•?6 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



to convince him of the utility of the cultivation of plants and 

 flowers. 



The task, however, will be deemed comparatively easy if we 

 but consider how greatly the study of the peculiar properties of 

 the simplest plants of the fields has enriched the materia medica 

 of the physician, and has furnished not only the great staples of 

 manufacture and commerce, but also the beautiful tints and 

 colors which add so much to the value of the productions of the 

 loom and the spindle. 



In horticulture and botany, as in all other pursuits, the slow 

 and cautious utilitarian follows in the footsteps of the enthusias- 

 tic devotee of science, and oftentimes, without even so much as 

 an acknowledgment, avails himself of the results of his toils and 

 privations. 



The orchidaceae or air-plants, of which more than fifty varie- 

 ties are here displayed, may be seen suspended near the centre 

 of the hall. These singular freaks of nature, as they have been 

 called, do not derive their nourishment from the earth, but from 

 the gases and moisture of the atmosphere, and, so far as the most 

 scientific observers have been able to determine, they literally 

 " feed on air," a very unsubstantial kind of diet, which, it is 

 feared, that some of our politicians may be compelled to subsist 

 upon, whichever way the coming elections may be decided. 



It is said that if the roots which the orchids throw out into 

 the surrounding atmosphere, be compressed, even so slightly as 

 by a covering of moss, the plant will not thrive. 



The great variety of color of these plants, sometimes so deli- 

 cate and sometimes so brilliant, and the beautiful and varied 

 forms of their leaves will repay a close and careful examination. 



The orchids are indigenous to the West India islands and 

 Mexico, and fine specimens are also found in Peru and other parts 

 of South America, and in the East Indies. They hang from 

 trees and rocks without any visible connection by which they can 

 derive sustenance from the earth. 



Some species contain a deadly poison which the Indians make 

 use of to envenom their arrows, while another variety contains 

 a large quantity of fluid which is used, in those countries where 

 it abounds, as a cooling draught in cases of fever. 



There are here also several hundred varieties of ferns, plants 

 whose traces, found among the primitive rocks, have furnished 

 Buch interesting topics of discussion to geologists. You will not 



