58 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 15, le 



id cov- 1 ceeded by oval, compressed, membranaceous seed- 

 ered with mats to screen them from the 

 when it rains take them off; and if it be very dry 



sown the seeds, the beds must be hoonea, aim tuv- i v-^^">. — j -■— i --— r ---' . . 



(,e sun ; but t vessels, witli entire margins, containing; one oval 



weather, the beds must be frequently and gently 

 watered. In about a month, many of the young 

 plants will appear ; towards September the mats 

 may be taken away, but before winter the beds 

 must be well weeded, and a quarter of an inch of 

 ashes sifted over them. In spring the rest will 

 appear ; and during the summer they must be con- 

 stantly weeded, frequently watered in dry weath- 

 er and have some earth sifted over them. The 

 'February following [March or April in this coun- 

 try] they must be taken out of the seed bed and 



compressed seed. The inner bark by infusion or 

 gentle boiling in water, affords a great quantity of 

 insipid raucous substance, a fact that may be of 

 service to travellers wlio may lose their way in 

 our wilds. 



" The late Dr. Joseph Strong, of Philadelphia, 

 stated, that during the time he served as surgeon 

 in the western army, he e.\perienced the most hap- 

 py effects from the application of poultices of the 

 eim bark to gun-shot wounds, which were soon 

 brought to a good suppuration, and to a disposition 

 to heal. It was applied as the first remcdv. When 



planted in rows three feet asunder, and each plant! tendency to mortification was evident, this bark 

 at eighteen inclies distance, where they are to re- 1 bruised, and boiled in water, produced the most 

 main°with the^Visual care of digging between the } surprising good effects. After repeated compara- 

 rows, and hoeing the weeds in summer. live experiments with other emollient applications, 



The last American edition of Willich's Domes- as milk and bread, and linseed poultice, its superi- 

 tic Kncyclopedia contains the follovring obscrva- 1 ority was firmly established. He thinks that the 

 tions on the £/m. ' | rnncilage is slightly sweet. He particularly stated 



ther, and shown, that if the bark and alburnum be 

 both removed, the sap and vessels of the heart- 

 'wood are competent to renew the bark. This^ in 

 controvertibly established the circulation in tht 

 heart wood. 



An eminent physiologist of this day has justly 

 remarked that when we consider the almost in 

 conceivable quantity of fluid thrown off by th( 

 leaves every 24 hours, it is impossible to doiib 

 that the sap passes through the heart wood as wel 

 as alburnum — and as old trees liave a much great 

 er proportion of heart wood to the alburnum, whili 

 tho demand of their leaves is constantly increasin; 

 with tlieir growth, more sap, in proportion, mus 

 pass tlie vessels of the heart wood in oM trees tliai 

 in younger ones. The heart wood of old trees ha 

 keen the subject of accurate experiments for pur 

 boses of naval architecture, as to tlie quantity i 

 fluid it contains, and its amount and weight wlie 

 first cut is very great. If the elin tree in Bosto 

 tommon, for example, should be cut in Jime, il 



" This beautiful tree is of great value ; and well | the cases of the wounded in the action in which heart wood would be found to contain many ton 

 adapted for'plantino- shady wal'^. Is it does not general Watne defeated the Indians in August |i,mV/,( of fluid wliicli would escape in dessiccatioi 

 destroy the grass, and its leaves aije relishud by l/M, as proving, in the most evident manner, the ;In what state is that fluid, Mr Editor, in the capi 



horses, cows, goats, hogs, and shecij, all of which 

 eat them eagerly-. Its wood, being ijard and tough, 

 is used for making axle-trees, milltwheels, keels 

 of boats, chairs, and coffins : it is ^so frequently 

 changed by art, so as completely t^ resemble ma- 

 hogany ; for this purpose it is saVed into thick 

 planks, stained with aqna-fortis, ariA rubbed over 

 with a tincture, of whicJi alkanet, aloes, and spirit 

 of wine, are the principal ingredieiis. 



"This plant affords subsistence |o a variety of 

 insects that prey upon it, but morej particularly to 

 the aphis of the elm, which generally causes the 

 leaves to curl, so as to make them al secure shelter 

 against the weather. No effectual method of ex- 

 tirpating them has hitherto been devised. Silk- 

 worms devour the leaves with great avidity ; and 

 though we doubt wliether they afford wholesome 

 food to these insects yet when alternately given or 

 mixed with lettuce, elm-leaves may become an use- 

 ful substitute, in situations where the mulberry- 

 tree is scarce. 



" A decoction of the inner bark of the elm-tree, 

 if drunk freely, has sometimes procured relief in 

 inveterate dropsies. It has a bitterish taste, and 

 abounds with a slimy juice, which is recommend- 

 ed in nephritic cases, and also externally as an 

 useful application to burns. The outer bark is 

 bitter, contains but little mucilage an(l is totally 

 destitute both of siiiull and taste. T&e internal 

 bark of the branches is more bitter tJ^an that of 

 the trunk, and is, probably on that account, more 

 efficacious. It is chiefly used for cutaneous com- 

 plaints, such as tho herpes, or shingles, and the 

 lepro.sy. 



" We have two species of the ulmus or elm, in 

 the United States, viz. the red, or slippery elm ; 

 the Ulmus Americana, or American rough-leaved 

 elm of Marshall, {l7Z);nisiJij6;a of Muhlenburg;) 

 2d, Ulmus Moltfolia, American soft-leaved elm. 



" The first mentioned species, on account of its 

 many valuable properties, deserves particular men- 

 tion. It rises to the height of 30 feet with a pret- 

 ty strong trunk, divided into many branches, and 

 covered with a light coloured rough bark. The 

 leaves are oblong, oval, and sharp pointed, unequal- 

 ly sawed on their edges, unequal at the base, very 

 rough on tlieir upper surface, and hairy underneath. 

 The flowers are produced thick upon the branch- 

 es, upon short, collected footstalks, and are suc- 



bencficiai effects of the poultice. In old ill-con- 

 ditioned ulcers and fresh burns, equal benefit was 

 derived from it. In diarrhceas and dysenteries, the 

 infusion of the bark was used with advantage as 

 a diet drink. A soldier, who had lost his way, 

 supported himself for ten days upon this mucilage 

 and sassafras. The red elm tree may be consider- 

 ed as a highly valuable addition to our stock of 

 medicines, exclusively, and ought to be carefully 



searched for by the medical .i^entlemen in the coun- i and has not the living v.ood tlie same power ? 

 try, and preserved from the indiscriminate axe.'' / It is not because there is any thing new in tiie 



remarks, that I make them, but it was necessa' 



lary tubes of that tree ? Is it stationary ? Does 

 disobey the laws which govern all other fluids 

 Or does it ascend, like the thread of mercury, whe 

 expanded by heat ? I do not ask this question bi 

 cause I wis'i a reply, be-auso I know from yoi 

 course of studies and information what theanswi 

 must be. Is, or is it not, a stick of old compai 

 heart woodj when dry, capable of absorbing near 

 its own weight of fluid ? If so, how does it pass 



Mr Fessenden — I am charged in your paper of 

 the 8th with having doubted the scientific attain^ 

 ments of Mr Duhamel, and surprise is expressed 

 at my doubts. No man can be so surprised as / 

 am, at learning this state of my own mind. I was 

 very explicit in saying, that " Mr Duhamel is 

 justly respected as a physiologist." Vour corres- 

 pondent by omitting, I hope inadvertently, this es- 

 sential part of a sentence, and by italicising the 

 word " practical" without authority from the text 

 he was quoting, has wholly changed the sense, 

 and made me deny Mr Duuamel's claims as a 

 man of science, wliich I explicitly admitted. To 

 aver that a man is justly esteemed as a physiologist, 

 is equivalent to an averment that he is distinguish- 

 ed as a man of science, — the physiology of veget- 

 ables being the mo.^t difficult and profound part of 

 botany. 



Your correspondent need be under no apprehen- 

 sion of a reply ; he has taken the most effectual 

 course to prevent one. Although I have the most 

 profound respect for the learning and laborious re- 

 search of Mr DuHAiMEL, yet I do not feel bound 

 to admit all his opinions, especially where they 

 appear to me to be vague and incomprehensible. 

 Dark theories characterized the age in which he 

 lived. One may laugh at, or even ridicule the 

 Comte de Bl'ffon's theory of the origin of the 

 earth, — composed, as he seriously contends, of 

 fragments of the sun struck off by a stray comet — 

 and still admit and admire the various learning of 

 that distinguished naturalist. To M. Duhaiiel 

 the science of vegetable physiology owes more, 

 perhaps, than to any other man. Among other dis- 

 coveries, he was the first who proved that the al- 

 burnum could reproduce the bark even without the 

 agency of the latter. Mr Knight has gone far- 



that I should explain the principles on which ni 

 opinions, formerly expressed, were founded. 

 Rorbury, Sept. 11, IbQG. J. h. 



CEDAR APPLES. 



Mr T'ESSENDEN-^IIaving seen in the 384th pa 

 of the 4\h volume of the New England Fiirmer, 

 cure for'vorms in children, by applying the ced 

 apple, or biot, I wish to inquire through the n: 

 dium of year paper, whether the apples referred 

 are such as grow upon tho red cedar, about t 

 si?e of common peas, or whether they are the pi 

 duction of the white cedar, as there are two kin 

 in this place. A SUBSCRIBER, 



Scituate, Sept.ii, 1826. 



Remarks hy the Editor. — The white cedar is ci( 

 led by botanists Pinus Cedrus. It is a species 

 the same genus as the pine tree, and is the saa it. 

 which is usually called Cedar of Lebanon. It di 

 not bear berries but cones, and whether th 

 cones possess vermifuge (worm-dispelling) propj J, 

 ties or not we cannot say. The red cedar is 

 different genus from tho white cedar, and prodlj J, 

 es small blue berries. It is described by Dr Bl 

 ELOW in his American Medical. Botany, vol. i 

 page 49. It is hy him denominated Juniperus Vi 

 giniana. It possesses medical properties simill 

 to those of savin, (Juniperus communis.) but la 

 powerful. We cannot say which is the kind 9 

 commended for worms in children, but beliei kJ 

 there is a similarity in their properties. The ha 

 ries however of the red cedar would probably hai 

 a powerful operation on the human system ; at 

 we should advise great caution in administeril 

 them without the advice of a physician. Vp 

 should be happy to receive information on this buI 



