ig ^isitet. 



CONDUCTED BY ISAAC HILL. 



■Thou who uno« in the earth are the chosen people o» Sod, hi boss 



BREASTS HE HAS MADE B.8 PECULIAR DSM81T* SOU SUBSTANTIAL AND GENUINE VIRTU«."-JtfJTM». 



VOL. 10. NO. 2. 



BOSTON, MASS., FEBRUARY 29, 1848. 



WHOLE NO. 110. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR, 

 PUBLISHED BY 



JOHN MARSH, 



SSUED ON THE LAST DAY OF EVERT MONTH, 



77 Washington Street, Boston, Mass. 



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Germination and Growth of Seeds— Peculiar- 

 ities of the Oak— Geographical Distribution 

 of Shells — Natural History of the Lodoicea 

 Sechellarura, or Sea Coco. 



from the Massachusetts Ploughman. 

 knothcr mode of stopping the Canker Worms. 

 Mr. Editor: — Having noticed lately several 

 otnmunications in your valuable paper in re- 

 anl to tin; ranker worm, ami having closely 

 tratclied ami observed them I'm' two years past, 1 

 mve every reason for believing they will lie very 

 lurrrerous ilie coining season, unless something 

 s done in prevent. The method that 1 have pre- 

 iously taken, was to take a strip of pain led floor 

 isrpeitng or leather, four to six inches wide, 

 ilare it round the tree and tie it on with a rope 

 arn, above and below ; then, with a paint brush, 

 [ give it two or three dressings ove.r with India 

 ■libber arid cod fish or whale oil melted together 

 m;- the fire, until the rubber is all dissolved ; 

 tfter being exposed a few frosty nights, it will 

 lecome very sii.-ky, ami thus catch all the grubs 

 that get nn to il and destroys them ; one tin suing 

 iver after the first year, will usually answer for 

 :he season, and can be taken off" and re-placed 

 is may be needed. 



Bui I have tried the last fall, before the grubs 

 began to rim, one or two other modes to keep them 

 i If my trees ; the one best, cheapest and attend- 

 ed with the least trouble is as follows, viz: take 

 a one inch board, sufficiently wide, according to 

 the size of the tree, saw a Collar in two half cir- 

 cles, two or three inches wide, then attach a 

 small honk and staples on the tipper side of each 

 end, so its to bring the ends close together; then, 

 line the outer edge with a ship of zinc sufficient- 

 ly wide-, so as to drop l» inches below the collar, 

 give the zinc one or two dressings over with 

 gum shellac, in order to have it slippery as pos- 

 sible' and to keep the weather from acting on it ; 

 then place three or four rests on the tree, takin 

 care to have the collar sufficiently large to leave 

 a spare, one inch or more, for the growth of the 

 Tree; fill this space up with soft rags ami the 

 like, so the grubs will not lie .able to get through. 

 Painting i he collars would be well on account of 

 preserving and preventing them from cracking ; 

 these collars will last many years, and can be put 

 on and taken olf with less trouble than anything 

 else. 



I have likewise lined these collars on the under 

 side with strips of glass, one inch wide, secured 

 by tacks, and as the grub cannot travel over glass, 

 it is sure when properly put on, to keep the grubs 

 from doing harm to the trees; but I am fully 

 convinced that those prepared with zinc, are far 

 preferable and more durable, and not so apt to 

 get om of order. Yours, respectfully, &c., 



FRANCIS DANA. 

 Robury, Jun'i/ 14, 1848. 



We are informed that canker worm* have fast 

 increased the past season, and we advise fanners 

 to prepare lor them. Tin; above mode is practi- 

 cable without doubt, nnd we advise a trial of it. 



Extract of an Essay read before the Concord Socie- 

 ty of Natural History, June 17th, 1847, by Wil- 

 liam Prescott, JM. D., President of the Society. 



To no class of people is the study of nature 

 of more importance than to the farmer and the 

 horticulttiralist. As his intellectual faculties be- 

 come aroused to a closer contemplation of the 

 works of nature, and to a deeper inspection of 

 her phenomena, wonders upon wonders develop 

 themselves, until the mind is absorbed in the 

 magnificence and beauly of the scene, which 

 evolves in the course of deeper antl more pro- 

 found investigations, a sincere and becoming 

 reverence lor the Author of nature and all His 

 works. 



To trace the mysterious operations of nature in 

 all her wonderful diversities of forms, textures, 

 colors and localities, as displayed even in ihe 

 vegetable kingdom, would be a task for .which 

 the longest liie, aided by the most active mind, 

 would be totally inadequate. 



No branch of nature supplies man with so 

 many of the necessaries of life as the vegetable. 

 Ju the feeble tribe of grasses he has found bread, 

 the " staff' of life." It is hence he culls the most 

 valuable means to soothe his pains — here he 

 gathers the substantial embellishments of his la- 

 Lie to supply the unceasing decay of his sys- 

 tem — and here he collects the food and suste- 

 nance for the different races of domestic ani- 

 mals. 



Everything, therefore, which relates to the 

 natural history, growth and culture of vegetables 

 should especially engage his attention. 



The difference in the lime required for the 

 germination of the seed, the growth of the plant, 

 and the maturity of lUe fruit of different species, 

 has deservedly engaged the attention of natural- 

 ists in all ages, and opens a field worthy the at- 

 tention and investigation of the greatest and 

 must powerful minds. 



It is worthy of remark that, while the seeds of 

 some plants when placed in a favorable situation, 

 will germinate in it few hours, those of others re- 

 quire years. For instance, certain cresses ger- 

 minate in two days ; ihe turnip and beau in three 

 days; the mellou in five; the grasses (which in- 

 clude corn and grain) in six or seven ; the peach 

 and kindred trees in one year; the rose tree in 

 two years; ami the Sea Coco requires twenty 

 years. 



There are some seeds that retain the faculty of 

 germination for a very long period of time: 

 wheat and beans are said to possess this properly 

 for sixty to one hundred years, while coffee on 

 the contrary, loses it in a very short time. 



While the fruit of some plants is brought to 

 perfection in a few days, that of others requires 

 months; while that of others, requires years to 

 bring it to maturity. Tin: seeds of some plants 

 are matured, vegetate and spring up the same 

 season in which the blossoms appear. The majes- 

 tic elm puts forth its blossoms early in ihe spring, 

 even before the appearance of the leaves ; the 

 seeds are matured and sown broadcast in great 

 profusion early in June, which immediately vege- 

 tate, spring up, and prove extremely annoying to 

 the gardeners in the vicinity, growing from six to 

 ten inches in height the firsts ason. Most trees, 

 on. the contrary, tlo not mature thi ir seed suffi- 

 ciently early lo vegetate Ihe same. year. Some 

 seeds actually require lo be put into the earth in 

 autumn or they will i lot vegetate, i. e. if put into 

 the grcund in ihe spring, they will net vegetate 

 until ihe next spring; while others require 

 two or more seasons to arouse into action the 



germinating principle. It may not be generally 

 known that many species of oaks do not com- 

 plete the perfection of their fruit until the second 

 autumn alter the appearance of the blossoms in 

 the spring, while others mature their fruit in the 

 fall or autumn of the same year in which the 

 blossoms appear. Of the latter, the white oak, 

 the swamp white oak, the yellow oak, and many 

 others might be mentioned ; while of the former, 

 i e. those that do not mature their fruit until the 

 autumn of the second year, are the red oak, the 

 black oak and many others. The former are 

 called annual, the latter biennial in their fructi- 

 fication. 



Here permit me to remark that, the tree com- 

 monly known here under the name of yellow 

 oak, is not the true yellow oak, but the Waft oak. 

 The yellow oak is annual in its fructification and 

 is not of New England growth, although it is 

 said it few specimens have been found in the 

 southern parts of it. The black oak, (the Quercus 

 tinctorin,) on the contrary, is biennial in its 

 fructification, and is a verv common tree here. — 

 The interior hark of this tree being very yellow 

 and imparting that color to other substances, is 

 probably the cause of its having received the 

 name of yellow oak, while the exterior bark be- 

 ing of a dark or blackish color, gave to the tree 

 the name of black oak, by which name it is 

 known by all writers on Botany. The bark of 

 this oak furnishes the Quercitron used in dyeing. 

 It is also one of the best species used in the tan- 

 ning of leather. 



There is another peculiar mark of distinction 

 between the annual and biennial oaks. The 

 leaves of all the species of oaks are either lobed 

 or deeply serrated, and it is a singular fact, that 

 the biennial oaks, or all those species which do 

 not mature the fruit the first year, have the points 

 of their lobes and teeib mucronated, i. e. termi- 

 nated with a sharp point or bristle, while the an- 

 nuals, or those species which ripen their fruit the 

 first year, or the autumn succeeding the appear- 

 ance of the blossoms, have no bristly points, but 

 ihe lobes of the leaves are smooth and rounded. 

 So that when not in blossom, we may designate 

 by ihe leaves, whether any given species belong 

 to the family of annuals or biennials. If we 

 examine the branches of fruit-bearing black or 

 red oak in the spring while in blossom, we ob- 

 serve the germs from the blossoms of the pre- 

 ceding year, still in embryo, just ready lo expand 

 as the a'onial warmth of ihe vernal sun shall set 

 in motion those juices of the parent tree neces- 

 sary for their development nnd perfection.— 

 Again, if these or similar branches be examined 

 ill the succeeding August, we can discover the 

 germs of those blossoms which appeared at our 

 first visit, and which will remain without any 

 material enlargement or alteration until the next 

 spring; while the germs of the preceding year, 

 which were not larger than a " barley corn " in 

 the spring, have attained to the size of nearly 

 full grown acorns. 



The fruit of ihe Lodoicea Sechellariiin or sea 

 coco (hereafter lo be described,) does not mature 

 its fruit within the period of seven or eight years. 

 Among the mysterious operations of nature 

 the geographical distribution of plants and ani- 

 mals (some being confined within narrow linints, 

 while others are widely diffused,) is calculated to 

 excile our admiration, and should engage our at- 

 tention. That certain animals and plants should 

 be endowed with an organization adapted to cer- 

 tain climates— some flourishing best in the tm rid, 

 others in the temperate, while others again, are 

 found exclusively in the frigid zone— does not so 

 much surprise us; but that some species should 

 be collfined .within so narrow limits as we some- 

 times find them, while others are distributed 

 over extensive regions, embracing great diversi- 

 ties of climate, soil and humidity ; that, while 

 some are confined to swamps and morasses. 



