Vol. X.-No. 33. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JO^ RNAL. 



251 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



REMEDY 



FOR AN OX OR COW, WHEN CHOKED BT A POTATO. 



Mr Fessexden — Perhaps the following remedy 

 for a creature choked with a potato, has loDg since 

 been noticed aijd extensively known. 



Instead of breaking' the potato with a mallet, or 

 ramming it down the throat \vith a woimd rope or 

 beanpole, — which I have known to be practised, 

 to the no small danger and cruel pain of the ani- 

 mal, — take common soft soap, made with leached 

 ashes, mixed with warm water, and pour the same 

 down the throat ; probably a part will pass the po- 

 tato, sufficient, that in case the potato is not imme- 

 diately cast out of the mouth, to provide for it a 

 slippery passage downwards. 



A neighbor of mine, a practical farmer in the 

 best sense, a few evenings since told me had known 

 the above practice successful in a great many in 

 stances, and had never known it to fail. 



Yours very respectfully, L. M. 



Maine, Jan. 1839. 



ADDRESS 



BY MALTUUS A. WARD, M. D. 



Continued from page 243. 



If we turn to books on gardening, even by re- 

 epecfable writers, how vague, and sometimea how 

 absuid, are the general directions for preserving 

 fruit trees ' from the slug,' and ' from tlie caterpil- 

 lar,' as if all slugs and all caterpillars were alike, 

 infested the same trees, appeared at the same time, 

 and were to be destroyed by the same means. In 

 this, as in medicine, the disease must be sedulously 

 watched from its commencement through all its 

 stages; — accurate observations must be noted down 

 even on the most trivial points ;— and finally, ^the 

 injury docs really originate in an insect, specimens 

 of that insect in all its stages must be preserved. 

 With snch materials the naturalist's advice may 

 be asked with some prospect of advantage. How 

 this subject has been so unaccountably overlooked 

 I know not ; but I do know tliat it deserves tlie im- 

 mediate attention of this Society, and might v/ell 

 be entitled to its highest premium. 



The science, however, which sheds the stron- 

 gest and most widely diffused radiance upon the 

 labors of the Horticulturist, is Botany, iit all its 

 branches, but more especially that of I'liytology,. 

 which teaches the structure of plants, and the 

 functions of their several organs ; for the garden- 

 er, like the physician, has to deal with the vital 

 prinriple ; — and, like him, should understand the 

 anatomy and physiology of the subjects that come 

 under his care. This is essential, in order to en- 

 able him, in any other than the hazardous manner 

 of an emi»iric, to promote their health, to recog- 

 nise their diseases, and to apply the appropriate 

 remedies. 



This, as a distinct branch of botanical science, 

 is not of a very remote date, and, notwithstanding 

 the immense force of talent which has been made 

 to bear upon it, is still in an imperfect .state. The 

 principal English wi iters in this department are 

 Grew and Hales, who treated of the solids and 

 fluids of plants ; Dr Priestley, who brought in tlic 

 aid of Pneumatic Cheniistry ; and ])r Darwin, 

 whose ' Phytologia,' notwithstandiug the unpleas- 

 ant coloring, which his peculiar philosophical no- 

 tions concerning vitality, has thrown over it, 



ouglit to be carefully studied by every ui.e, who 

 would man;ige his garden well himsell", or know 

 when it is well managed for him by otIuMS ; — 

 and lastly, Mr Knight, of the extent and utility of 

 whose labors, it would be impertinent in me to 

 think I could inform this audience. The princi- 

 pal European laborers in this field, arc Malpiglii 

 Bonnet, Dubamel, Desfontaines and Dc Candolle 

 anil ])articularly the late French writers, Mirbel, 

 Turpin, Poiteau and Diitrochet, who, in this path, 

 are far in adv.Tnce of their English brethren. In- 

 deed, the latter advanced so far that he has been 

 obliged to retrace at last some of his steps, though 

 his iiierits on the whole are unquestionably very 

 high. 



It is probable that many, though perhaps not 

 all, in this assembly, are aware that to Monsieur 

 Dulrochet was awarded the medal of the French 

 Academy, for his researches on the Motilite, or 

 cause of motion in plants, — particularly with re- 

 gard to the flow of sap. This he ascribed to a 

 sort of galvanism, or intracapillary electricity ; to 

 the two currents of which, or, more properly, to 

 the motions produced by them, he gave the melo- 

 dious epithets oi endosmose erosmose. His experi- 

 ments and his reasonings were, however, after- 

 wards sliown lo be fallacious ; and, with a degree 

 of candor and love of truth, more honorable to 

 him than many golden medals, he retracted his 

 opinions. 



Another gentleman has still more recently come 

 forth with the publication of a series of experi- 

 ments and inferences, which are said to prove sat- 

 isfactorily, at least to himself, that caloric, in its 

 annual and diurnal fluctuations, is alone the cause 

 of movement in the sap. It were well, perhaps, if 

 both these gentlemen had been satisfied with 

 attributing the phenomenon to an inherent vital 

 action, without puzzling themselves with a vain 

 search after first causes, — which always leaves the 

 most successful inquirer exactly where he set out. 

 Although observation is the faculty principally 

 employed, in the study of Natural Hi.story, and 

 should always be on the alert to surprise Nature 

 in the midst of her operations, and thus detect her 

 secrets ; yet, in some cases, and to a limited ex 

 tent, experiments may be employed to extort them 

 from her. But the Naturalist cannot, like the 

 Chemist, regulate the conditions of the phenomena 

 he studies ; nor can he separate the elementary 

 parts from each other, in the objects he examines 

 Such objects usually come under his view in a 

 complex form ; and he can decompose them and 

 analyze their component parts only in thovght. 

 What a variety of conditions, for example, are 

 necessary to vegetable life! If, in attempting to 

 nalyze the nMlure of life, we were to separate 

 from it any of those requisite conditions, its dura- 

 tion must instantly cease, and the object of our 

 researches be frustrated ; so that, in matters like 

 this, the utmost we can ever expect to attain is 

 but an approximation lo the truth. 



Mere observation will, however, avail but little 

 without comparison. We must observe attentive- 

 ly the same body in the various positions in which 

 it is placed at different times by Nature ; and we 

 must compare different bodies with each other un- 

 til we can recognise any invariable relations, 

 which may exist between their structure and the 

 phenomena they exhibit. Thus may such bodies, 

 when diligently observed and carefully compared 

 with each other, be considered as experiments 

 ready prepared by the hand of Nature ; who may 



be supposed to add lo, or subtract from each, in 

 the manner the Chemist does in hi.s laboratory 

 with the inert materials subject to his control, — 

 and herself to present us with the result of such 

 additions and subtractions. In this way we may 

 arrive at some knowledge of the laws which reg- 

 ulate the phenomena of Natural History, strictlv 

 speaking, subject to our observation ; and whicli 

 are employed by the great Governor of the uni- 

 verse with the same determinate precision, as 

 those which arc opened to our view by the general- 

 sciences. 



The reproduction of vegetable forms is unques- 

 tionably a vital process, but there is no reason ro 

 believe that more mr.y-not be known respecting it, 

 than has yet been developed ; and it is possible 

 future researches may throw such light upon its 

 different modes, and the modifications of which it 

 is su.sceptible from the varied conditions under 

 which it may take place, as will enable art lo 

 effect a proposed end, by supplying and arranging 

 those conditions. The whole surface of the globe 

 has now been so thoroughly explored, that we can 

 scarcely expect the discovery of any very impor- 

 tant addition to our kitchen, fruit, or even flower 

 garden ; our principal resource, therefore, for im- 

 provement in this respect, lies in the production ol' 

 new varieties. To avail ourselves of this, with 

 any deteriiiinate degree of success, requires that 

 knowledge to which I have just alluded. This 

 field is still open to the enterprising physiologist, 

 and promises a rich reward to him whose industry 

 and skill shall compel it to yield a harvest. 



With regard to the other departments of botan- 

 ical science, viz. Glossology, which teaches tin- 

 names of the different parts cf plants; Phytogra- 

 phy, which treats of nomenclature, and the art of 

 describing plants, .so that they may be easily re- 

 cognised ; Taxonomy, or the theory of classifica- 

 tion and arrangement, applied to plants ; Botanical 

 Geography, which teaches the natural distribution 

 of plants over the earth's surface, showing their 

 relations lo tcnipcratui^, elevation, soil, &c, as 

 well as the several minor divisions adopted by 

 modern writers, such as Historical, Agricultural, 

 Medical and Economical Botany, — they may all be 

 studied with an advantage, often essential, and 

 always important, by every one who v^ould have 

 his ground or his intellect cultivated in the most 

 pleasant and useful manner. Picturesque or 

 Landscape Gardening, the period for the study of 

 which is now dawning upon our country, is a sub- 

 ject involving principles profoundly and intricately 

 connected with the most refined and ^vith the most 

 recondite .•ipeculations, which have occupied 

 the human mind. Conscious that no nolice i. 

 could now make of it, or of the studies connected 

 with it, V. ould convey any adequate or satisfactory 

 exposition of the subject, I leave it entire, for a 

 more convenient time and a more able hand. 

 To be concluded nc-tt week. 



DOCT. ELMER'S GREAT OX. 

 The great ox. Leopard, owned by Dr William 

 Elmer of Bridgeton, N. .1. was recently weiglicd 

 alive, by a patent balance made expressly for that 

 purjwse, and his weight found to be three [thous- 

 and two hundred and eighty six pounds. 



A large placard was liawkcd about in London, 

 recently, as follows : — 



'Dram-drinkers must exjicct to be the first vic- 

 tims of the Cholera ! ' 



