1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEE. 



181 



EIGHTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING, 



At the State House, Tcesdav Eyexisg, March 7, 1S54. 



Subject, — The Culture and Preservation of 

 Fruit. 



The meeting was called to order at 7^ o'clock 

 by Mr. Simon Brown, and Hon. Mr. Brooks, of 

 Princeton, was invited to take the chair for the 

 evening. 



Previous to entering on the discussion of the 

 topic for the evening, jMr. Holmes, of Nova Scotia, 

 delivered a short but interesting lecture on the 

 subject of Vegetable Physiology. 



The lecturer, after alluding to the many lieau- 

 tiful and gorgeous scenes which are presented in 

 the vegetable world — in the grass of the fields, the 

 flowers, the shrubs, and the wonder which they 

 excite, remarked that if we turned our attention 

 to their construction and growth, we should find 

 them equally wonderful and interesting. A plant 

 consists of three essential parts — the roots, the 

 stem and the leaves. The roots extend themselves 

 into the earth, the stems stretch upward and 

 spread into branches, and the leaves shoot from 

 the latter. The stem is a bundle of small tubes 

 cemented together in a vertical position, and con- 

 sists of four parts — the pith, the wood, the bark, 

 and the medullary rays, the latter being those 

 rays which we find radiating from the centre 

 of the tree to the bark. The wood consists of two 

 parts, — the true wood, and alburnum, or now 

 wood. The root when it leaves the stem, differs 

 but very little in character from the stem itself, 

 but as it penetrates the ground, first the wood, and 

 then the pith, gradually leave it, and finally no- 

 tliing but a pithy, soft wood, covered with bark, 

 remains. The green matter in the leaves corres- 

 ponds with the inner bark of the tree, from which 

 the leaves derive theii' color. The function of 

 the roots of a plant is to absorb and convey to the 

 stem those juices which nourish and sustain it, as 

 water, carbonic acid, &c. Gases, when in a state 

 of solution, also enter by the roots — as ammonia, 

 and oxygen, — and lime, magnesia, and other min- 

 eral substances, are absorbed in this manner. It 

 ia also a function of the roots to select the par- 

 ticular kinds of food which a plant needs, and re- 

 ject all others, — a fact which has been demonstrat- 

 ed. They also promote the excretion of certain 

 substances which liave jierforined their part. The 

 pith of a tree does not seem to perform any very 

 important function, as it may be removed without 

 causing, apparently, any great injury. The leaves 

 of a plant are its lungs. If the roots of a plant 

 in leaf arc put into a l)asin of water, the water 

 will disappear, having l)een evaporated Vjy the 

 leaves. Their most important function is to in- 

 hale carbonic acid, that groat essential for the 

 growth of a phmt, and cxliale oxygen; but tliis 

 proccas is by night inverted, the plant absorbing 



oxygen and throwing off carbon. The amount of 

 carbon inhaled during the day, however, far ex- 

 ceeds that emitted by night. Different substances 

 may be composed of precisely similar elements, 

 combined in exactly the same proportions ; some 

 of these substances may l)e transformed one into 

 another. By the application of heat, the woody 

 fibre may be changed into gum, the gum into starch 

 and the starch into sugar. The character of a 

 plant cannot be determined by its chemical ele- 

 ments. In growing plants the temperature of the 

 climate should be consulted. Plants indigenous 

 in warm latitudes will yet germinate and thrive in 

 much colder ones, showing that the seed possesses 

 a heat of its own. The light is prejudicial to ger- 

 mination. The pistils of ilowers, which are the 

 germs of the fruit, are at first tasteless, but after a 

 while as they grow, absorb oxygen, and be- 

 come sour, remaining so until the fruit attains its 

 full size, and begins to ripen, when the sourness 

 subsides and the fruit becomes sweet by the accu- 

 mulation of sugar. Apples will ripen after be- 

 ing taken from the tree, if supplied with oxygen. 

 The lecturer concluded by remarking that scien- 

 tific agricultural chemistry was the key by which 

 it was hoped at some future time the diseases of 

 plants might be discovered. As it is, the science 

 has already rendered great services to the farmer. 

 At the conclusion of the lecture, the Chairman 

 invited remarks upon the subject oi fruits, and 

 called on 



jNIr. Field, of the Senate, who remarked that 

 he had cultivated some kinds of fruit to some ex- 

 tent, and with unusual success. This -success he 

 attributed to his manner of culture, which is in 

 the fall to dig in around the tree all the leaves 

 which have fallen from it, and then spread six to 

 ten fork-fulls of manure about it. 



Mr. Russell, of the house, said he felt interest- 

 ed in the subject, but he should prefer hearing the 

 opinions of gentlemen of more exj^ericnce, than to 

 occupy the time with remarks of his own. 



Mr. Simon Brown, of the N. E. Farmer, fol- 

 lowed and remarked that he had nothing special 

 to say in regard to the subject, but felt great in- 

 terest in it. lie sincerely believed in tlic advan- 

 tages of cultivating fruit, and to a very considera- 

 ble extent ho considered it a profitable crop when 

 properly cultivated, with a soil and climate con- 

 genial to its growth. He would speak of but one 

 kind of fruit — apples. lie believed that tliis crop 

 might be increased four fold from what it now is, 

 and still be found a profitable one. Instead of at- 

 tempting to raise potatoes to feed swine and cattle, 

 we may resort to the apple crop with profit. It 

 is an easy crop to raise, when its management is 

 understood, is easily harvested, and affords suffi- 

 cient nutriment to make it worthjj^ the attention 

 of the farmer to cultivate it as a common feed for 



