264 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB. S, 1840. 



GROWTH OF PLANTS, &c. 

 Effect of the Change of Season upon Vegetation — 



Position of the Saji at different seasons — Dry 



Rot — Method of preventing it — Proper season 



for Trimming Trees. 



A periodical cessation of growtli appears to be 

 necessary to the Iiealthy action of most plants, and 

 in this particular we cannot but notice; an admira- 

 ble adaptation of the constiiution of plants to those 

 9hanges of season, which, in some form or another 

 are common to all climates. It is true, that within 

 the tropics, vegntation is not affected by the alter- 

 nate heat and cold experienced in extra-tropical 

 regions ; but yet, very much the same effect is pro- 

 duced upon plants by the change from the rainy to 

 the dry season in tliose climates, as by that from 

 summer to winter in our own. The effect of tlie 

 dry season in the one case, and of winter in the 

 other, is not however to produce an entire cessa- 

 tion of all growth ; as it appears from experiment 

 that vegetation is at all times more or less active : 

 in the winter it is languid, whilst it is energetic in 

 the spring and summer. The fact that the buds of 

 most plants swell, and that all plants form additions 

 of greater or less extent to . tlicir roots during the 

 winter, forbid us to entertain the idea that there is 

 a total cessation of vegetation at that season. But 

 although plants appear to have the power of absor- 

 bing fluids by their roots during the winter, they 

 can have but little opportunity of parting with any 

 portion of it again by evaporation, and as a neces- 

 sary consequence, their tissues become distended 

 and turgid with the sap thus accumulated. This 

 turgidity of the tissues is at its maximum just be- 

 fore the season at which plants put forth their 

 leaves, and is eminently favorable to rapid growth 

 when vegetation resumes its activity. It is a well 

 known fact, that after very long winters, or when a 

 plant has been prevented by artificial means from 

 shooting at its usual season, its branches and leaves 

 are developed with extraordinary rapidity — a cir- 

 cumstance to be ascribed entirely to the acomiula- 

 tion of sap in the tissues. 



The diurnal changes from light to darkness ap- 

 pear to be equally important to the well being of 

 plants with the annual changes from summer to 

 winter. If plants -were kept incessantly growing 

 in light they would be perpetually decomposing 

 carbonic acid, and would in consequence become 

 80 stunted that there could be no such thing as a 

 ti'ee, and this is actually the case in polar regions 

 where the day and night are each of six month's 

 continuance. If on the contrary they grow in con- 

 stant darkness, their tissues become excessively 

 lengthened and weak, no decomposition of carbonic 

 acid takes place, none of the parts acquire solidity 

 and vigor, and finally they perish. But in ordina- 

 ry circumstances, plants which in the day become 

 exhausted by the decomposition of carbonic acid, 

 and by the emptying of their tissues by evaporation, 

 repair their forces at night by inhaling oxygen co- 

 piously, and so forming a new supply of carbonic 

 acid, and by absorbing moisture froui the earth and 

 air without the loss of any portion of it. Such be- 

 ing the case, we must conclude that plants grow 

 chiefly by day, and this is conformable to the few 

 observations which have been made on this subject. 

 Meyer found that the stem of a Belladonna lilly, and 

 plants of wheat and barley, grew about twice as 

 fast by day as by night ; and Mulder states that he 

 has arrived at similar conclusions in watching the 

 development of other plants. 



When speaking of seeds and underground stems, 

 the fact was mentioned that the nutritive matter 

 which they contain, and which constitutes their 

 value as articles of food, is, in the economy of veg- 

 etable life, intended for the sustenance of the young 

 plants to which they give origin, during the early 

 stages of the growth of those plants, and before 

 they have become sufficiently developed to acquire 

 nourishment for themselves. The heart-wood of 

 trees appears to stand in a somewhat similar rela- 

 tion to the young buds of a tree, serving during the 

 winter as a depository for the turgid sap which the 

 plant accumulated, and yielding it up again so soon 

 as the flow of the sap has fully commenced in the 

 spring. The sap which accumulates in the sugar 

 maple (acer saccharinis) during the winter, contains 

 a large portion of sugar in its composition ; in the 

 spring, as the watery sap imbibed by the roots as- 

 cends the stem, it gradually dissolves this sugar 

 out from the heart-wood, and carries it up for the 

 nourishment of the then swelling buds; of course, 

 the higher the sap ascends the stem, the more of 

 this sugar will it have dissolved ; and this is the 

 reason why it is found necessary, in tapping that 

 tree for the purpose of obtaining sugar from its 

 sap, that the openings should be made high up the 

 stem, and not near the root; and further, that they 

 should be made to enter the heart-wood, and not to 

 pass through the bark alone. I know that these 

 facts respecting the sugar maple have been adduc- 

 ed in support of the idea that there is no such thing 

 as a downward flow of the sap, and that its elabo- 

 ration instead of taking place in the leaves, takes 

 place gradually during its ascent ; but the down- 

 ward flow of the sap is established by so many in- 

 controvertible facts, that even if we could not give 

 any explanation of this matter, we could by no 

 means admit it as establishing the theory just ad- 

 verted to- 



A knowledge of the position of the sap at diffe- 

 rent seasons of the year, is of great importance to 

 those engaged in cutting timber ; and as all far- 

 mers are obliged to engage in this business more 

 or less frequently, they will find this a matter well 

 worthy of their attention. It is now, I believe, uni- 

 versally admitted that that disease so fatal to timber, 

 the dry rot, arises from the presence of the sap, 

 more especially of the thick turgid sap, which can- 

 not be well removed by seasoning. If then such 

 sap fills the tissues of the heart-wood during the 

 winter, whilst they are free from it in the summer, 

 we will at once s^e the bad policy of cutting tim- 

 ber in the winter, as is the common practice ; and 

 also a reason why the timber of the ancient Ro- 

 mans (who it is believed, usually cut their timber 

 in the summer,) lasted so much longer than our tim- 

 ber at the present day. I do not know that I can 

 place this "Slflbject fiiliy before my readers in any 

 better way, than by transcribing a part of a com- 

 munication which appeared in the 34th vol. of the 

 American Journal, written by Phineas Rainey, a 

 ship-builder of Connecticut. 



" It was the general custom here, to cut timber 

 for vessels in the winter, notwithstanding they went 

 into decay and wanted repairing in about seven 

 years, or from that to eight, whilst a few only last- 

 ed twelve years. I ascribed this variation in their 

 durability to the fact that the cutting of timber was 

 often commenced in October, and then continued 

 througli the intermediate months to March. I there- 

 fore concluded that the right season was in Decem- 

 ber, when I supposed that the sap was certainly in 

 the roots, and if cut at this season, I believed that 



it would leave the deadly poison in the stump, 

 whilst the body and branches would be entirely 

 free from its influence. I determined to carry this 

 opinion into practice the first opportunity that oc- 

 curred. 



"In 1810 I was concerned in the building of a 

 small freighting ship, of which I was the '.sole con- 

 ductor, from her keel until she was completed and 

 ready for sea. According to my previous determi- 

 nation, I commenced the cutting of the timbers fot 

 her in the early part of December, and continuing 

 it into the first week in January. By so doing, 1 

 expected to produce the very best ship for durabil. 

 ity on the Connecticut river, where there were then 

 numerous vessels building. The timber selectee 

 was white oak and white chesnut. 



The vessel advanced, and in April it was founc 

 that three of the quarter top timbers were wanting 

 and as very crooked pieces were required for these 

 I was obliged to go into the woods and have then 

 cut. Sometime in May, it was found that the sticl 

 designed for plank-sheers (this was very large ant 

 intended to make the whole that was wanted,) wouli 

 not answer the purpose, except that it was barel; 

 suflicient to go around the bows, the other part be 

 ing badly rent, and of course rejected. I therefor 

 went into the wojds a second time, when the leave 

 were full grown and the bark Avould peel, and ha 

 two thrifty white oaks cut for the after pieces.- 

 These timbers were put in immediately, and S' 

 were the plank-sheers, without any seasoning what 

 ever, and the room between the timbers above th 

 air-streak, was filled with salt, which was suppose 

 to be a preventive against the dry rot. The wori- 

 manship was of the first order. 



The vessel was launched and completed in Jul 

 1811. That autumn she went to sea, and after th 

 declaration of war in 1819, she came to Middletow 

 and was laid up until the peace of 1815. In thi- 

 spring when she was to be fitted out again, it wi 

 found that she must be repaired in her hull; ar 

 on opening her, it was perceived that the dry n 

 had made such destruction among her timbers, thi 

 it was necessary to build her anew from her mi< 

 dIe-wale up. But the three quarter timbers spi 

 ken of, which had been cut green, were sound, at 

 appeared new, although their neighbors on eac 

 side of them were destroyed by the disease; and 

 is a remarkable fact, that the spikes when pulle 

 out of them, were bright, and appeared new ; bi 

 those parts of them which come in contact wil 

 the outside planks, (which were made from timbi 

 cut in December,) were badly oxidated, so much i 

 that they were reduced in size about one quarte 

 The forward plank-sheers which it will be remen 

 bered were cut in December, were destroyed t 

 the disease ; but the after pieces were sound at 

 dry, and on the under side appeared like new tin 

 ber seasoned in the shade ; and what is remarks 

 ble as to them is, that although some of the tin 

 bers on which they rested were so decayed th; 

 they might be picked to pieces, yet there was m 

 the least appearance of it on them, which showe 

 that although surrounded by corruption, they we) 

 themselves at least up to that period incorruptibl 

 Thus it can be seen, as respects this vessel, th: 

 not only the season of the year, which in the popi 

 lar opinion is the best to out timber iu for tire pu 

 pose of making it last well, was strictly adhered t 

 but also the precautionary measure of applying sal 

 which is even at tliis day thought to retard the pn 

 gress of the disease. 



" Although at that time it was not thouglit necc 



