J^EW ENGL.AND FARMER, 



AND GARDENE R'S JOURNAL. 



PUBLISHED BY GEORGE C. BARIIETT, NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Aciucultuuai. Wakehouse.) — T. G. FESSKNDEN, EDITOR. 



T«»l.. XIV. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 1836. 



NO. 45. 



(For the New England Fnrmcr.i 

 3 (ASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAI. SOCIETY. 



Saiurdaij, .May 4. — A meeting was held at the 

 Piiciety's room. — The President read the tbllow- 

 ing report, announcing the reception of sundry 

 ]'\d)lications from distinguished individuals in Eu- 

 i< pe — also a letter addressed to the late Presi- 

 iljDt of the Society. 



Since our last tiieeting the Society has receiv- 

 ed, by the politenefs of ftl. E.uilien de Wael from 

 I'aris, a package of books, containing a donation 

 fioni Dr J. B. Van ^loiis of Lorain in Belgiun), 

 of the first volume of his Pomonomie Belize, or 

 Treatise on the pro| agation of fruit trees by seed 

 Belgium, -^and also from M. A. Poiteau of 

 J'aris, a pamphlet on the Theory of Van Mons, 

 n pamphlet on Vegetable Physiology, a treatise on 

 the culture of the orange tree, a treatise on the 

 ulture of the pine apple, and the Bon Jardinier 

 for 1836. 



It is with sincere satisfaction that I have to 

 communicate to the society the continued good 

 feelitigs and friendly offices which those ilistin- 

 guished individuals have constantly manifested 

 towards it since its institution, — there are per- 

 laps none of the present day who have done more 

 to advance the cause of Horticultural science than 

 hcse eminent men, with their co-laborator, the 

 3hevalier Soidange Bodin ; the annals of 'lie 

 Horticultural Society of Paris bear ample testi- 

 iioiiy to the indefatigable zeal with which M. 

 Poiteau has ably illustrated almost every subject 

 ^onnected with rural econotny, — and the great- 

 :st deference is everywhere paid to the opinions 

 if Soulange Bodin. 



Dr Van Mons is receiving from all, particular- 



■y in France, the acknowledgment of the merit, 



o which he is so justly entitled, for his new and 



iiccessful theory of ameliorating fruits by seed ; 



till, M. Poiteau informs us, in his recent treatise 



n that theory, that with one exception, it has 



ot yet been practised on in that country, and 



his is the more extraordinary, as he has never 



concealed the process he has adopted, but 



as published the principles on which it is foiind- 



d, with his catalogue of prints ; this however, is 



ot likely long to be the case ; the Horticultural 



ociety of Paris having recently offered a prenii- 



m of a thousand francs, with a view of obtain- 



ig by a repetition of the experiments of M. Van 



Ions, rnd simultaneously, by any other process 



y seed, ameliorated varieties of pears and apples. 



I woidd respectfully suggest to the Society for 



consideration, the importance of similar exper- 



iients in our own country,- — it would not be 



ecessary to adhere, in all cases, strictly to the 



leory of Van Mons by commencing with seed of 



sne but vvild sorts : in France, they allow com- 



titors lor the premium, to use those of cuitiva- 



d varieties, in the hope of saving time ; and why 



gilt not the seed of our own native kinds, which 



iture in its own course of amelioration has brought 



their present degree of excellence, be carried 



rward, by this process, tostill greater perfection ? 



I have the salisfactitm to n|)prize the Society 

 tliat the interruption which has for some time 

 past existed in the receipt of certain French peri- 

 odicals, haSj by an arrangement with Mr Rich- 

 anls, corresponding member of the Society at Pa- 

 ris, been obviated — they are now received with 

 regularity. 



Respectfully submitted by 



E. VosE, 

 Pres. Mass. Hort. Soc. 

 Dorchester, May 7, 1836. 



The translation of a letter, addressed by M. 

 Poiteau to your late worthy President, General 

 Dearborn is' annexed : 



Paris, Dkc. 1835. 

 To Gen Dearborn, Prcs't. Mass. Hort. Soc. 



Sir, — I have the honor to request you will do 

 me the favor of |')resenting to the Society over 

 which you |)reside, (he homage of the five publi- 

 cations which accompany thi.s, as a feeble testi- 

 mony of my lively giatitiide, and to express to it 

 how sincerely 1 regret not having yet been able to 

 reply to it in a manner worthy of the high favor 

 with which it has honored me in naming me one 

 of its corresponding iiieinbers. My heart is en- 

 tirely with the Horticultural Society of Massachu- 

 setts, but my head and my hands I am compelled 

 to employ for others. 



I am, with profound respect, Sir, 



Your most bumble and obedient servant, 

 Poiteau. 



The following votes were adopted. 



Voted, That the thanks of the Society be pre- 

 sented to M. A. Poiteau of Paris for his valuable 

 and interestirg treatises on the theory of Van 

 .Mons, on vegetable Physiology, on the culture of 

 the pine apple and the orange tree, and for the ac- 

 companying publications ; and that the corres- 

 ponding Secretary he requested to communicate 

 the same to him, with an expression of the pro- 

 found respect which the Society entertains for his 

 invaluable efforts in the cause of Horticulture. 



Voted, That the thanks of the Society be pre- 

 sentc'l to Dr .1. B. Van Mons of Lorain for the 

 first volume of his Pomonomie Beige, or treatise 

 on the culture and propagation of fruit trees by 

 seed in Bdgium ; and that in this renewed in- 

 stance of his civilities to the Society — it sees 

 with pleasure Ids desire to extend so promptly to 

 his transatlantic Horticultural friends, the inval- 

 uable benefits which pomological science in Eu- 

 rope has derived from his exertions. 



On motion of Mr Richards, it was voted, that 

 the report and letter be published in the New- 

 England Farmer, and that tlie CoiTes|iouding 

 Secretary be directed to forward to the gentlemen 

 the thanks of the society. 



Heeds of different kinds from China, were re- 

 ceived from Bryant P. Tilden, Esq. and distrihiiteil. 



Dr John C. Howard of Brookline, was chosen 

 subscription member. Adjourned for two weeks. 

 E. Weston, Jr. Rec. Sec. 



(For the .\evv Riiglanil I'nrnifr.) 

 I.ECTURFSON GBttLOGV. 



Cotilinued from puge 312. 



Dr. Jackson observed that coal is usually found 

 iu secondary and sometimes in the transition 

 rocks. As different strata oeetir at different iiiter- 

 vils, itis evident that tluicoal has been deposited 

 at different periods, and under different degrees of 

 l>ressure, and consequently the quality of the coal 

 differs very materially. In describing the coal 

 formation at Mansfield in this State he stated that 

 the coal is found in the grawwacke or pudding- 

 stone, between which and the coal are thin strata 

 of shale, containing a great quantity of fossil plants. 

 The beds of coal run nearly from E. N. E. to W. 

 S. \V. and dip in the direciion of VV. N. W. 52 de- 

 grees. Several ImmIs have been (iiscovered, the 

 largest of which is two feet in width which never 

 can he of much practical value unless they should 

 be found to increase to three or four feet in 

 width. This can only be ascertained by experi- 

 ment. 



In speaking of the composition of several kinds 

 of coal the Doctor .neneioned the following inter- 

 esting facts. Orrel coal nvodiices 64-f^jy per cent 

 of coke, 35j^jj of bi'umen or volatile matter, and 

 weighs 2158 lbs. to the cubic yard ; New Castle 

 coal produces 624- per cent of coke, Z"^ of vola- 

 tile matter, and weighs 2227^ to the cubic yard : 

 Sidney coal produces 59 per cent of coke and 41 

 of volatile matter; Frostbiiry coal (Md.) produces 

 833^ per cent of coke, 164- of volatile matter, and 

 weighs 2229 lbs to the cubic yard ; and the Mans- 

 field coal is com|)Osed of 96 to 98 percent of car- 

 bon, 2 to 4 of oxid of iron, and weighs 28852- "'^' 

 to tlie cubic yard. It will be seen from the above 

 data that the Frostbury coal is the most profitable 

 for domestic piir| oses as it contains a sufficient 

 quantity of bitumen to take fire readily, and yet 

 will remain ignitetl nearly as long as anthracite. 



Coal is often found directly below the new red 

 sand-stone formation which is remarkable for the 

 great number of plants and marine fossils it con- 

 tains. 



Dr. Jackson stated that he hail traced this rock 

 from the British proviuces into the State of Maine, 

 running directly through the public lands where 

 he thinks there is an abundance of coal, not in the 

 granite formations on the seaboards as has gener- 

 ally been suppose<ii. 



It is in this rock too, that gypsum and mineral 

 salt are commonly fimnd. Gypsum which is of- 

 ten associated with salt, is of various colours, be 

 ing sonietimes white, and at other times red or 

 dark. It is to be com|iosed of sulphuric acid, 

 lime and water. When exposed to heat, the wa- 

 ter is expelled, and it immediately crunihles to 

 powder. Geologists are of different opinions with 

 regard to the origin of rock salt, Some think it 

 to be of igneous origin ; but this wouhl not seem 

 to be the case as there are often found in the 

 midst of this substance fragm nts of wood not in 

 a fossil state, but actually preserved or pickled. 

 Rock salt is rarely found in the United States; 



