187?.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



57 



any, 1870," ]iaa;e 168, .section 4S5. Of the .sap 

 he say.s : "Altjiougli containeil in cells with 

 closed walls, nevertheless the Ihiitls taken in 

 l)y tlie roots are carried np thron^li tiii! stem 

 to the leaves even of the to|iinost hciuph of 

 the lallist tree. And the sap, after its assim- 

 ilation liy the leaves, is carried down in the 

 liarkof the canibinm-layer, and distributed 

 IhroULrliont the plant, or else, is conveyed to 

 llu^ points where growth is taking jjlacc, or is 

 accumulated in roots, stems, or wherever a 

 deposit is being stored u|) for future use." 

 This is wliat Messrs. Murray, McXab and 

 .Si)encer tlatly contradict. Dr. Gray's tlieory 

 is the one accejited l)y all the most eminent 

 vegetabU' i)liysiologists, and yet it cainiot be 

 denied that there exists a difference of opin- 

 ion as to the functions of the tulmlar vessels, 

 which liermeate vegetable tissue, from the tiji 

 of the roots to the petals and pistils. Some 

 allirni that they contain air, others tluids, 

 other gases, etc. I liiid that Herbert Spencer 

 has .shown that these vessels are not only 

 charged at certain seasons of the year with 

 lluid, but that they are intimately connected 

 with the formation of wocid; ai\d from exper- 

 iments with colored tluids ca]iable of entering 

 the tissues without impairing vittility, not 

 only in cuttings of pl.ants, but in individuals 

 in which the roots were uninjured, that th(! 

 sap not only ascends Ijy the vascular tissue, 

 but that the same tissue acts in its turn as 

 absorbents, returning and distributing the sap 

 which has been moditied in the leaves. This 

 view of Spencer certainly gives no foundation 

 for the broad assumption of Itlr. Murray. 

 That the tissue acts some important jiart is 

 clear from the constancy with which it is pro- 

 duced at a very early stage in adventitious 

 buds, establishing a connection between the 

 tissue of the old and new parts. According 

 to M. I)c Monchy,"Comptes Kendus," March, 

 18t)8, the sap of vegetables contains large 

 numbers of grannies haviiiir an oscillating 

 motion, called by botanists "movable glob- 

 ules." The same granules iiave been noticed 

 in the pollen-bearing utricles, in the liquids 

 of insects, especially in the eggs and larv;B of 

 lei)idoptera, and in the posterior part of the 

 body of spiders, also in the pigment layer of 

 the choroid coat of the eye. His experiments 

 there detailed, show that these o.scillating 

 granules, from all the above sources, are or- 

 ganisms acting powerfully, like ferments, on 

 the matters with which they are naturally in 

 contact. They act on cane-sugar, starch, 

 and gelatine as ferments, transforming them 

 more or less quckly and completely into glu- 

 cose. 



TJie function of these granules is to assist 

 the ripening of fruits, and in both the ani- 

 mal and vegetable kingdom to elaborate cer- 

 tain matters for the nourishment of germs 

 and the incessant regeneration of organs. 

 Leydig says : " We may state absolutely that 

 what we call 'elements of iforniation.' are 

 preceded by a series of creations." These 

 experiments are important, and the results 

 furnish much desirable materials for the study 

 of cellular physiology. 



Much is said about 'Molecular force.' Prof. 

 Tyndall in his address on the subject bef(U'e 

 the Physical Section of the Briti.sh Associa- 

 tion, says many good things, and some rather 

 equivocal, — when he says, comparing a grain 

 of corn with a crystal—" the architecture of 

 the grain resembles, in some degree, the arch- 

 itecture of the crystal. In the corn the mole- 

 cules are also .set in definite positions, from 

 which they act upon light. But what has 

 built together the molecules of tlie corn i* I 

 have said," he continues, "regarding crystal- 

 line architecture that yon may, if you please, 

 consider the atoms and molecules to be placed 

 in position by a iwwer extenial to themselves. 

 The same hypothesis is open to you now. 

 But if, in the case of crystals, you have re- 

 jected this notion of an external architect, 

 you are boimd to reject it now, and to con- 

 clude that the molecidcs of the corn are self- 

 posited by the forces with which they act 

 upon each" other,"adding — " It would be poor 

 philosophy to invoke an external agent in the 



one case, and to reject it in the other." We 

 would infer, from his notion, that there is no 

 architect or creator wanted in any depari- 

 ment of nature, - that, like the school-boy's 

 excu.se for whistling, saying it "whistled it- 

 .self " — as if he had no purl in it. Furtlier 

 on he, Mr. Tynilall, says, "Mow tlu're is no- 

 thing in this |)rocess winch neccs-sarily eludes 

 the (lower of mind as we know it. An intel- 

 lect the same in kind as our own would, if 

 ONLY suFFiciKNTLY KX I'.VNDKU, " (The Un- 

 derscoring is mine. He continues) " be able 

 to follow the whole process from beginning to 

 end. The duly exiianded mind would see the 

 process and its consummation, an instance of 

 the play of molecular force. It would see 

 every molecule plaeed in its position by the 

 specific attractions and reiudsions exerted be- 

 tween it and other molecules." * * * "A 

 nrcisxitii rides here similar to that which rules 

 the |ilauets in their circuits round the sun." 



But Mr. Tyndall continues : "But I must 

 go still further, and atlirm that in the eye of 

 science the animal body is just as nuicii the 

 product of molecular force as the stalk and 

 ear of corn, or the crystal of salt or sugar. 

 Many of the parts are obviously mechanical." 

 Well, if innnij of the parts are, what of tiie 

 tillur parts that are not mechanical ? — he re- 

 fers to Trevethyck's walking engine, that de- 

 rives motion, like the aiumal from its food, 

 from the fuel in the furnace of the engine — 

 declaring, "As regards matter, the animal 

 body creates nothing ; as regards force, it 

 creates nothing," and yet man, plants, etc., 

 grow and live. 



Prof. Tyndall actually saj'S : " I think the 

 materialist will be able finallj' to maintain 

 this position against all attacks ; but I do 

 not think, as the human mind is at present 

 constituted, that he can pass beyond it. I do 

 not think he is entitled to say that his mole- 

 cular groupings and his molecular motions 

 explain everything. In rpditi/ it cxp'aius 

 ?io</n'H;/." Just the conclusion we had arrived 

 at. Finally lie sums up the matter thus: 

 " The utmost he can atlirm is the association 

 of two classes of iihenomena, of whose real 

 bond of union he is in absolute ignorance. 

 The problem of the connection of body and 

 soul is as insoluble in its modern form as it 

 was in the )ire-scientific ages. " Just so. But 

 what is a molecule ? in a chemical sense, it 

 means the smallest quantity of an element or 

 of a compound that can exist in the free state, 

 pei'haps a single atom ; for instance ammonia 

 (N". lis.) is, chemically considered, both a 

 molecule ami an atom ; but the molecule of 

 elements is said to consist of two atoms. Now 

 what is an atom ? The definition is: "Apart 

 so small as not to be divisible;" that is, if 

 you can conceive that there is an upside or a 

 downside, it must be divisible, and not an 

 atom. This Atomic and ^folccular f<irce 

 theory is as vague as that of the monadic 

 theory of Leibnitz and his school. A monad 

 (nomosa unit) is exiilained as " a simple sub- 

 stance which has no parts ; a compound sub- 

 .stance is an aggregate of simple substances, 

 or of monads ! Monads having no iiarts, are 

 neither extended, figured, nor divisible. They 

 are the real atoms of nature ; in other words, 

 the elements of things." Every monad is a 

 living mirror, rejiresenting the Univer.se, ac- 

 cording to its jiarticular iioint of view, and 

 subject to no regular laws, as the univer.sc 

 itself ! Every monad with a particular body 

 makes a living substance ! Such we find is 

 the ground work of the monadic theory or 

 systems of philo.sophy of Zeiio, Leucippus, 

 Democritus and Epicurus ; but Leibnitz was 

 the first who reduced it to a system. 



Thus alas, we find ourselves quite incom- 

 petent to annex any precise idea to siK'h sys- 

 tems of ])hilosopliy. And in spite of such 

 profound teachers as Huxley, Tyndall, Dar- 

 vin, Leibnitz, et. al., we prefer to hold on to 

 revelation, and the inductive or inspirational 

 intuitions of a spiritual clement outside of 

 and acting upon matter, to a purpose founded 

 in wisdom and ]irompted by love, and bound- 

 less in power. This All-wise and All-power- 

 ful, we call God, who, hke an independent 



.sovereign, governs the mighty univer.sc, an my 

 miiiil, in a limited sense, governs the motion 

 of my pen in setting forth what arises in my 

 mind, so that my thoughts become visible. 

 That God-given <-[ement of mind or soul uses 

 the brain through the nerves, to operate the 

 muscles of my arm and lingers— but the brain 

 in itself no mon; thinks tlian the eyes s<!e — 

 ajiart from an indwelling, immortal element, 

 nor does it signify whether that cloneul is 

 composed of nuitcriili a, at'imx or mrmwlii, since 

 we have as clear a conception of the one as of 

 the other; and the spiritual in us and outside 

 of us, when rightly understood, links us with 

 the great first cause in a more intimate and 

 loving relation. This is ItcichUian, if not 

 (Science. — ./. tilauffur. 



CORN CULTIVATION. 



Now is the time to (ilow and make ready 

 for corn plantin.: ; a good many farmers plow 

 their corn ground in the lall. 



Tliere is an argument sometimes, as to 

 which is the be.st time to plow for corn. This 

 depends a great deal upon the soil, and the 

 season of the year. A still clay soil ougiit to 

 be plowed in the fall, so as to have the action 

 of the frost. The fall plowing should not be 

 too early; if jilowed so early it settles too 

 much, by the heavy rains Ixfore winter sets 

 in. A loo.se .soil, such as gravel or band, or 

 sandy loam, is best plowed in spring. If a 

 farmer has too much on his hands, that he 

 can do it in time, I prefer winter plowing ; 

 but we cannot dejiend on that ; it is very often 

 impossible. 



This last winter I visited a farmer in Leba- 

 non county; he said Ue i)lowe(l no com ground 

 in the fall ; he also .said he gets more wheat, 

 if the corn gi-ound w;is plowed in the spring, 

 than if it was plowed in the fall : — that is, he 

 plows the sod and puts in the corn ; the next 

 year be plows the corn-.stubble and puts oats 

 in ; after the oats, he puts wheat in, and he 

 gets more wheat where he jilows in the spring 

 than where he plows in the fall. Only trv it. 

 Plow the half of the held in the fall, and" the 

 other half in the spring. Now, about the 

 cultivation of the corn : I plant with acorn- 

 planter that throws the dirt on ijoth sides and 

 makes a deep furrow, which is regulated by a 

 wheel under the lieam ; the tube where tiie 

 corn drops through is a foot behind the plow ; 

 some loose soil rolls into the furrow before 

 the corn leaches the ground; then a small har- 

 row behind to cover it. The furrow is left 

 open a few inches deep : after ))lanting I roll 

 the field lengthwi.se, over tht rows, if nice 

 and f"ry ; then, in about eight days, or just 

 before it comes nj), if dry enough, I harrow it 

 with a common spike harrow once over each 

 row ; those spikes on the row only .should 

 touch the sround a little; if they run too deep, 

 they may be raised a little. This breaks the 

 crust, loosens the soil and destroys weeds that 

 are germinating. 



Three years ago I went out one morning 

 with one of the boys to start him to harrow 

 corn. While he was driving around I walked 

 over the field and saw a good many corn 

 plants out. When the boy came round I 

 stopped him and said, "this wont do. There 

 is a good deal out already, and tliis covers it, 

 and smothers that which is out." The soil 

 was very fine and loose. We took the haiTow 

 and went home. It was raining and was too 

 wet to harrow any sooner. 

 ■ But that row got ahead of the others all 

 summer, and couhl iie seen from a half-mile 

 off until the whole field had the tops out. It 

 would be well if all the farmers would experi- 

 ment about tho.se cultivations, and a good 

 many others. — J. G. 



An experiment was recently made in Sidney, 

 New South Wales, by way of utilizing the blood 

 from an abattoir outside of tlie town. A five- 

 acre lot adjoining the abattoir was prepared 

 for a crop of barley, the waste blood being 

 used instead of manure. In eight weeks the|ljar- 

 ley was four feet in height, remarkably heavy, 

 and giving promise of an extraordinary crop. 



