308 { Assembly 



then he had a watering pot ready with soft water ^ if it could be had, 

 he then by putting in the spade as far otF as possible, to lift the young 

 plants, and as deep as possible lilted a bunch of them and carried 

 them to the new position, then having filled a hole with the water, 

 he selected one of the best plants, and holding it in the water in the 

 hole, with one hand, he stirred in with the other hand, the light 

 soil around the hole, moving a little, the plant up and down as the 

 mud became thicker; as soon as the plant could stand upright in the 

 mud he proceeded to another. The result of this method was that 

 the pepper, the most tender of transplants, went on to grow without 

 loss of a day, although transplanted at noonday in a dry and very 

 hot time, so with Melongena, (egg plant,) a tender transplant; so 

 with Cauliflower, Cabbage, &c. The plan seems tedious, but in my 

 opinion it saves in the end fifty per cent, in the urowth and perfec- 

 tion of the transplants. 



J. S. Skinner remarked that the season of grafting and budding 

 had arrived, and that he wished to give more publicity to the striking 

 views of Professor Turner, in Downing's Horticulturist, on grafting 

 — that Turner's suggestions were of great value. Mr. Skinner then 

 read from the April number of Mr. Downing's book at some length, 

 so much so as render it necessary for us to ask our friends to read 

 that April number for want of space for insertion. Mr. Skinner ob- 

 served that chestnut stumps put forth often vigorous shoots, which 

 became stout t lumber trees. That some old farmers had found out 

 that posts made of seme locust trees lasted three times as long as 

 some others. The peach trees of Jersey have been budded from bud- 

 ded trees until their life is very briel. The remarks of Mr. Downing 

 are very curious and valuable, i lemarked the siugular growth of 

 cedars near Baltimore' — the fortn so exactly conical, as if trimmed 

 for a hedge; yet I learned that when one of these was removed some 

 ten miles off, it soon exhibited irregularity in growth. 



Oliver Smith. — No plant produces, its olispring by means of the 

 bud or graft, or by cuttings; but only hy its seed. The other pro- 

 cesses are merely continuations of the old plant or tree. Potatoes 

 planted, merely continue the old potatoe — it is no new plant as it 

 would be irom seed. This botanical truth is well known by ail in- 

 telligent botanists. Every separate plant or tree has its own age 

 like a man, and dies like a man. But frou) the seed springs up a 

 new offspring — an entirely new plant. The Lombardy poplar, 

 brought here many years ago, happened to be the male plant, and it 

 has already died out of ((ur country for want of the female. The 

 doctrine that the vitality of plants is in their seeds, is far from new 



