38 



THE GENESEE PARMER 



Feb. 5, 183i, 



extend the plumule upwards, as the food 

 01 the root9 does them downwards ; but un 

 til further investigations, these conjectures are 

 not to be taken as facts. 



It is well ascertained that water charged 

 with different substancos constitutes a groat 

 proportion of the food of plants, taken in by 

 the roots, and that this is conveyed through the 

 sap-wood to the leaves, where it undergoes a 

 process termed elaboration, after which it re- 

 turns by a different set of vessels, forming the 

 inner surface of the bark. 



The nature of the sap in its descent by the 

 bark, seems entirely changed, and most of it 

 is secreted, or becomes fixed, forming the 

 young layer of wood. By what power the 

 sap is raised from the ground to the tops of 

 trees, has never yet been agreed upon by phi- 

 losophers; neither can the process of elabor- 

 ation, which seems to be confined principally 

 to the leaves, be clearly comprehended ; but 

 there is an acknowledged similarity between 

 the circulation of bio id in animals, and the 

 circulation of sap in vegetables; and when 

 physicians, by the aid of science, can clearly 

 explain the first, perhaps phytologists will be 

 able to explain the latter. 



TBRlIINOLOeV. 



Albumen — The farinaceous, or fleshy part of 

 seeds. This appears like a thin glare fluid in 

 imperfect seeds, but becomes hard as they ri- 

 pen. 



Awn — \ stiff slender process, proceeding 

 from the chaff, beard-like, as in wheat. 



Axil— A term corresponding with arm-pit. 

 Barb — Armed with teeth pointing backward. 



Blooming — The time when the flowers are 

 perfect. 



Bract — The leaf near the flower. 



Caducous — The part of a plant which falls 

 off. 



Cell — In botany means the place where the 

 seed are lodged. 



Cleft — Split down. It is applied to one 

 kind of grafting. 



Convolute— Rolled into a cylinder. 



Corcle — The embryo of the new plant. 



Cordate — Heart-form. 



Corymb — Flowers umbel-like. 



Cruciform — Flowers with four leaves or pe- 

 tals forming a cross. 



Cyme — Flowers growing in umbels, yet 

 with stalks diverging from the eentre one as 

 in the common elder. 



To Correspondents — Since the space al- 

 lotted to communications was filled, w« have 

 received several, which will be published in 

 our next. Among the number, are the follow- 

 ing _0. W— H G. S. of Lansingburgh— D. 

 T. of Cayuga— S. Clark— Economist— W. 0. 1 

 — A Subscriber — &c. 



A BRUTE. 



A late Boston paper gives an account of a 

 young man who bad been arrested and exam- 

 ined before (lie police court on a charge of 

 beating and assaulting bis wife. The physi- 

 cian who was called in attendance upon the 

 woman, testified that she would not, in all 

 probability, survive, It appears that the hus- 

 band beat her thus brutally became she refu- 

 sed to attend a sleigh riitc with liiui. 



From the Ploughboy, vol. 1. 

 GEOLOGY APPLIED T» PRACTICAL AGRICUL- 

 TURE. KO. 2. 



In a preceding number of the Plough Boy, I 

 attempted to give a brief view of 'he applica- 

 tion of Geology to Agriculture. I confined 

 myself chiefly to the formation of the carihy 

 part of soils from the disintegration or pulveri 

 zalion of rocks. I will now point your read 

 ers to the causes of this crumbling down of 

 rocks, and give a few examples to prove thai 

 this operation of nature goes on with consider- 

 able rapidity in some districts. 



The principal disintegrating agents are wa- 

 ter and change ot temperature. In all rocks 

 we find natural cleavasres. Rains and melting 

 snows fill these cleavages with water ; which 

 on freezing, extends its volume, & thereby sub 

 divides the mass of rock into small portions. 

 More surface being thereafter presented to the 

 same action of the same agents, these small 

 portions are still further subdivided, until a fine 

 arable soil is formed. 



There is a great difference in rocks in their a 

 daptation to the action of these agents. AJrock 

 of granular quartz, for example, has but very 

 imperfect natural cleavages. Consequently 

 but little water can gain admittance. Besides, 

 the hardness of the rock will long resist the 

 expansive force of the freezing water. Where- 

 as the common argillaceous slate contains an 

 immense number of fissures or cleavages, and 

 the texture is soft and yielding. Consequent- 

 ly soil-* are formed with great rapidity in ^laty 

 districts. As facts are preferable to anything, 

 however plausible, I will refer vour readers tt 

 a few examples. Such examples must neces- 

 sarily be local ; your reoders will therefore 

 excuse me for referring them to a looality where 

 I am perfectly familiar with the facts. 



That part of the town of Chatham, in Co- 

 lumbia county, called the parish of New-Con- 

 cord, has argillaceous slate for its basis rock. — 

 In this parish there are many fields traversed 

 by ridges of slate rock, which were not cover- 

 ed with sufficient soil for cultivation, a few 

 years ago, but are now ploughed and cultivated 

 like other parts of the fields. That those, 

 who are curious to witness tlie most conclusive 

 evidence of the rapid formation of soils from 

 the disintegration of rocks, may not be subject 

 to the labour of much inquiry orreseareh, I 

 will point them to a distinct locality. On the 

 farm, now owned by Judge Patterson, and for- 

 merly by Capt. Abel Eaton, on the Union turn- 

 pike road, about fifteen miles from the city of 

 Hudson, is the locality to which I allude. The 

 highest ridge in a field on the east side of the 

 road, being about one hundred and twenty rods 

 northeasterly from the dwelling-house, was 

 one entire bare slate rook, about thirty years 

 ago. This fact I well remember: but I will 

 refer the reader to Mr. Hozea Birge, who still 

 resides near the plaoe for a confirmation of the 

 fact. Now most of this same ridge is good 

 arable land. That the present coat of soil 

 could not have washed down from the hills a- 

 bove, is evident from the position of the ridge. 

 For the ground botwees the ridge and the bill 

 above, is much the lowest. Consequently the 

 earthy soil eovenng this ridge of rock must 

 have been wholly formed by the disintegration 

 of the rock within thirty years. 



May we not safely infer, that the earthy part 

 of soils is perpetually undergoing changes id 

 respect to quality and depth, in some districts 

 of country T For example, the rock overlay- 

 ing the slate in the before mentioned parish, 

 was graywacke. This is evident, not only 

 from a consideration of the geological series of| 

 rocks, but from the fact, that some of the high- 

 est hills are still capped with graywacke. As! 

 graywacke is chiefly composed of grains of 

 quartz, cemented together by a little alumine, 

 soils formed of this rock must be too saudy &.', 

 loose. May we not therefore presume, that! 

 many hundred years ago, the soil of that pa- 1 

 rish was more loose and sandy than at present,! 

 and consequeutly less productive « But since 

 the graywacke !"»cl« has chiefly passed away, 



and perhaps mostly gone down the Hudson to 

 form the islands and shoals at its mouth ; and 

 since the slate roek has become eyposed to the 

 disintegrating agents, and commenced the ope- 

 ration of adding its substance to the graywacke 

 soil, the earthy soil of this district is greatly 

 improved. 



In the eastern parts of Columbia county the 

 slate rock has passed away and left the granu- 

 lar limestone, which is the next structure be- 

 neath it, bare. Naar what is called Canaan 

 corner, is a manifest locality. Consequently, 

 the disintegrating agents have commenced 

 their attack upon it, and will greatly improve 

 the neighbouring soil, by the addition of car- 

 bonate of lime. In the western part of 

 the same county, the upper, or secondary stra- 

 tum of limestone still remains above the gray- 

 wacke. Consequently thr. soil is daily impro- 

 ved in that district by the mouldering down of 

 that rock. A. 



NEWS OE> THE WEEK. 



U. S. SENATOR. 



On Tuesday last the two bouses of the le- 

 gislature proceeded according to previous re- 

 lolution to the nomination of a U. S. Senator 

 in the place of the Hon. Nathan Sanford. 



Tbe vote in the Assembly stood as follows, 

 for Wm. L. Marcy 86, for Samuel Works of 

 Monroe 27, and in tbe Senate for Wm. L. 

 Marcy 20, and for S. Works 5. The Senate 

 and Assembly then convened in tbe Assembly 

 oharnber.and their nominations agreeing Wm. 

 L. Marcy was declared by tbe President o: 

 tbe Senate, duly elected. 



TREASURER. 



Abraham Keyser was dnly appointed Trea- 

 surer. 



JUDSE OF THE SUPREHE COURT. 



Samuel Nelson, Judge of the 6lh Circuit, 

 was Dominated by the Governor and oonfirm- 

 ed by the Senate, a Judge of tbe Supreme 

 Court of this State on Tuesday last, in the 

 place of Judge Marcy, resigned. 



SPECIAL CIRCUIT. 



The present legislature have passed a Ian 

 directing a Special Circuit Court and Coui t of 

 Oyer and Terminer and jail delivery to be h«lc 

 in the county of Niagra, commencing on the 

 3d Monday of February inst and to be con- 

 tiDOed by adjournment to such times as said 

 courts may direct ; and the Circuit Couit of 

 Oyer and terminer may be held and continued 

 by farther adjournment, as often as the said 

 court shall see fit. 



The Circuit Judge of that Circuit is empow- 

 ered to direct such additional number of petit 

 jurors to be drawn as he may tbink proper. 



Tbe Courts are to be held by one of the jus- 

 tices of the Supreme Court, who is to be al- 

 lowed the sum of $5 per day for all tbe time 

 he shall be engaged in going to and returning, 

 and holding such Courts together with his ex- 

 penses, payable out of the treasury of the state 



No grand jury is to be summoned to attend 

 tbe Courts authorized by tbis act. 



All persons bound by recognizance or other- 

 wise to appear at any Circuit Court or Oyer 

 and terminer for the county of Niagra shall bo 

 bound to appear at the Coaits authorized by 

 this act, and the law authorizing these courts 

 takes effect immediately on the passage thereof 

 FOREIGN NEWS. 



It is now more than 30 days since tbeie lis* 

 been a foreign arrival at New York. The 

 last Liverpool dates were to 9lb of Dec. 

 Tbe Journal of Commerce of the 29th Jan., 

 observes that on the 29th cf January, 1830- 

 the ship I Iuimibal arrived from London, bring- 

 ing papers tp {be 1st January. Tbe public 



