THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



20, 1855 



inefficient for U, present ,-J ff U,e colony. | "-^^.'^^J^£J°Z^ *■ 



tome may sav that a governmental institution may provement ; and *e hope i_ ^ ^^ 

 be made sufficient for all purposes I have men- 

 tioned ; but I replv that such an institution has two 



It is at once too exclusive and too 



great objections 



too exclusive 



its 



popular; too exclusive m 

 anything like instruction for 

 * its application to 



management 

 the people ; 

 be adapted 



for 



too 



provement; ana we u^ »- TT u * 

 succeed in its endeavours to bring it about. 



It will have been seen by a communication in 



to 

 At 





popular m. — - 14 ■ - . 



anything more than purposes of amusement 

 present we have done nothing— positively nothing 

 with our garden, for the help and maintenance ot 

 the nations around us. The bread we eat, the fruit 

 we partake of, the liquors we drink, are derived 

 exclusively from the produce of foreign countries. 

 An indigenous grain of corn is never baked ; an indi- 

 genous Grape is never pressed ; an indigenous wool 

 is never worn in this country. We partake of all 

 the blessings derived from these processes more 

 largely than most nations. Why should we not 

 contribute to them in our turn ? Is it high and 

 noble and honourable, to allow our country to be 

 declared a desert ? It is too bad to be forced to 

 confess that not a crumb has civilised Australia 

 placed upon the table of the world— that her gold is 

 her only treasure ; and that her beautiful mountains 

 and valleys have no other boon for the great family 

 of man. I am convinced you will not longer allow 

 this state of things to continue, but by your support, 

 your constant attendance at our monthly meetings, 

 and our annual exhibitions, make the society an 

 institution worthy of the colony itself, and the great 

 and enterprising nation it sprung from." 



Such assertions from the mouth of a speaker 

 addressing a great meeting of the gentry of Sydney 

 have much astonished us. We had heard . of the 

 vineyard of a Busby and the Fig and Raisin grounds 

 of a Mitchell ; we had seen the glorious corn of 

 Adelaide, and the Australian wools unsurpassable 

 for quality ; we had even drank the luscious wines 

 of a MacArthuu, with a firm belief that at Camden 

 he had laid the foundations of a great wine trade 

 with Asia, an opinion confirmed by the high posi- 

 "* tion assigned to them in the Paris Exhibition. 

 But we now see that we have been in a state 

 of delusion in this matter, for Mr. Sylvester 

 declares that there is no corn, no fruit, no wine in 

 that land which is not borrowed from the stranger ; 

 not a grain of corn is baked, nor a Grape pressed, 

 nor a wool-pack converted into clothing. All comes 

 from abroad. We cannot but suspect such state- 

 ments to be very highly coloured. 



It is true that another speaker dwelt upon the 

 same subject in a similar strain. 



" In a country like this," said Mr. Shepherd, 

 c: where not one-tenth of our pastoral population 

 has the means of procuring vegetable diet, and where 

 even an Irishman considers himself a lucky fellow 

 if he can get Potatoes for his Christmas dinner, and 

 where flour has to be carted over hundreds of miles 

 of bad roads, the necessity for some amelioration 

 must be apparent. But what has been the attempt 

 to procure plants or fruits suitable for these localities, 

 where w T e constantly hear the remark — ' Oh, it's no 

 use attempting to garden or farm here ; we have often 

 tried, but the hot winds settle everything.' In the 

 colony of New South Wales alone theie are pro- 

 bably over 100 millions of acres of land, every 

 10 of which are, on an average, required 

 to furnish food equal to the support of one ox, 

 and yet no attempt has been made to find herbs 

 or Grasses, either indigenous or exotic, which would 

 withstand our hot winds and our periodical dry 

 seasons, and which, by being spread over our vast 

 plains and forests, would prevent those visitations 

 from starving to death thousands and tens of thou- 

 sands of our cattle. We, professing to be a civilised 

 people, have occupied this vast "island continent " 

 for upwards of half a century. Are we justified in 

 keeping it when we have done so little to improve 

 the condition of its original owners (in fact we have 

 rendered their condition worse than it was before), or 

 so little besides adding a few bales of wool, a few 

 nuggets of gold, and a few casks of tallow ? Let us 

 bestir ourselves and remove this reproach from us, 

 by inquiring into the capabilities of the thousand 

 and one species of Grasses, and herbs, fruit, roots, 

 and timbers. We owe this not only to ourselves, 

 but to the world at large. For all that we cultivate 

 we are indebted to foreign countries ; can we find 

 nothing to give in return ? Unless we use our best 

 exertions with a view to accomplish something like 

 these results, we forfeit the only tenure by which 

 we can justly hold the land, and the Russian seri 

 would have as much right to it as we have." 



To such a confirmation of his predecessor's re- 

 marks we could add nothing but an expression of 

 commiseration for the unhappy fate of the men 

 whose gold is their sole possession, if we really 

 believed the declamation used on this occasion. 

 But we hope better things of the past as well as the 



future of New South Wales. In the meanwhile 



our last Number (p. 678), that experimentalists are 

 puzzled to understand how it is possible to make 

 wo embryos grow together by grafting It seems 

 to be considered impracticable so to unite the seeds 

 of an Orange and a Lemon as to blend them into 



one single plant from the very beginning x>f their 



■ Undoubtedly the operation is attended 



Skill and a sound knowledge 



growth. 



by some difficulty. . ,-. 



of the nature and structure of seeds are demanded 



of those who would perform it. For that reason, 

 indeed it was that we offered a valuable reward to 

 the first who should succeed. Had it been a mere 

 puzzle which could be solved by some lucky acci- 

 dent, we should have consigned it to the limbo 

 of rebuses, charades, and similar puerilities. But 

 knowledge and the power of applying it were 

 demanded, and for this reason it appeared to be an 

 excellent subject for experiment ; certainly not 

 merely for the sake of a trifacial Orange, which 

 might be easily obtained in Alexandria. 



We have already stated, in reply to an inquirer 

 that it would probably facilitate the operation it 

 the surfaces to be united are pared down, just as is 

 done when common grafts are united. But we are 

 by no means sure that this is indispensable. On the 

 contrary, many facts indicate that mere contact will 

 produce the necessary union. No one can be igno- 

 rant that Cucumbers often come as twins ; so do 



and scarcely azotized tissue of which such an em- 

 bryo as that of the Orange consists, would from itj 

 very nature be unlikely to form an adhesion ; just 

 indeed as grafters find that old wood isverydiffi. 

 cult to operate upon. It is by the young tisi&e 

 when first growing, soft, tender, succulent and rich 

 in azotized matter that junctions are effected. I s 

 it not then highly probable that if embryos are to 

 be grafted on each other the union must take place 

 between the surfaces of the young radicle and tht 

 tender lengthening stem when first born ] ty\, 

 think so. And upon that supposition it may 

 be a question whether the operation now under dis- 

 cussion may not be most easily and certainly 

 performed by allowing the embryos to enter upon 

 the early stage of germination before they are finally 

 tied together. 



'6 



Suppose 



rr ™ that a couple of Orange pips were 



allowed to grow just long enough to be handled, 

 and then had, in each case, one of the cotyledons 

 removed so that the nascent stems could be secured 

 to each other with collodion, or a film of India- 

 rubber, or some such elastic matter. We only 

 throw this out as a suggestion. 



_JfEGETABLE 



•No. XCII. 



373. Caries (Decay).— If decay is occasionally npid 

 in plants where the older tissues are not capable, in 

 consequence of their thickened walls, of containing or 

 conveying much fluid, though when their vitality is once 

 depressed they may absorb into their substance a suffi- 

 cient quantity of moisture to enable chemical decompo- 

 sition to run its course, much more may we expect 



rant that Cucumbers often come as twins ; so do sition t0 rllI1 i ts course, much more may we expect 

 Nectarines- and we have now before us a pair of rap id destruction where every cell is gorged with jwce, 

 n^tnZ' iwi Plnma comnletelv united for a nd the condition of the atmosphere is such as to pre- 



Coe's Golden Drop Plums completely united for 

 about half their length. In all such cases no 

 removal of the surface of the parts took place where 

 they joined. They united in consequence of being 

 firmly pressed together when very young, and in the 

 early stage of growth while the tissues were young, 

 tender, and forming fast. 



and the condition of the atmosphere is such as to pre- 

 vent a sufficiently rapid interchange and evaporation of 

 the fluid received from the roots. Accordingly, under 

 certain circumstances, decay takes place iu many of 

 our succulent vegetables, independently m the first 

 instance of any aggravating cause, and in many cases 

 from mere constitutional weakness without any extent! 

 agent. And in such cases it is generally observed tbl 



i 



A similar example is presented by the monstrous ( ^ fint wh}ch gufferg iseit hersome vessel or large 

 Apple of which a figure is annexed. In this instance \ du< ^ the waUg of which lose their colour, exhibiting 

 two Apple flowers, accidentally brought into close ; varioug sha d es of brown up to black, and are frequency 



VV ' studded with minutely granular matter, which com.* 



of some combination of ulmic or humic acid, and wdko 

 occasionally is so abundant as to block up the passage. 

 It was once thought, indeed, that this matter wa»m 

 condition of certain minute parasitic fungi bur m 

 notion is at the present time completely laid u* 

 Such tissues when young are doubtless extremely acb« 

 but it is very doubtful whether, for the most {mrt, , •« 

 their full formation, they continue to carry fluid, «« 



more than mere air-ducts •™' 1 « 1 m .^ eU ^ n 2£; 

 vegetable and animal structures admi of wmj»»J » 

 thl trachea* of insects. Their vitality, **fT* 

 first extremely active, becomes by aegreesjJJ 

 and the walls are therefore subject to be affecWO 

 such causes as promote decomposition. '» ' ^ 

 vegetables, consequently, the first thing whu fcwjJJJ 

 strikes the' observer is the dark colour o u U»<* 

 rendered frequently more remarkable by «>f ™. M 

 the cells, still in a natural state by wto' <J J cir . 



If a favourable condition of ««*"* 



surrounded. If a tavouraDie cuuu...™ -■ - . hfl 

 cumstances takes place, the evil may P^" '^ 

 especially if it is not sufficiently extensive to wpi^ 



to any great extent the proper per"^".^^ of 

 tions of such tissues. If, however, no .Uev* ^ ^ 

 outward conditions takes place, it is evident ^ 



way can the taint be more rapidly commun 

 by these vessels, which thread every part « ^ j, 

 The presence, then, of such darkened ducts to ^ ^ 

 tissues, though undoubtedly indicative tnai *,& 

 existed, does not so certainly prove that rapiu ^^ 



contact in the earliest state of the bud, being kept 

 firmly in contact as they advanced in growth, ended 

 by becoming half incorporated; notwithstanding 

 which they finally became a twin fruit, consisting of 

 two very unequal halves. In the smaller only four 



ighbouring 



In other respects the structure was compile , uut out ever affecting the neighbouring n»< 

 each was furnished with a pair of elevated linea i s tems they may continue in the sj 

 on the side next the line of junction, as shown in years. This circumstance is the m« 

 the ft™™. Th« nature of these lines is unknown sideration because appearances of thi 



same co^£ 

 roo re worthy of £ 



the figure. The nature of these lines is unknown 

 to us. What is particularly deserving of attention 

 here is that the hairy surface of the young Apple 

 flower offered no obstacle to the junction in question ; 

 possibly it took place before the hairs had formed. 



orward in support oi p« «•»-■ flt : ma ted W 

 mildew, and if not properly es ^b, 



le destruction of many a *•?** ^^of*" 



brought forward in support of particular vie "* ^ &$ 



the Vine ' — - 1 - • BUP 



lead to the destruction oi m»»j - — .-. i cause 011 "; 

 fruitful for generations, should the origin- f ^ 



be removed. It was found, for w 9t » DC £.' ^ by ■* 

 that in the trees which had been muc n an . & ,t 

 dew many of the ducts were completely g ^ ^g 

 least deeply stained with brown ** w £ f ia§* 

 no uncommon consequence of the P re8 . ^ coB seq0 e °7 ( 

 plants, depressing their vitality and acuu . g no{or io«« 

 on those tissues most easily affected . i ro0 ts* 



the case in the diseased tubers of PoJ*£ s ^ ftjo* 

 Turnips, and other like instances. « ° an d «• V* 

 however, that the decay will extend further,, ^ fl{ ,jj 



seen sections of such Vines in w ™ cn ' oUD diiig **£ 

 blackened ducts the whole of the sur digcolor »** 

 were beautifully clear, without the sl 'S» t ^ ersiflt eD^fJ 

 Doubtless if the disease should prov v ^&, bf 

 stems may in the end become seriously ^ rf «p 



long as the appearance is c° nnne <\ t d&nR er. * 1 ' "^ 

 more internal rings there is no greaUa g ^jj 



T, yet young ana nnea wuu iiu*«, — rv0 irs oi *"T ^ 



Such being the case it becomes a question whether plication, or where they serve as re^t ingo muca 

 grafting seeds it is at all necessary that the matter as in certain leguminous p * ' at ter, ***,, 



in grafting seeds it is at all necessary that the matter as in certain leguminous y ^ r 7 mft tter, wu r^j. 

 embryos should themselves unite. It may be indeed every grain of starch or other Z vW il-g lobule8 

 conceived that the firm, solid, highly carbonized, I nitrogenous or otherwise, or even 



