I344Q 



, . r , TES^OPJBN TO ALL ENGLAND will be 



X awarded by the THAN'ET HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 

 ODTBUR$DAV.the2rthinst. 



Best six Geraniums . . . £2 2s. Qd. 



Best six Miscellaneous Plants . .220 

 vt.~ of Exhibition, Ranelagh Gardens, two miles from 

 Marrate J - G * Houosow, Hon. Sec. 



Stfpcter's, Janel5. 1844. 



■ - - ■ - 



JUDSES.— GREAT BERKH A MPSTED, HERTS. 



MESSRS. LANE and SON beg to announce to their 

 Patrons and the Public generally that their extensive Col- 

 lation of RO^ES are now in FULL BLOOM ; and that for the 

 JSeommodation of parties resident in and beyond town, the 

 Tendon and Birmingham Railway Company have kindly ap- 

 pointed an extra train, which leaves Euston-square at half-past 

 10 a m for which, as well as for other trains, day-tickets are 

 bsaed at one-third the ordinary fares. 



The Karseries are within about five minutes' walk of the 

 Berkhampsted station.— June 14, 1844. 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 





£0* flftr&enerjs' ©Ocomcle 



SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 1844 



b 



i 

 l 



6 



MEETINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. 



, Linnean • • 8 p.m. 



. Bficroccopicftl • • • 8 pm. 

 , Royal Botanic • • • 4 pm. 



TirnfiT, June 18 

 Satchday June 22 



reached the roots themselves, and began acting on 

 them, the sap was forced back into the trunk ; but 

 as soon as a thaw came on, and the ground recovered 

 its heat, the roots out of which a part of the sap had 

 been forced upwards, were again filled by the fluids 

 above them, and the sap was forced to fall. A lar^e 

 Poplar-tree, in the latter state, having been sawed 

 across at the ground-line, the surface of the stump 

 was found to be dry, but the end of the trunk 

 itself dripped with sap. Sap, then, is always in 

 motion; and if it ever settles to the root in a visible 

 manner, that is owing to external temporary causes, 

 the removal of which secures its instant re-ascent. 



As to the idea that the bleeding of a tree begins 

 first at the root, and, in connection with this supposi- 

 tion, that what is called the rise of the sap is the 

 cause of the expansion of buds, and leaves, and 

 branches, nothing can well be more destitute of any 

 real foundation. If in the spring, when the buds are 

 just swelling, a tree is cut across at the ground-line, 



387 



yation or manufacture, although they decline work- 

 ing on the sugar estates, for the labour is lighter; 

 and as it is always grown in mountain situations, in 

 order to be near the heads of springs, the labourers 

 have little or no distance to go from their houses to 

 their work. Its cultivation may thus become the 

 means of reclaiming a portion of the population from 

 the listless and idle habits at present prevailing. 



Liebig asserts that -1 lbs. of Arrow-root contain as 

 much nourishment as 15 lbs. of butchers' meat, or, 

 what is the same thing. I lb. of Arrow -root contains 

 as much carbon as 3} lbs. of meat. The skilful 

 practitioner has already availed himself of this con- 

 densation of nourishment, by ordering it as a food for 

 infants. But its use does not stop here ; it is exten- 

 sively used by the metropolitan surgeons in the cure 

 of ulcers, especially those produced by burns. It is 

 also used in the manufacture of English gum. 



Treated with nitric acid of density I. .5, it is said to 

 be converted into a most explosive compound— nitra- 







h 



*■ «r 





itfi 



m 





. 



.« «? 



i '• r " 



What a curious hallucination that is which sup- 

 noses the sap of trees to fall, or settle, in 

 winter, into the roots! One would have thought 

 that the notorious difficulty of cramming a quart of 

 'water into a pint measure might have suggested the 

 improbability of such a phenomenon. For it cer- 

 tainly does require a very large amount of credulity 

 to believe that the fluids of the trunk and head of a 

 tree can, by any natural force of compression, be 

 compelled to enter so narrow a lodging as the root. 

 The idea, however, has established itself in some 

 persons' minds, and, we presume, in connection with 

 that other old vulgar error, that the sap is in rapid 

 motion in the spring time, in the roots of a tree, 

 before it begins to flow in the branches. 



These whimsies took their origin in days when the 

 •world was contented to accept assertions upon trust, 

 and when hypotheses and vain imaginings formed 

 the debased paper currency of science. But now 

 men have found out the value of a golden standard, 

 both for money and for knowledge; they call for 

 facts before theories; and the result, already, is a 

 wonderful disturbance in the crowded ranks of 

 scientific as well as historical legends. 



We shall assume the word sap to signify the 

 fluids, of whatever nature, which are contained in 

 the interior of a tree. In the spring this sap runs 

 out of the trunk when it is wounded ; in the sum- 

 mer, autumn, and winter, it does not, unless excep- 

 tionally, ma ke its appearance. But in truth the sap 

 is always in motion, at all seasons, and under all 



no bleeding takes place, neither will the sap flow for midine, which Pelouze has recommended for the Ar- 



SOme dktJinPP llnwur^e Knf irrwin/v ♦!•./» U-«««l till*.nr eocLma V» . -1 _• . _,• ii 



some distance upwards, but among the branches 

 the bleeding will be found to have commenced. 

 Let the line a b represent the trunk and a 

 branches of a tree ; let incisions be made at 

 c > d, e,f; the sap will run at c first, then at d, 

 next at <?, and last at /, next the roots. This 

 was observed some years ago by Mr. Thomson, d 

 at that time the Duke of Portland's gardener, 

 who thought he had discovered that the sap of t 

 trees descends in the spring, instead of ascending: 

 a strange speculation enough, it must be con- f 

 fessed. The fact is, that the sap is driven into 

 accelerated motion, first at the extremities of a b 

 tree, because it is there that light and warmth first 

 tell upon the excitable buds. The moment the buds 

 are excited they begin to suck sap from the parts 

 with which they are in contact; to supply the waste 

 so produced, the adjacent sap pushes upwards ; as 

 the expansion of the leaves proceeds, the demands 

 upon the sap near them become greater; a quicker 

 motion still is necessary on the part of the sap, in 

 order to make good the loss ; and thus, from above 

 downwards is that perceptible flow of the fluids of 

 trees, which we call the bleeding, effected. 



A correspondent remarks that the well-known fact 

 of trees sprouting in the spring, although felled in 

 the autumn, proves that the sap had not at that time 

 quitted the trunk to take refuge In the roots. And 

 we agree with him in considering that such a com- 

 mon occurrence should have put people on their 

 guard against falling into the vulgar errors on this 

 subject. 



circumstances, except in the presence of intense cold. 

 1 he difference is, that there is a great deal of it in 

 the spring, and much less at other seasons. 



SS »?«!!• a i tree falls t0 rest at the approach of 

 fl. 1 ;k US l eaves have Cdrried off so m uch more 



%* the J.T 1 ?t r ? 0ts have been able t0 B«PPly- that 

 the whole of the interior is in a state of comparative 



^ wZ, fln;/ n u a l arge P° rtion of that MP which once 

 Tanon, 1 S *? ecome solid in consequence of the 



$ Be^wL • mi ^ aI chan S es which il h as undergone. 

 v between simple mnomtlm. ™ ^ one hand, and 



the sap is in the 



lnn«— j- — «*«**»«Mtett in quantity, as to be 



*&oV« fhl dlscoverabIe by mere incisions. The 





iK 



m 



is no 



^longer "ub'ect'tr 8 £? fallc " ° ff ' tlle tree ls ' 10 



*** ! aor to tvin" T ch loss of niiia '>y perspiration, 



»& c v a e re ci r ica i «*«*- b " T" ,iia "-> 



> -ion and a «L le F"*ipal organs of pewpira- 

 **> roots k! aU ° n - > nt ** absorbing power of 

 fJW WckinK euiH r eSte u ; '' the *> on the contrary, go 



%nto the L,™ Tu the soii > arid drivi »g» uP^rds 

 Home mo K T he effect of this is* that after 



©Mich the* Jl v U, i h an action > th »t loss of fluid 

 <**«, ig m ,£? had stained in autumn by its 

 '** *« S g°°d. and the whole fabric of the 

 > **t wis. SS^n 1 * wate fy P«ticles. This is a 

 u ** to the rZtV' ln order t0 insl «re abundant 

 *Sf»rn.th and lioh, .°- rn , leaves and branches, when 

 <&. During all 8 tj e SUmulate them into growth. 



J.HJeed to be at r P<if f' nte L r P eriod the sa P appears 

 ?■ -*lua] one. Bm W* re - fiilln S P rocess is a ver y 

 ^' ' an ingenious appara^c'',. 1 " 3 "? years a « 0< P roved> 

 If* 1 ' P n»ay be mea«ir.1 ' that th e rate of motion of 

 Ld l »* " ,o b^7 n SU a red at all seasons ; and he ascer- 



^V«*inter. A ' a ^ tatc , of considerable activity in 



JJZ.^ Wnsidaahi faS" ,llin - s h < fonn«l',hat 

 ,^ ,lcft sap mo " ablc . : ""oo"c e „pon the .lircction in 

 ^•istantly risinj,:,," J»»d weather the sap was 



" «^ P , flowed hi'k a.1- en (^t was experienced 



$€^ ed J° ^ ctlf '.'~ a Phenomenon which he 



H' Vf f lhe trunk ana K ng , 'i. fluence of cold <>» the 



j^'V fo «e the sap ; ' ncl , les - *• cftL '« of wnicn 



Warm « meS Wn ri d8 int0 th ! -ots, lying 



is; 

 at 



We are happy to find from our correspondent that 

 several New and Useful Branches of Cultiva- 

 tion are likely to be adopted in some of the most 

 favoured of our West India Islands. Amongst them 

 the small but beautiful island of St. Vincent has re- 

 cently taken a conspicuous lead in the growth of 

 Tobacco, the Nutmeg, Clove, and Arrow-root, 

 the Maranta arundinacea. It is to this latter pro- 

 duction we wish at the present more immediately to 

 call the attention of our readers. For a long time, 

 its scarcity and high price caused it to be considered 

 merely as a medicine ; and it was only sold by 

 chemists and druggists at the enormous price of from 

 2s. to 5s. the pound ; but now, from the vastly in- 

 creased quantity grown, it may be obtained at a 

 reasonable rate — at \s. Sd. to I*. Sd. the pound — with 

 an increased facility of getting it genuine. 



The starch of this valuable plant has long been re- 

 commended by medical men as the most nourishing 

 of all food for children and invalids. It is now 

 coming into general and deserved estimation; 

 and we can hardly doubt that at no very distant pe- 

 riod it will become an article of consumption as much 

 in request as either sugar or tea. The Bermuda 

 Arrow-root was at one time considered the finest, 

 and perhaps this was the case as long as the cultiva- 

 tion and manufacture were confined to the black and 

 coloured population ; but since the proprietors of 

 Sugar and Coffee estates have given it tfieir consider- 

 ation as a staple article of export, we think this early 

 prejudice must cease. The soil in our windward and 

 leeward islands is so much superior to anything that 

 Bermuda can boast of, and all of them being amply 

 supplied with the finest streams, wherein Bermuda 

 is unfortunately deficient, we think it must follow as 

 a necessary consequence that the Arrow-root of the 



before-mentioned islands will eventually prove of the 

 liner quality. 



tillery service. Dumas, a chemist of great celebrity, 

 says that, used In the proportions of l-6th or l-4th 

 mixed with Wheat-flour, it renders bread infinitely 

 more nutritious. 1 1 is used by biscuit-bakers ; and we 

 have the authority of Demetrius Dumadow for 

 stating that it is used in the manufacture of the finest 

 description of cards, as well as by confectioners and 

 pastrycooks. It is extensively consumed in getting 

 up our calicoes, linens, and cottons, not giving them 

 that yellow colour which common starch invariably 

 does. We cannot, therefore, but congratulate our 

 colonists that something like necessity has driven 

 them to the adoption of a cultivation which is likely 

 to become important to themselves as an article of 

 export, as well as to this country by supplying it 

 with a cheap, delicious, and economical food. — M. 



PROPAGATION OP ROSES BY CUTTINGS. 



It is generally believed by amateurs and others, that 

 Moss, Provins, French, Damask, and Bourbon Rases, &c, 

 are difficult to increise by cuttings ; but by the following 

 method, these sorts may be raised in abundance. Let a bed 

 of well-fermented stable litter and leaves be made by the 

 side of a north wall, and place a one or two-light frame on 

 it so as to face the north. la this put about eight inches 

 of leaf-mould that has been previously well soaked with 

 water ; then spread over all about three inches of sharp 

 pit sand, and make the whole firm and level. The back 

 part of a span-roofed pit, running east and west, with a 

 wall in the centre, is also a suitable place for the purpose. 

 It should be filled to within a few inches of the glass with 

 the same kind of material. In selecting the cuttings, to- 

 lerably weak wood of the present year's growth should 

 be taken, if it is sufficiently ripened at the base or has 

 made one full-formed leaf. Strip the cuttings with the 

 finger and thumb, and smooth the base, reserving the 

 detached portion of the parent bark ; cut them close above 

 the first leaf, and insert them in the sand, but not so 

 thick as that their leaves will overlap one another. 

 When this is finished, the bed should be watered, to settle 

 the soil about them, and they should have plenty of air 

 for the first four days ; but it ought to be lessened by de- 

 grees, so as to gradually inure them to a confined atmo- 

 sphere. As the preservation of their leaves in a healthy 

 state is essential to success, the bed may be formed, and 

 the cuttings put in on the same day, without waiting until 

 the material becomes heated, as a thin covering of cel- 

 lular tissue should be formed over the wounded end of 

 the cutting before that takes place. In the third week 

 the greater part will be rooted, and in the fourth thsy 

 should be potted off into 60-sized pots, in a soil 

 composed of leaf-mould and loam. They should be 

 afterwards removed into a damp frame or pit, with- 

 out any water being given to their roots ; but they 

 may be slightly syringed over their leaves, and when they 

 become well rooted in the new soil, they may be hardened 

 off and either shifted into larger sized pots or planted 

 out in a sheltered border, where they will make fine 

 plants for next year. By again levelling the surface of 

 the beds, and making the cuttings to two eyes— always 



named sores are rquucu, »***.«. %«w «.« ~v,«o ouuu . u MW 

 taken down, and a little fresh fermented dung added, or 

 a new one should be made, using the same sort of mate- 

 rials as are recommended above. The young wood 

 should be taken before the blooms are expanded, and the 

 cuttings prepared similar to what I have already 

 described. The young shoots of what is cnlled the 

 second growth, may also be used for cuttings; they should 

 be taken when two full-formed leaves are made, smoothed 

 at the base, and cut down to the first leaf, then planted 

 in a bed of the same construction as above. When they 

 are rooted they may be hardened off and allowed to 

 remain in the bed until spring. Tlenty of air in favour- 

 able weather should be admitted. Tn thin wav thev will 



a*^v« itiui ouvia lonrnaiCI ilS UlCV Ca.II CUiJCCt lit *.••*. 



marble tanks they appropriate for the purpose, that 

 island cannot maintain its fancied superiority. 

 Many of the negroes throughout the West Indie% 



■ • 1 ^11 111*1 ^ 



mwwt.»£ niiwi iucJT ate uiauc am/iv, Wf> w " 



leaf is attached to them and kept there until . th f y . " e 

 rooted. This, however, can never be accomplished it the 

 , soil in which they are placed is subjected to the alternate 

 having purchased houses and lands in the moun- action of wet and drought ; but by placing wet leaf- mould 

 tain districts, have no objection to aid in its culti- between the dung and sand, an uninterrupted supply of 



