to the familiar language in which 

 the works are written, they are illustrated, thanks 

 to their enterprising publishers, Messrs. Ivison 

 & Phinney, New York, by cuts so life-like that 

 any one at all familiar with flowers will recog- 

 nize them without any other introduction. The 

 series is one by which any ordinary mind may 

 become its own teacher j a ladder that is of so 

 easy ascent that the youngest may safely venture 

 upon it. 



The only remaining obstacle in the way of in- 

 troducing the study of plants into all our schools, 

 now, that we can conceive of, will arise in the 

 plea that our teachers are not educated in the 

 science ; but this series happily removes this ob- 

 stacle, for we wouldn't give a fig for a teacher 

 who has not mind enough to become familiar 

 with "How Plants Grow," and energy enough to 

 cultivate it. One hour's reading and investiga- 

 tion each day, will keep a teacher enough in ad- 

 vance of her class, and enable her attractively to 

 lead them along. The pleasure and profit all 

 will derive from the efi'ort who will make it, will 

 more than compensate for the labor best::wed. 

 She wdll find another gem in their educational 

 garlands, and new and attractive objects of beau- 

 ty in a world where ignorance and indifference 

 see fio much deformity. 



The season for our common schools to open is 

 near, bringing with it the early spring flowers ; 

 fit season to commence their study ; and we hope 

 the teachers of our good, old Commonwealth will 

 see to it that a class of beginners is formed in 

 every school. Further than this, let every school 

 become a class in learning "How Plants Grow," 

 just as many of them are now singing classes. 

 To this end, let the teacher talk to them a few mo- 

 ments every day upon the subject, giving illustra- 

 tions of the subject. For instance, let a common 

 garden bean be the subject, and let them show 

 them the bean dry and dead, then when the first 



