sow 



s o w 



SOWAGEPOUR, a town of Hindoollan, in Baliar ; 



27 miles N.N.W. of Hajypour. 



SOWERBjEA, in Botany, was fo named, by the writer 

 of the prefent article, in commemoration of liis friend and 

 fellow labourer, Mr. James Sowerby, F.L.S., &c. an ex- 

 cellent botanift and artilt, to whofe accuracy and acutenefs 

 of obfervation he acknowledges himfelf to have been often 

 indebted, in the courfe of his own botanical lludies and 

 publications ; and to whom various other authors have been 

 no lefs obliged. — Sm. Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 4. 218. Ait. 

 v.'2. 231. Brown Prodr. Nov. HoU. v. 1. 285. — Clafs and 

 order, Triandr'ia Monogytiia. Nat. Ord. Spathacea, Linn. 

 Afphodeli, Jud. 



Ger.. Ch. Cal. Common Sheath of feveral membranous, 

 permanent fcales ; the outer ones ovatc^, concave ; inner in 

 many fine fegnients. Cor. Petals fix, ovate, equal, perma- 

 nent ; three of them interior. Stam. Filaments fix, (hort, 

 broad, flattened, obtufe, three of them barren ; anthers 

 three, on the three filaments oppofite to the interior petals, 

 oblong, each of two linear fpreading lobes, of one cell, 

 nightly connefted a little above their bafe only, divaricated 

 at each end, permanent. Pi/i. Germen fuperior, roundifli, 

 with three furrows ; ftyle thread-fiiaped, permanent ; iligma 

 fimple. Perk. Capfule roundilh, three-lobed, of three cells 

 and three valves ; the partitions from the centre of each 

 valve. Seeds one or two in each cell, angular, rough. 



Eff. Ch. Sheath of many valves. Petals fix. Stigma 

 fimple. Anthers with dilunited cells. Three alternate 

 filaments barren. Seeds nearly folitary. 



I. S.juncea. Rufh-leaved Sowerbxa. Sm. Tr. of Linn. 

 Soc. v. 5. 159. t. 6. Ait. n. I. Br. n. i. Kcr in Curt. 

 Mag. t. 1104. Andr. Repof. t. 81. — Native of Port .Tack- 

 fon, New South Wales. Firlt cultivated by MelTrs. Lcc 

 and Kennedy, in 1792. It is a hardy greenhoufe herbaceous 

 plant, flowering in the early part of fummer, and cafiiy 

 increafed by parting its fibreus perennial roots n\ tlie fpring, 

 planting them in peat-earth. The whole herb is fmooth, 

 deftitute of a item. Leaves numerous, radical, fheathing, 

 ereft, linear, acute ; channelled above ; femi-cylindrical be- 

 neath ; their (heaths crowned internally with a fimple mem- 

 branous ^//i»/rt, like that of a grafs. Sta!i folitary, ertft, 

 fimple, above a foot high, taller tlian the leaves, bearing a 

 rather denfe umbel, of copious, elegant, rofe-coloured, 

 fcentlefs Jloiuers, much refembling thofe of feveral fpecies 

 of AU'mm, on capillary partial_^a//.f, each of which has, as 

 Mr. Brown remarks, a joint under the flower. The capfules 

 become pendulous as they ripen, each enclofcdin its fliining, 

 fcarcely altered, corolla. Anthers yellow. 



The authority of Mr. Brown, who ha:- examined this 

 plant in its native country, induces us to correift feme of 

 our ideas concerning it, which indeed had never been very 

 firmly imprcfled in our mind. The cells of the anthers prove 

 to be fimple, and though they firlt open at the top, by a 

 feeming pore, they foon fpht all the way down, by a furrow, 

 which gives them the appearance of being two-celled. 

 Though nearly feparate, therefore, through their whole 

 length, thele cells together conllitute but one anther, as in 

 the ScitamiN£;e, fee that article, whole cells arc ftill fur- 

 ther disjoined. The genus of Sozuerhita is, neverlhelefs, 

 perfeftly dillmdt, though nearly related to Allium. The 

 herb, when bruifcd, has no peculiar fceiit. 



SOWING, in Ajirkidtiire, the aft of fcatterliig, or 

 putting the feeds of grain, plants, &c. on or into the 

 ground, in order to their producing crops. See SKi;r>. 



With regard to the period or feaion of lowing, or ])iitting 

 crop? into the foil, it is remarked, that the moil proper and 

 advantageous feafon for fowing or felling fuch a? pollefi 

 - Vol. XXXUT. 



the habit, or are capable of pcrfefting and ripening their 

 feed or produce in the fame year, is that of fome of the 

 more early fpring months, according as they are more for- 

 ward or late in their kinds, and the climate more mild, or 

 the contrary ; wliile, on the other hand, fuch as are, from 

 the peculiarity of their nature or habits', incapable of com- 

 pleting their vegetation in the fame year, the molt favour- 

 able period will be fome of the more early autumnal months, 

 according to the differences of their habits, and the varia- 

 tions of climate and feafon : as by thefe means, in the former 

 cafe, the feeds, grains, or roots, become perfcftly evolved, 

 and the radicles of the young plar.ts firmly ellabliflied in the 

 foil, and capable of fullaining theinfelves againft the hot 

 feafon fets in, which is to bring them to maturity ; and, in 

 the latter, the feeds have attained fuch a ftate of growth, 

 and fo far fixed their roots in the ground, as to be capable 

 of fupporting themfelvee, without fullaining much injury 

 from the feverity of the winter feafon, and confequently ad- 

 vance with greater rapidity in tl-.eir vegetation in the fpring, 

 in order to perfeft their feed by the heal of the fummer 

 feafon. 



And it is further ftated, on the authority of lord Orford, 

 thai the pradlice is advifed of fowing certain forts of grains 

 and feeds, and alfo of felling particular kinds of roots, at 

 much earlier periods in the fpring than is commonly had re- 

 courfe to by the farmer. Thus, it is faid, by putting 

 barley into the ground in the beginning of February, great 

 advantage has been fuppofed to have been derived in the 

 forwardnefs and finenefs of the grain. But .igainll this 

 method it has, however, been ingenioufly fuggeiled by Dr. 

 Darwin, that as much moidure, with or without lubfequent 

 frod, is more liable to dellroy the embryo in its very early 

 ll.ite in the feed, than after it has (hot out roots and a fum- 

 mit, and thus acquired fome habits of life, fuch early fow- 

 ing mull, in fome cafes, be praftifcd with caution. But 

 that fuch an objeftion cannot be brought againlt the early 

 autumnal fowings. 



The crops of autiimn-fown wheat (hould be conftanlly 

 put into the ground in the latter end of September, or be- 

 ginning of the following month ; but the former, if poflible. 

 And the fpring-fown kinds (hould not be later than the end 

 of March ; a^, when later fown, they never ripea well. 

 And with oats and barley crops, February, March, .ind 

 April, are the feafons ufually had recourfe to. But from 

 grain feeds and roots requiring fuch dilTerent lengths of 

 lime in arriving at maturity, the particular period at which 

 each fort of grain, feed, or root, (hould be fown, fct, or 

 put into the earth, with the greatelt chance of fuccefs, will 

 be more fully noticed, feen, and pointed out, in fpcaking 

 of the cultivation and growth of the diflerent forts of 

 crops. 



The laft mentioned ingenious writer has likcwifc re- 

 marked, that the difficulty of determining the bell feafon 

 for fowing, or putting in feeds in the fpring, owing to the 

 variation of the weather in tlie fame latitude, as well as of 

 laying down or fixing the exatt feafons for towing in dif- 

 ferent latitudes, occafioned Linnx'US to form or conllruA 

 what lie terms a calendar of Flora, which was afterwards 

 adapted to this climate by Stillingflcct ; and which confitled 

 in obferving the firll appearance of the root-fcioiis, or 

 (lowers of the uncultivated native vegetables ; with direc- 

 tions to Cow the cereaita, or harveft-feed, when (uch pl.ints 

 or flowers became vifible. By altcntion to obfervations of 

 this kind, on fuch (oris of uncultivated plants, in many 

 climates, the above writer conceives fuch tables might be 

 conftrufted, as would point out the molt proper times of 

 fowing the moft ufeful feeds or grain* in e\ery latitude and 

 T^ O fituation. 



