354 



M<:\V ENGLAND FAUMF^R, 



May 28, 1830. 



into two cells by a loiigitudinnl partition, ulun^' 

 earb of whose cil^es the aucds arc rangnl, ns in 

 the cabbage. Silicula, is a rounJish pod, u.s in 

 honesty. 3. Z/<'/r"""'"i '^^'■'■i(^< "'""n ^'''■'"''y l")*^' 

 of two oblong Tidvt's, without a longiin<linal par- 

 tition ; seeds arranged along one of iis margins 

 only, as in the poa and bean. 4. Dnipn, stone 

 fruit, fleshy, undivided coat, containing a stone or 

 nut, as in the peach, &c. 5. Pomum, pome, 

 eonlaitis a capside, of several cells in n fleshy coal, 

 as the apple, pear, &c. 6. lierra, a berry, fleshy 

 witdoMt valves containing one or more seeds lodg- 

 sd in pnlp, as in the currant, gooseberry, &c. 

 Some berries arc cornponnd, as the raspberry, 

 consisting of a number of small ones, each con- 

 taining a see 1. In the melon family the cells and 

 seeds are placed some distance from the centre. 

 7. Strobilu.i, a rone, originates from a catkin, he- 

 comes hardened and enlarged into a compound 

 seed vessel, as in the ]>ine, itc. 



6. Semina, seeds. The most essential part, 

 all others being subservient to this. Seeds are 

 composed of several parts, the most important of 

 which is the embryo or corculum, a little heart read- 

 ily observed in the bean. It generally lodges with- 

 in tb« substance of the seed. The embryo orcor- 

 cule consists of the radicle, the descending part, 

 which becomes the root ; and the plume, the as- 

 cending ])art, which becomes the stem, &r. The 

 cotyledons, the seed lobes, generally two in num- 

 ber, are connected with the embryo, and when 

 the seed has sent the root sufficiently into the 

 earth, these organs generally rise above the sur- 

 face and perform the office of leaves until proper 

 foliage he produced. Plants for the most part 

 are properly called dycoUjledonous, having two 

 cotyledons. Those callc<l monocotyledonous, as 

 wheat, Indian corn, Sep, have really no proper 

 cotyledon, and the first thing which appears above 

 the surface from their seed is a real leaf. T\)e albu- 

 men, or white, makes up the greatest part of some 

 seeds, but never rises out of the ground, nor as- 

 sumes the dflice of leaves, being destined to nour- 

 ish the embryo until its roots can perform their 

 office. The riftWus, a white substance, conspicu- 

 ous in Indian corn, answers the same purpose. 

 The nutritious matter, which in these plants con- 

 stitutes the alhumcn, is in others lodged in the 

 cotyledons. The skin is ciiher a single or double 

 membrane, which bursts irregularly when the con- 

 tent.'? swell in germination. Jliluni, the scar, is 

 the point of attachment through which nourish- 

 ment is conveyed to the seed while growing. This 

 point is considered the base of the seed. 



Tho seeds are often accompanied with light 

 appendages. Some arc covered with a delicate 

 fine membrane. Many of their appendages are 

 Tcry light, feathery and downy and serve to waft 

 the seed along the air. To these may he added 

 several spine-, hooks, scales and crests, which 

 serve to attach such seeds as arc furnished with 

 thum to the rough coats of animals, and so pro- 

 mote their dispersion. Every seed, however 

 small, is an orgnnizeil Ijody, which contains under 

 its membranes a plant in miniature. 



Heeds do not germinate e(|UBlly well in all pla- 

 ces and seasons. They refpiire moisture and a 

 certain degree of heat peculiar to the species he- 

 fore they begin that proce.ss. Air is necessary, but 

 light is supposeil to be injurious to gcrtnination. 

 Seeds freipienlly preserve lliifir Kerminnling vir- 

 tues for many years when buried <leep in the 

 earth and being deprived of air. It ii frequently 



the case, that on digging up a piece of land, {■< 

 observe it soon after covered wiili .several species 

 of plants, which had not been seen there in the 

 memory of tnan. The seeds being brought near 

 the surface at a proper time, germination com- 

 menced. 



7. Receplacuhim, the rcreptncle is the common 

 base or point of connexion of the parts of fructifi- 

 cation. It is essential as it must exist in some 

 shape or other. This part, however, comes chief- 

 ' ly into notice wlien it assumes any peculiar form, 

 I as in eomjiounil flr)wers — the daisy, dandelion, 

 I and thistle. It is either proper, as when it belongs 

 I to a simple flower, as in the rose ; or common, as 

 [ when it belong.^ to aggregate flowers, which con- 

 sist of several fructifications or sinaller flowers 

 growing upon one common receptacle, or enclos- 

 ed by one common calyx. Aggregate flowers com- 

 prehend several kind.s, as compotmd flowers, 

 amentaceous, umbellate, cymore, &,o. A com- 

 pound flower consists of several smaller flowers, 

 called florets, standing together upon one com- 

 mon receptacle and inclosed by one common ca- 

 lyx ; each floret consisting cf one petal, five sla- 

 mens whose filaments are distinct at the bottom, 

 hut united by their anthers into a cylindrical tube, 

 through which passes the pointal, and terminates 

 in two curved points. The florets (which are 

 cither ^'fi/^off, having a longi.sh or strap-shaped 

 corolla, tubular at the base ; or tubular, the corol- 

 la divided at the top into five segments) and the 

 pointal stand on the germen or embryo seed, 

 which elongates as it becomes mature. Some 

 florets have both stamens and poinfals ami are 

 denominated perfect ; some have the former only 

 and are called slaminifcrous ; some have only the 

 latter, and are termed pistillifrrous, or fertile ; and 

 some are desitute of either, or have none that are 

 effectual and are called neuter. In some instan- 

 ces each floret has its own apj:ropriate calyx, be- 

 sides the one in common. Compound flowers are 

 either, com;>ounrf ra<iin<f, the desk or centre com- 

 |>osed of tubular, and the ray or circumference 

 of ligulate florets, as in the sun flower; lisiulate, 

 consisting wholly of ligulate florets, as in the dan- 

 delion ; or discoid, having oidy tubular florets, 

 as in the thisti*. 



The receptacle is different in form, as concave, 

 convex, flat,'pyramidal, or globular ; and is smooth, 

 rough, scaly, hairy or cellular. The receptacle 

 of the seed is that part lo which they arc attached 

 in the seed vessel. 



[ To he eonclmkd next treck ] 



Extract from a Report to Congress on Jlmtrican 

 Canvas, Cables, and Cordage. 



From this report the following facts are gnth.er- 

 cd:— 



1st. That hemp may be cultivated in the United 

 States to any extent which our necessities may re- 

 (piirt!. 



2nil. That in the i)resent mode of cultivation, 

 these are some errors whiidi may readily be cor- 

 rected when more attention is paid to it. 



' 3d, That, in its nntiinvl state, it is, in all im- 

 portant qualities, equal to that which we are in the 

 habit of inq)orting. 



'lih. That it is injured in the mode of rotting 

 and preparing it fi)r manufacture. 



' .5lh. That if sown thicker on the ground, wa- 

 tcr-rolte<l, and prepared with care, it will be, for 

 all purpose)', equal to any other. 



' Cth. That canvas, cables, and cordage, manu- 



fariured out of ii, as now cultivated, are inferior in 

 color, strength, atiil durability, to those manufactu- 

 red from imported hemp, ami consequently are not 

 as aafe or proper for use in the navy. And that 

 this is the rea.son, aiul the only reason, " why 

 canvas, cables, and cordage, made of hemp, the 

 growth of the United Stales, ti;ay not be used in 

 the e(pii|)nient of national vessels, with equal ad- 

 vantage as if of foreign fabric or materials." ' 

 I From the Letter of Commodore Rogers we ex- 

 1 tract the following : 



j 'Till- Commissioners beg leave to premise, that, 

 the canvas maimfaclured in the United States, ia 

 I made generally of Jlax. They believe that hemp 

 I has not been used for that purpose in anv of the 

 large factories : though it has been suggested, that, 

 if hemp were sowed unusually thick, and pidled at 

 n period to produce a fibre or hurl, on a medium 

 belwoen the ordinary hemp and flax, that is stout- 

 er and stronger than the latter, yet not so coarse 

 and rough ns the former, it might be found to be 

 an advantageous substitute in the manufacture of 

 canvas. 



' Willi" regard to flax in the manufacture of can- 

 vas, there can he no doubt that the American 

 plant, if water-rotted and properly dressed, will 

 make a cloth which may be used in the equi|<mcnt 

 of our national vessels, with equal advantage as if 

 of foreign fabric or materials. We have purchased 

 a considerable quantity of canvas trade in the 

 United .States, of flax grown at Fairf eld, Connec- 

 ticut, where they are " in the habit of water-rot- 

 ling it ;" and its quality is not only ronsidered suf- 

 ficiently good for the service, but equal to that of 

 the best imported canvas. We have also purchas- 

 ed canvas made from foreign and ilew-rolted, 

 American flax mixed, and it has passed inspection, 

 though not equal to that made from the Fairfield 

 flax.' 



'The manufacturers of canvas object to dew rotted 

 flax on various grounds. They prefer Dutch at 15 

 or Irish at 14 cents per lb. to this kind of flax at 

 9 cents per pound : because while one hundred 

 pounds of Dutch will yield 72 Ihs. an.l 100 lbs. 

 of Irish will yield 69 lbs. the like quantity of 

 .American dew rotted, will yield only 40 pounds 

 of clear flat. 



' Xo reason can he discerned why the .American 

 (lax should yield so much less than the Dutch, un- 

 less it is to be found in tin.' defective process of 

 rotting, dressing, and preparing it for market. The 

 .American plant, in its natural state contains, it is 

 believed, as great a i)ortion of fibre or lint as ei- 

 tiier of the others. ,\ respectable manufacturer 

 has stated, that he has long used the Fairfield flax, 

 and that he considers it " more flexible, less 

 woody, and stronger than that grown at the South, 

 and preferable to Russia flax." 



' The practice of pulling tho plant in a preen 

 state, is defended on the grounds that, the young- 

 er the [)lanl, the finer the tissue : yet, it is slated as 

 an iinipieslioiiable fact, that the flax intended for 

 the finest piirpusis, is not pullril, in the Nether- 

 lands, until the .seeds arc ri|ie. .An intelligent 

 French gentleman, in a letter to Mr Hcsiiard, (an 

 extract of which will be found among the papers 

 accompanying this report) assigns reasons, which 

 appear conclusive in favor of the practice which 

 prevails in Midland^ both as to tlie period when flax 

 is pulled, and their peculiar melhoil of steeping it.' 



The ' high price of .Americnn flax, its unequal 

 quality, and the uncurtainly of supply,' are urged 

 as among llm roosoni which havs imliiced some of 



