22 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



Jan. 22. 1832. 



regions of air, a strata below the freezing 

 point, and probably, from '.lie fineness of the 

 snowy particles, many decrees below. Much 

 cold, however, must be brought to the surface 

 hy its continuance, which will hot only dimin- 

 ish it here, by imparling it to the wanner stra- 

 ta, but also by displacing the warmer air, which 

 will consequently ascend tiil the restiration of 

 an equilibrium. Jan. 11. 1831. 



VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGV.-NO 2. 



We hope our readers will understand our ob- 

 ject, in continuing the numbers upon this sub- 

 ject. At this time, there is a general excite- 

 ment in regard to cross breeding of plants, or 

 improving, by introducing new varieties, as 

 well as continuing valuable varieties- by inocu- 

 lating or grafting. In order to profit by 

 this, the farmer and gardener should make 

 themselves familiar with the different parls of 

 the flower, and their several functions ; and 

 we sincerely hope that those of our readers 

 who are anxious to see the agriculture and 

 horticulture of our own country l;eep pace 

 with Europe, will resolve to make at least one 

 experiment in the ensuing year, and the rule 

 is now generally adopted, that whoever produ- 

 ces a new variety, has the privilege of giving 

 to it such name as he shall think proper. 



The calyx is present with all perfect 8owers, 

 & serves as a covering to protect the more tender 

 parts. It is of various shapes, and seems to 

 act the same part with regard to the flower, as 

 the leaves do for other parts of the plant ; air 

 is inhaled and exhaled by it, and it elaborates 

 the juices for the perfection of the flower, and 

 contributes to the growth of the stem. 



The corolla lies within the calyx as a more deli- 

 cate covering for the reproductive organs of the 

 plant, and are capable of being aclod upon by 

 certain stimuli, and of closing for the protec- 

 tion of those organs which might be destroyed 

 by moisture or otherwise They are general- 

 ly of such shape as will reflect the rays of the 

 6un to the greatest advantage upon the sta- 

 mens and pistils. 



The Stamens seem very important in the e- 

 conomyof vegetation, without the intervention 

 of pollen from the stamers, no pistilate flow- 

 er will produce seed, and the character of the 

 new plant is affected by that of the pollen, by 

 which the pistil is impregnated. A proper 

 knowledge of this fact is of the greatest im- 

 portance to the farmer and gardener, and will 

 explain the manner in which many of his seeds 

 and fiuits become mixed, and also point out a 

 remedy for the same, and direct him in the 

 process necessary for cross breeding of plants | 

 for the purpose of procuring new and useful 

 varieties. As the giealest improvements in 

 agriculture and horticulture, which have been 

 made for the last fifty years in the production 

 of new varieties, have been dependant upon 

 this knowledge, firmers cannot study the sub-! 

 jeot too closely. 



The anther, or nob of the stamen, is a fila- 

 ceous sack, filled with what appears to bo a 

 fine dust ; this dust, when examined with a 

 inioroscope. is found to be small particles of 

 albuminous matter, inclosed in a membrane- 

 ous covering which on being moistened, 

 swells and explodes, emitting a thin glare fluid. 

 When the anther has arrived at maturity, the 

 filaceous sack bursts with such force that tht 



small particles of pollen are projected to con- 

 siderable distance, and being light, they are 

 driven still farther by winds. 



The pistil, or central organ of the flower, 

 projecting from the pericarp or seed vessel — 

 this is composed in most cases, of a bundle of 

 tubes, corresponding to the number of seeds 

 contained in the pericarp, each seed having a 

 separate tube. Sometimes these tubes are not 

 connected in a bundle, as in the Indian corn, 

 where each silk is a tube connected with one 

 kernel, and may be considered a separate pis 

 til. Whether these lubes are separate, or in 

 bundles, they are enlarged at the outer end, 

 giving them the pestle form, from which they 

 derive their name. 



The seeds, in their imperfect slate, consist 

 of a tegument, or skin, filled with a thin glare 

 fluid, which in its more concrete stale, forms 

 the rudiments of the young plant. During 

 the flowering of the plant, by the expansion 

 and contraction of the tegument, or skin of the 

 young seed, a small portion of the fluid con 

 tained in it, is forced out through the tube or 

 pistil, and again received into it by suction,- by 

 this process, the mouth of the pistil is always 

 kopt wet, when the flower is in perfection, as 

 the particles of pollen are brought in contact 

 with tho orifices of Ihe pistils, by becoming 

 moistened, they burst, and the fluid contained 

 in them, mixing with that upon the pistil, is in 

 jected with it into the tegument of the young 

 seed. And thus ihe plant becomes impregna- 

 ted, and the character of the new plant is un- 

 alterably fixed, as to variety, partaking of the 

 nature of both the plants upon which the sta- 

 men and pistil grew. 



"I 



REFLECTIONS. 



What more devotional, intellectual, tasteful, 

 and healthy employment, than the study, ob- 

 servation, and manipulations of the garden. 

 Where is the broad and comprehensive book 

 ot nature so plainly, pleasingly, and self evi- 

 dently displayed, as ainonn the herbs, flowers, 

 and trees; and particularly when they owe 

 their fragrance nnd beauties, and even their 

 existence, to the planting and nursing of our 

 own hands. 



From the incipient expansion to perfect ma- 

 turation and old age, they are monitorial em- 

 blems, speaking in the still small voice as pro- 

 fitably as irresistibly; they are the preachers 

 whose teachings are never dull, whose doc 

 trinesare always orthodox; their lessons, mor- 

 als, and precepts, arc of plain application, and 

 easy comprehension ; Ihey speak to all, and in 

 tho same language ; calming the passions, and 

 smiling approbation on the heart void of guile. 

 I never look upon a young female who is en- 

 gaged with, and has a tasie for flowers, and the 

 beauties of field and grove, but that 1 forgive 

 hor all the transgressions of her primeval heri- 

 tage, transmitted from hor who first tilled that 

 garden that flourished without weeds, when t he- 

 world came fresh aud green from the hands of 

 ils maker. Thotyrml, the revengeful, guil- 

 ty, and depraved soul, seeks the heath, the 

 cave, or barren mountain, where nature, rude, 

 wild, and uncultivated assimilates to the rave- 

 anous and carnivorous animal appetites and 

 propensities rather than flee to the innooont 

 gaiety, and pleasant soberness of the parterre 

 and shrubbery. 



CULTIVATION OP FRUIT. 



There are a number of opinions prevalent re 

 specting the cultivation of fruit, by budding oi 

 grafting, which, to say the least of them, arc 

 highly prejudicial to the science of horticul- 

 ture, and to the interest of our country gener- 

 ally. One of the most common, is, that small, 

 sour, knotty, hard apples, such as are produ- 

 ced in orchards which Hare not been cultivated 

 by grafting or budding, make the best cider. — 

 Another is, that the grafted freewill fail with 

 the old stock, from which the c-ion was taken. 

 And again, that grafted trees-only hear even 

 other year. It is difficult to say whether those 

 prejudice; originated in ignorance or supersti- 

 tion : but it is high time they weio consigned 

 to oblivion with the stories of ghosts and 

 witchcraft. That the juice of all kinds of ap- 

 ples is not alike rich in acid and sacharim 

 matter, is apparent, by mere tasting, but mori 

 accurately by ascertaining the specific gravity 

 of tho juico. It does not follow that the lai 

 gest apples make the best cider; but for.a gen- 

 eral rule, the heaviest apples, according to then 

 size, in ike the richest; other circumstances, 

 such as colour and ripeness, being the same. — 

 Neither is it certain that sweet apples contain 

 most sarharine matter, although the taste 

 would indicate it; in sour apples, there inaj 

 be an equal quantity, but covered by the acid, 

 which seems as necessary, in ordtr to j ro 

 duce .a good vinous fermentation, as the su 

 gar ; hence, we often find that cider, when 

 made from sweet apples alone, is tasteless 

 and incipid. 



Two things should be kept in view by those 

 who would cultivate apples for cider — richness 

 of juice, and color of fruit, preferring red o x 

 yellpw. to green or white. As these quali- 

 ties may be found in fruit that possess othet 

 excfcllences, for kitchen and table use, we 

 would not advise the cultivation of orchards 

 expressly for cider. Very few apples can be 

 produced yielding richer juice than the Eso- 

 •pus Spitzenburg, and Swaar, both of which 

 are of the first class of table fruits. As to the 

 idoa, that all cions taken from a tree will fail 

 at the same time with the parent stock, it i > 

 equally as absurd as it would he to say that 

 every child would die when its father did. — 

 Wc know of some of the oldest varieties of 

 apples cultivated in New England, cions of 

 which have been brought into Western New- 

 York and grafted, which are as thrifty, and 

 produce as finely, as any seedling in the or- 

 chards. Tnis is a transatlantic error, and is 

 resorted to as a finesse, beoause they can- 

 not now produce an apple corresponding with 

 the old descriptions of ihe Golden pippin, and 

 we doubt whether they ever could. 



England has, at this time, some justly cele- 

 brated Horticulturists, men who aro enriching 

 the world by ".heir improvements ; but in or 

 chards they are as far behind us, as we are be- 

 hind them in manufacturing. And we think thai 

 the old county of Ontarie, in the state of New 

 Vnrk, produces more fine apples than Eng- 

 huid, Scotland, and Ireland together. 



As to the alternate boaring of tree*, this i- 

 readily corrected by picking off" part of the 

 fruit when small, which will allow the tree to 

 forrt blossom bnds for the next v ear. 



