7.—1846.] 
THE GARDENERS' 
CHRONICLE. 
101 
sacrifice to be better than Cam’s} Hebrews ix, 22,and 
Hebrews xi. 4, suggest the argument, which is pursued 
on the ground that animal food was not used till the 
permission was given to Noah. As regards Mr. Smith's 
position, that the original food of man was not * ani- 
mal,” this passage goes, I think, to justify him. As 
regards your own, that the Bible allows the use of ani- 
mal food, and did so from very early times, this pas- 
sage is conclusive, if you are content to date from Noah 
instead of from Adam. I cannot but agree with your 
own view of the whole subject, but it struck me on 
reading, that possibly this passage, certainly an import- 
ant one, had been overlooked.—C. E. C.——0On reading 
the review above alluded to, it occurred to me that a 
few ideas, the result of an examination of former dis- 
quisitions on the early portions of the Mosaic narrative, 
might not be without their use. While generally agree- 
ing with the opinion of the reviewer, I cannot think 
that he has dealt altogether judiciously with the author's 
argument from Scripture. I therefore venture to make 
the following remarks, premising that I know nothing of 
the work in question beyond what your columns contain. 
Of the 29th verse of the Ist chapter of Genesis, a 
learned Hebrew scholar (Kennicott, if my memory doe 
not deceive me,) gives this interpretation, viz., that on 
man was bestowed every kind of vegetable substance 
apon earth as a possession, and every € fruit-tree for 
meat. And the curse afterwards pronounced on Adam, 
“ In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread,” will 
perhaps in some minds tend to confirm the view of his 
having lived on fruits only before the fall, But to most 
persons, I imagine the words of the sacred writer will 
appear to signify more properly that which Mr. Smith 
suggests, that man should be frugivorous, eating besides 
fruits all seeds or grain ; the word “herb” in contra- 
distinction to “ Grass” denoting the matured produce. 
This is the explanation adopted by the editor of the 
“ Pictorial Bible " (Mr. Kitto), whose note I will here 
subjoin :—He says, “Plants and fruits only being speci- 
fied as the articles of sustenance allowed to man, it is 
id many that animal food was 
not permitted uatil after the flood, when we find it 
granted to Noah under certain restrictions, . There is 
no difficulty in supposing animal food not in use in 
primitive times ; for it can hardly be said to be so, 
generally speaking, in Asia at the present day. Many 
do not eat flesh meat more than two or three times in 
the year" May not the 14th verse of the 104th Psalm 
be considered as a kind of scriptural comment on the 
29th and 30th verses of the Ist chapter of Genesis? So 
far then I am inelined to go with Mr. Smith concerning 
the food of man in his primitive state. And I would 
suggest whether the use of a vegetable diet may not 
have conduced to that length of days for which the 
antediluvian race was so remarkable? This kind of diet 
wequires a much longer preparation in digestion than 
animal, and on the principle of “slow and sure," I am 
disposed to think that the former would impart a more 
enduring power to the frame than the latter, supposing 
of course that there were nothing unfavourable in ex- 
ternal circumstances. I am not sufficiently acquainted 
with zoology to be able to say how far sueh a theory 
would be borne out by the relative age at which the 
animal and vegetable feeders in the animal kingdom 
respectively arrive. But however this may be, there 
are assuredly indications enough in the early history of 
the Bible to show, that whatever was the case in the 
beginning, animal food has long been a proper food for 
mankind, I would draw attention to the 9th chapter 
of Genesis, verse 2 to 4, where a direction is explicitly 
given to Noah and his descendants to live on animals 
equally with vegetables, excepting only the blood, which 
has continued to be forbidden by the law of Moses to 
the Jews, and by the decree of the mother church in 
Jerusalem, to Christians likewise. Whence, to come 
to a conclusion, I would say, that before the flood-gates 
of Heaven had been opened, when as yet, probably 
there was no rain, and the air would consequently be 
much drier than it has been since, farinaceous and other 
like food may have sufficed for human nourishment, and 
helped perhaps to longevity ; but from the time of the 
deluge the less healthy atmosphere has made a more 
stimulating diet necessary, especially in such climates 
as ours, to resist the action of damp on the lungs. Two 
words more, and I have done. With respect to the 
conformation of our teeth, I cannot think there can be 
any doubt of their being frugivorous rather than car- 
nivorous. Surely they are more like the monkey’s than 
the eat’s, and (if I am not mistaken) exactly as certain 
Species of the former tribe approach the carnivorous 
habits of the latter, so do their teeth assume more of 
the canine, and less of the true molar structure. And 
as to what the reviewer observes of the skins, which 
(be it observed) were given, and after the fall for the 
first time, to our first parents to clothe them, it has from 
of old been understood to imply the institution of saeri- 
fices for the. purpose of foreshowing the shedding of 
that blood, without whieh there could not be remission 
of sin—though it is not impossible certainly that what 
was permitted to Noah, the disobedient race of men 
before him may have done without permission, choosing 
to indulge themselves by feeding on those animals which 
they had been taught to slay for another purpose.—S 
Warnford. [We insert these two letters, but we can- 
not carry the subject further. 
“4 New Vegetable or Rhaflower." —The article 
headed thus (p. 5) recalled to my mind an attempt 
whieh I made about six or seven years ago to bring into 
notice that part of the Rhubarb plant which he recom- 
mends. I had parts of it cocked, and found that many 
worse taings are made ready in a gentleman’s kitchen ; 
but I also learned that cooks have their prejudices 
against new things as well as other people, and set their 
faces against what they call innovations in the way of 
their profession. I also sent a communication respect- 
ing it to the Caledonian Horticultural Society, recom- 
mending itas a substitute for Broccoli in years of searcity, 
but whether it was ever tried by anybody afterwards I 
never learned. Ii will be found upon trial that some 
varieties of Rhubarp produce better heads than others, 
and, if not taken in time, will be somewhat tough when 
cooked; but taking it when it is tender, and carefully 
boiled and served up with hot butter, it will be found 
both a palatable and wholesome dish; but, perhaps, 
the manner of cooking it should be left to those 
of the culinary department. Mr. Forsyth’s notice of 
it, through the medium of the Gardeners’ Chronicle, 
will, no doubt, give it a publicity which it never had 
before, and the season will soon approach when it may 
be tested, and if it should receive a verdict in its favour, 
no doubt improved varieties will soon make their ap- 
pearance, and as it is a vegetable that can be depended 
upon for a crop, for its growth is hardy, and being a 
perennial little trouble will be required in its cultivation, 
it may soon be used by the poor man as well as by the 
rich.— Peter Mackenzie. 
The Hamiltonian System of Pine-growing.—In 
answer to Mr. Reid’s inquiry respecting this system of 
Pine-growing, I beg to state that I am decidedly in 
favour of it. The fruit swells better, the labour is less, 
and the return quicker- The following is a list of 
Pines eut here from suckers, with the date when eut :— 
| lbs. oz 
1814, July 10..| Montserrat .. 4 10|Second Fruit. 
1845, Nov. 6.. do, 5 | Third do. 
1844, Sept.20. . do. 5 14| Second do. 
1846, Jan. 2..| d 4 12, Third do. 
1844, Oct, 2.. | Jamaic: 12 | Second do. 
1845, Nov. 3..| do. . 2| Third do. 
» Oct. 17. .| Montserrat 4 7) Second do. 
ib do. 4 10| Do. do. 
+ do. 1 8| Do. do. 
v: do. 4 4| Do. do. 
4 do., twin 4 2 Do. do. 
j: DG ok 1 6| Do. do. 
5 i do., twin 4 2| Do. do 
19..| do. m 4 2j , 
PU m : 
I would advise Mr. Reid, and Pine-growers generally 
who do not grow their fruit upon the sucker system, to 
read Mr. Hamilton’s little work, and try to make the 
most of the mother plant.—JoAn Jennings, Knowsley. 
To keep Trees from Wind-waving.—I was much 
pleased with the plan recommended ‘at p. 874 (1845) 
for seeuring single 
trees in pleasure- 
grounds, and as I 
had previously ex 
perieneed much dif- 
ficulty in securing 
some Poplars lhad 
planted two or 
three years ago ina 
marshy situation, I 
resolved to adopt 
it; in doing so, I 
have, I think, dis- 
covered an im., 
provement which is 
to make the side 
supports rest on 
the surface of the 
ground, and to secure them by nailing them to short 
stumps driven in an opposite direction in the manner 
represented in the woodcut. This, I find, secures them 
much more firmly than in the plan recommended at 
» 874. The stumps I have used are of Oak, 2 feet in 
length, cleft out of old posts, and they will therefore be 
more lasting and quite as economical. I have found 
three supports to be quite sufficient.—I". H. S. 
Packing Glass.—Permit me to give your readers in 
the country who intend becoming purchasers of propa- 
‘vation or striking glasses, a few words of advice regard- 
ing the same. It is said that there is no experience 
like that which is bought, and I, accordingly, wish to 
give others the benefit of what I have paid for. Being 
in want of a few glasses of the above description, I sent 
a friend who resides in town to the shop of a dealer 
who advertises in your columzs, where he ordered a 
dozen and a half to be sent to me (some 70 miles in the 
country). ‘They did come accordingly, but so shame- 
fully packed, that out of the 18, only 11 were whole. 
I sent my friend with this information to the shop, to 
see if be could obtain others, or get an allowance for 
those broken, when he met with a decided refusal, and 
was told that thé railway company ought to make the 
loss good. This would have been very true if the 
glasses had been broken by their neglect, but as I took 
them out of the basket myself, I could see that the 
damage was oceasioned by the careless packing ; some 
of them, thin glass too, being placed close to the side of 
the basket without any hay interyening. Now, what I 
wish to say by way of advice is, that country purchasers 
should, when they buy, have a guarantee from the seller 
that they shall be delivered in a sound state. This 
would cause the packing to be done with more care, 
and save the buyer from loss —J. W. W. 
Destruction of Aphis, Scale, &c.— For the destruc- 
tion of these I have for some years used a simple lather 
of yellow soap, Jaying it on with an old camel’s-hair 
shaving-brush. "This I have found to be very effective 
without damaging the plants.—J. W. W. 
Russian Sioves.—In reply to the request, respecting 
these, it seems necessary to say that the fuel burnt in 
| them is wood, in general young Birch trees from 2 to 5 
inches in diameter, cut into lengths of an archine 
(28 inches English). The fire-place is necessarily made 
large enough to contain billets of this length both ways. 
The furnace door is usually from 9 to 12 inches square; 
it is double, that is—two doors at an inch apart, one 
within the other, both of them opening together on the 
same hinges, and having an opening in them of an inch 
to 3 inches diameter, with register slides to close them 
at pleasure. The chimney, at 4 or 5 feet from the floor, 
has a door into it 8 or 9 inches wide, and 6 inches high, 
ona level with the bottom of which is placed the appa- 
ratus for closing the chimney, This apparatus consists 
of a circular trough of iron, two or three inches deep, 
fitted nearly to the brim with sand, and having within 
it a ledge near the bottom for receiving a flat cover ; a 
second cover is made with a rim downwards, which rim 
is of a proper diameter to be pressed into the middle of 
the sand in the trough. The foundation is a platform 
of brick, rising some inches from the floor. The 
simplest Russian stoves are nothing more than a hollow 
for receiving the wood, with a hollow space above up to 
near the chimney door. The Lejauba is a flat stove, 
about 2 feet high, and 6, 9, 10, or more feet long, the 
breadth of a large couch, and is a favourite seat for 
women. More complicated stoves have flues, either 
horizontal or perpendicular, to receive the flame, and 
retain heat from the furnace before the passage of the 
smoke into the chimney. These flues vary according 
to the situation and form of the stove, and the skill of 
the constructor. Often where the same stove is to heat 
two rooms, the wall between them is formed first of the 
furnace part of the stove, then by two or three hori- 
zontal flues one above the other over it, When foul, 
the soot takes fire, and burns out without mischief. The 
upper part of the chimney is cleaned by passing from 
the top of the chimney a brush attached to a heavy 
billet. The heat given out from these stoves depends 
much on the fire-lighter. He begins by peeling off some 
of the birch bark, which he places in the middle of the 
furnace, then carefully places the wood round the bark, 
so that air may have a free passage between every log; 
he sets fire to the pile, leaving the door open. As the 
wood is consumed and begins to fall, he draws together 
ihe unburnt portions near to the door, and collects the 
het embers into a heap behind, then shuts the door, 
admitting only a small quantity of air by the régister. 
When the wood is all consumed, he shuts the chimney, 
and closes the register, his great object being to cause 
the fuel to burn out rapidly, and so as to form the 
greatest possible quantity of embers. The thickness of 
the outer case of the stove is about 6 or 8 inches, or 
more if the quantity of fuel be very great.- Ir is this 
mass of heated brickwork, and the hot embers confined 
within it, that furnishes heat for 24 hours, keeping the 
apartments at.a temperature of 60° to 72° Fahrenheit. 
The above mode of closing the chimney is in every re- 
spect superior to any register I happen to have seen in 
England ; but it is evident that the Russian stove is not 
suited for coal. A Lejauka was, however, successfully 
constructed some years ago for heating a school-rcom 3 
the fire was made in the adjoining room, where it heated 
a cast-iron oven in the usual way ; when the smoke of 
first lighting was over, the flue was opened to the 
Lejauka, where the hot air passed in horizontal flues, 
till the fuel beeame completely red hot; the whole was 
then shut up with a Russian chimney closer ; the fuel 
burnt was cinders from other fires; there was then no 
coke, but coke or anthracite coal would make excellent 
fuel. In the severest weather the room heated by this 
Lejauka was uniformly warm and comfortable. In the 
south of Sweden, stoves are of a similar construction, 
only smaller, and of course the wood is eut into shorter 
lengths and split. If required, I shall be happy to give 
any further information as far as I am able.—M. B. 
Vitality of Old Trees.—The interesting notices on 
this head (p. 83) have brought to my recollection a 
striking faet of the same kind, pointed out to me by Sir 
Joseph Banks, in 1815, when I spent some days at 
Reevelsby Abbey, his seat in Lincolnshire, whieh fully 
confirms your caution to gardeners “ against despairing 
of success iñ removing ancient trees when there is any 
object to be gained in performing the ope n2* 
Directing my attention to a row of pollard Lime trees 
with trunks upwards of a foot in diameter, and with 
very vigorous pushy heads, Sir Joseph continued to the 
following effect dd The pollard Limes you see there, 
formerly grew in a distant field, whence it was necessary 
toremove them. Directions were given to cut them down, 
after first displacing the earth just round the bottom of 
the trunks, so as to allow of applying the axe to the main 
roots and stems of the irees, without much disturbing 
the surrounding turf, and without making holes of more 
than a smallsize, and easily filled up again with earth. 
After being thus felled, their tops were sawn off, leaving 
the trunks, then a foot in diameter, ten to twelve feet 
long, which were intended to be sold toa wood-dealer. 
It occurred to me, however, from having so: often 
observed felled trees push out leaves, that these trunks, 
though so thiek, and without either roots or heads, 
might possibly vegetate, and to try the experiment, I 
ordered them to be planted where you now see ihem 
growing so vigorously." I afterwards inspected these 
trees more closely ; they exhibited every sign of healthy 
vegetation, and if, instead of allowing all the shoots 
from the head to remain, they had been by degrees cut 
off to one leading shoot, it was clear that these pollards 
| might have had given to them the natural form and, 
| character of the Lime-tree, the different thickness of 
| the old and new stems being concealed by allowing a 
