78 



A day at the ReyhoUs in Peach harvest. 



Vol. X. 



variation which occurs in the temperature 

 of the atmosphere under the equator, enable 

 us to indicate with some precision the point 

 of mean temperature below which there is 

 no longer any vegetation. In ascending 

 Chimborazo, I met with this point at the 

 height of 15774.5 feet, where the mean 

 temperature approached 35° F., and where 

 consequently the saxifrages, which root 

 among the rocks, must still receive a tem- 

 perature from 41° to 43° F. during the 

 day, inasmuch as far beyond the inferior 

 snow-line, at an elevation of 19,685 feet 

 above the sea-line, 1 saw a thermometer 

 suspended in the air, and in the shade mark 

 44.6° F. 



In considering the extension of vegetation 

 towards the polar regions, we discover plants 

 growing in very high latitudes in places 

 which have a mean temperature much be- 

 low that which I believe to be the limit of 

 vegetable life on the mountains of the equa- 

 torial region. In these rigorous climates 

 vegetation is suspended by the severity of 

 the cold during the greater portion of the 

 year; it is only during the brief and passing 

 heat of summer that the vegetable world 

 wakes from its long winter sleep. Nova 

 Zembla, lat. 73® N., the mean temperature 

 of whose summer is between 34° and 35° 

 F., is, perhaps, like the perpetual snow-line 

 of the equator, the term of vegetable exist 

 ence. It is also to the very remarkable 

 heat of the summer in countries situated at 

 the northern extremity of the continent of 

 Asia, remarkable if it be contrasted with 

 the intensity of the winter cold, that man 

 succeeds in rearing a few culinary vegeta^ 

 bles in those dreadful climates. At Jakoustk, 

 in 62'' of N. lat., and where mercury is 

 frozen during two months of the year, the 

 mean temperature of summer is very nearly 

 64° F. We have here, as M. de Humboldt 

 observes, " a well characterized continental 

 climate," examples of which indeed are fre 

 quent in the north of America. At Jakoustk 

 wheat and rye sometimes yield a return of 

 15 for 1, although at the depth of a yard the 

 soil which grows them is constantly frozen 

 The limit of perpetual snow being much 

 lower upon the mountains of Europe than 

 in tropical countries, agriculture ceases at a 

 much less elevation. At a height of 6,560 

 feet above the level of the sea, the vegeta 

 bles of the plain have almost entirely d)sap 

 peared. In Northern Switzerland the vine 

 does not grow at an elevation of more than 

 1,800 feet above the sea-lino; maize scarcely 

 ripens at an elevation of 2,850 feet, while in 

 the Andes it still affords abundant harvests 

 at an elevation of 8,260 feet. On the pla- 

 teau or table land of Los Pastes, fields of 



barley are seen at upwards of 10,000 feet 

 above the level of the sea; but on the north- 

 ern slope of Monte Rosa, in Switzerland, 

 barley fails at an elevation of about 4,260 

 feet ; on the southern slope, indeed, it reaches 

 a height of about 6,560 feet ; and this great 

 variation in the ultimate limit of barley is 

 frequently observed with reference to the 

 same plant grown upon opposite aspects of 

 a mountain range. — BoussingauWs Rural 

 Economy. 



From the Boston Cultivator. 



A Day at the Reybolds in Peach Har- 

 vest. 



Desirous of affording our readers the 

 means of forming some idea of the magni- 

 tude and importance of the Peach business 

 of Delaware, we lay before them the details 

 of "A day spent at the Reybolds in Peach 

 harvest." 



We took passage from Philadelphia by 

 the steamer Pioneer, at Arch street wharf, 

 at seven o'clock on the morning of the 29th 

 of August, Reybold's wharf adjoining being 

 full to overflowing with his empty baskets 

 in transitu ; passing the steamer Napoleon, 

 which had arrived at the rail-road wharf on 

 the Camden shore, and was discharging her 

 lading of 3,000 baskets of Reybold peaches 

 for the New York market. During the pas- 

 sage to Delaware City we were continually 

 meeting boats of diflerent descriptions loaded 

 with peaches for the Philadelphia market. 

 We reached the wharf at 11 o'clock, forty 

 miles below Philadelphia, where it was with 

 difficulty that we could pass along it, for the 

 rows of baskets of Reybold's peaches three 

 tiers in height, and extending about one 

 hundred yards in length, flanked with car- 

 riages, from the six-ox and six-mule wagons, 

 counting their 125 baskets each, to the sin- 

 gle-horse cart or dearborn with its score or 

 two awaiting their turn for unloading; re- 

 loading with empty baskets and driving furi- 

 ously back for more — a scene which bade 

 defiance to imagination. 



Here we found the Reybolds loading a 

 sloop, which departed for Philadelphia with 

 1,230 baskets only, to make room for the 

 Cohansey steamer, on board which were 

 placed 1000 baskets more ; and then they 

 began to prepare the evening's loading for 

 the Napoleon, that had returned from Phila- 

 delphia during the day, on which were put 

 1,7(10 baskets from the orchards of Messrs. 

 John, Philip, Jr., William, and Barney Rey- 

 bold, when she proceeded to the wharf of 

 Major Reybold, which is situated in the 

 midst of his orchards, to complete her load- 

 'uig — another 1,490 baskets, starting for Phi- 

 lladelphia, so as to be again in the market 



