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average size of a great many sprouting the past summer fi cm a 

 thrifty young tree, on which he had performed a severe and 

 wide kind of girdling, in order to kill it ; the tree no longer be- 

 ing wanted except as a support for some kind of vine. What 

 surprised him was the nature and character of the shoots, so 

 strong, vigorous and apparently healthy, bearing well-developed 

 leaves during the summer and making perfect buds for another 

 spring. The wound made by him was near the root, was 

 deeply cut into the wood beyond the sap-wood, and there was 

 no possible connection by any chance slip of bark, so thoroaghly 

 had the work been done. Was it possible that there was any 

 supply of nutriment through the wood of the trunk, and could 

 it be ascertained to a certainty that mere capillary attraction 

 through the hardened heart wood and its immediate surround- 

 ing layers within the range of the cut and wounded surface, 

 were not capable of sustaining life and giving nutrition. 



Many queries were raised, relative to the particular locality 

 of the tree, how far a shaded position might favor it and the like. 

 It was admitted that the specimen twigs were remarkable, and 

 that circumstances seemed singular in the case. 



Several persons participated in inquiries and remarks, among 

 whom Robert Manning, whose experience in horticulture ren- 

 dered his opinions of great value, remarked, that he had met 

 ■with several such instances in his garden and nursery-grounds ; 

 that however promising and mysterious the aspect of this case 

 might be, the next season would find Mr. P.'s first wishes 

 realized in the certain death of the tree. 



The chair, in explanation of the facts presented to the meet- 

 ing, adduced similar instances within his observation ; also the 

 ■well known instance of living shoots with leaves and flowers 

 upon the logs of wood (birch especially), lying upon our wharves, 

 and brought to the city for fuel. These instances showed the 

 efibrt of nature to preserve and sustain life, and indicated the. 

 vigor of latent sap in the bark and softer tissues of the plant, 

 ■which, when unusually called upon, could produce what often 

 are considered extraordinary results. The chair then went in- 

 to a minute but short exposition of the nature and conditions of 

 the living cellular tissue of vegetables, and showed how capil- 



