S76 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



cup. In a meraorandum iu my possession, by Sir 

 William Hooker, I find the distinguished botanist 

 comparing Saxe-Gothiea to a Podocarp with the 

 flowers in a cone — a view which he was probably led 

 to take by the condition of the ovule, and which may 

 be iN3garded as the most philosophical mode of under- 

 standing the nature of this singular genus ; to which 

 Nageia rnay be said to be a slight apjjroach, and 

 which is not distinguisliable by habit from a Podo- 

 carp. 



In its systematic relations Saxe-Gothsa possesses 

 great interest, forming as it does a direct transition 

 from the oae-flowered Taxads to the true imbricated 

 Conifers, without, however, breaking down the boun- 

 dary between those orders, as I understand them, but 

 rather confirming the propriety of limiting the Con- 

 iferous order to those genera which really bear cones 

 iasiea] of single naked seeds. In the language of 

 some naturalists, Saxe-Gothaja would be called an 

 osculant genus between Taxads and Conifers. 



'1 he leaves of this plant have altogether the size 

 and general appearance of the English Yew (Taxus 

 baccata) ; but they are glaucous un'lerneath, except 

 the midrib and two narrow stripes within the edges, 

 which are a pale-green. The male flowers consist of 

 spikes appearing at the ends of the branches, in a 

 raceme more or less elongated. These spikes (fig. 

 B, I) grow from within a lew concave acute scales, 

 which form a kind of involucre at the base. Each 

 male is a solitary membraneous anther, with a lanceo- 

 late, acuminate, reflexed appendage, and a pair oC 

 parallel cells opennig longitudinally. The female 

 flowers form a small, roundish, pedunculated, terminal, 

 scaly imbricated cone (fig. B, 3). The scales are 

 fleshj', firm, lanceolate, and contracted at their base, 

 where they unite into a «olid center. All appear to 

 be fertile, and to bear in a niche in the middle, where 

 the contraction is a single inverted ovule (fig. B, 4). 

 The ovule is globular, with two integuments beyond 

 the nucleus ; the outer integument is loose and thin, 

 and wraps round the ovule in such a way that its two 

 edges cannot meet on the underside of the ovule ;* 

 the second integument is firm and fleshy; the nucleus 

 is flask-shaped, and protrudes a fungous circular ex- 

 pansion through the foramen. The fruit (fig. B, 5) is 

 formed by the consolidation of the free scales of the 

 cone into a sohd fleshy mass of a depressed form and 

 very irregular surface, owing to many of the scales 

 being abortive, and crushed by those whose seeds are 

 able to swell ; while the ends of the whole retain their 

 original form somewhat, are free, rather spiny, and 

 constitute so many tough, sharp tubercles. The 

 seed (fig. B, 6) is a pale-brown, shining, ovate, brittle 

 nut, with two very slight elevated lines, and a large 

 irregular hilium ; at the base it is invested with a 

 short, thin, ragged membrane, which is the outer in- 

 tegiiraent to its final condition. The nucleus lies half 



* Sirice tlii.= was written. Sir W.Hooker has placed in my banii< 

 a Blietcti of Ihe anatomy of the female flowers of Saxe-Ootiiit-a, l>y 

 Mr. B. Clarkk, vrho describes the ovule thus : "Its ovule has tlie 

 same structure a.s that of finetum, as described by Mr. Gripkith. 

 viz.: it ha-s three integuments; tlie internal protrudes, and forms 

 a sort of ."itignvi, m t so obnous as in finetum; the external ha>: 

 conritantly a fissure on its posterior, or rather interior surface, 

 which, however, does not close as in Gnetnm when the ovule ad- 

 vances in groivth, nor yet become succulent. Mr. Griffith de- 

 eeriVies the fi^iBurc in (he external intefrument of Gnetum as con- 

 etaatly posterior; and if the ovules of tlie slrohilug were erect, 

 HoBy would agree with Gaetum in tliis particular." 



free in the interior, the fungous apex having shrivebd 

 up and disappeared. 



Explanation of the Cuts. — A, a branch with male 

 and female flowers, natural size; B, various details of 

 the fructification, more or less magnified; 1, a spike of 

 male flowers; 2, a male or anther part; 3, a twig and 

 young cone ; 4, a scale seen from the inside with tlie 

 inverted ovule, showing the fungous foramen pro- 

 truding beyond the priniiue (outer entegument) ; 5, a 

 ripe fruit; G, a seed showing the two slight elevations 

 upon the surface, and the remains of the ragged 

 primine at the base. — Journal London Horticullin-al 

 Society. 



WHAT CAN BE DONE IN A GARDEN. 



Thirty years ago I purchased an establishment, 

 consisting of a dwelling-house, barn, carria;-e and 

 wood-house, calculating to make it a permane it resi- 

 dence. There was attached a little land for a oarden, 

 on which were just five Apple trees, and in f ont of 

 the house were three trees of the Balm of Gilead ; 

 the trees were all about six inches in diameter at that 

 time ; but two of the Apple trees were hollow, and 

 I cut one of them down, after trying to ui'ke it do 

 something and finding I could not. 



"Well, all the Apple trees bore something for fruit, 

 but so crabbed and sour they would make a pig 

 squeal. At this time I was engaged as a trader, and 

 had a country store to look after, which occupied 

 about all my time ; but, as time went on, and stage- 

 coaches and railroad cars succeeded one another, I 

 had more time ; for I can now travel as far in four 

 hours as I could then iu two entire days with my 

 team. Well, for amu.scment, I grafted all the four 

 gradually, or year by year, cutting off the old branches 

 and grafting the limbs with Roxbvry Rin^sets, JVew 

 York Russets, Baldwins, &c., &c., all the best I could 

 find. Now for results: I have had about ten barrels 

 of good apples, annually, to put up for winter, for 

 three or four years past, besides all we used in the 

 family of five, and we have used them freely all we 

 wanted, till time to gather the winter apples. 



I have a yard in front of my house, about forty 

 feet square, in front of which are two of the Balm 

 of Gilead trees before mentioned, which aie now large 

 trees, and have been left outside of the front fence : 

 but inside of the fence I set out, about ten years ago. 

 three Pear trees, of the common summer pear, whicl 

 now give us all the pears we want, for they ha\i 

 borne well for about four years. From the Peai 

 trees to the house, I filled the space with flower-beds 

 and have had many varieties, say twenty kinds o 

 roses, and nearly one hundred kinds of other flowers 

 I have planted on the south side of my building's 

 next to the passage to the barn. Plums, Peaches am 

 Grapes. The Peaches have not succeeded well, no: 

 the Plums, so I cut the Plum trees off, and grafte* 

 them with the Green and Purple Gage, only thrg 

 or four years ago, and now I have plenty of the fines 

 plums I ever saw, so that I have to prop the smal 

 branches. My Grapes began to bear last year ; ' 

 had about a bushel, and I should think about doubl 

 the quantity this year. I have set out some Quinci 

 trees, but they do not bear yet. 



Besides the trees and Grape vines, I have annu,all; 



