152 



ih^ barter's Jttonthlg. 



of the pith was that of generating the stone of fruit, 

 and that a tree deprived of its pith would produce 

 fruit without a stone. This goes quite too far, but 

 nevertheless has a significance that is worthy of fur- 

 ther investigation. The pith may be considered 

 analogous to the heart and brain of animals, as ad- 

 vocated by Malpighi, who believed it to be a kind 

 of viscera in which the sap was elaborated for the 

 nourishment of the plant, and for the protrusion of 

 future buds. Magnol thouglit that it produced the 

 flower and fruit, but not the wood. Du Hamel re- 

 garded it merely as an extension of the pulp or cel- 

 lular tissue, without being destined to form any 

 important function in the process of vegetation. 

 Linnaeus was of opinion that it produced even the 

 wood, regarding it not only as the source of vegeta- 

 ble nourishment, but as being also to the vegetable 

 what the brain and spinal matter are to animals, 

 the source and seat of life. Thus eminent physiol- 

 ogists disagree. Mr. Lindsay of Jamaica, suggested 

 a new opinion on the subject, regarding it as the seat 

 of the irritability of the leaves of the Mimosa ; and 

 Sir J. E. Smith says he can see nothing to invali- 

 date the arguments on which this opinion is founded. 

 Plenck and Knight regard it as destined by nature 

 to be a reservoir of moisture to supply the leaves 

 when exhausted by excess of perspiration. 



I refer briefly to these remarks to show that the 

 peculiar function of the pith is not satisfactorily as- 

 certained. It may safely be affirmed that the pith 

 is essential to vegetation in all its stages, and may 

 be considered to be an organ of elaboration, both as 

 respects the sap and fructification, and that the 

 medullary sheath, surrounding the pith as the sta- 

 mens do the germ, is intimately connected with the 

 functions of the pith, as it is with that of the bark 

 and phyllotaxis. 



If my observations will prove to be universally 

 correct, that those branches of the vine that bear 

 perfect flowers will show a healthy condition of both 

 the medullary sheath and pith ; and those having 

 stamens only, to have a healthy sheath and defec- 

 tive or unhealthy pith ; or when pistillate only, then, 

 in that cases, the central axis or growth of the pith 

 proves healthy and the medullary sheath defective. 

 This proving so, then an intimate relation is neces- 

 sarily established. But as my article is already lon- 

 ger than intended, I shall close ; my object begin 

 rather to call the attention of grape growers to the 

 subject of male and female grape vines, than to give 

 a dissertation on the physiology of the grape vine. 

 My object is to collect facts, from which legitimate 

 deductions may be drawn, and hope to hear from 

 others on the subject. — J. Stauffer, Lancaster^ Fa. 



- ■ 



A Public Swindle.— The readers of agricultu- 

 ral papers may have noticed during the last few 

 months, an advertisement purporting to come from 

 August Schmidt, of London Madison Co., 0., in 

 the nursery and Osage orange seediine of business. 

 This Schmidt is a tool of one A. Bornemann, well 

 known to the press as a sneak advertiser, who being 

 too well known to impose upon them under his own 

 name, put forth that of his brother-in-law, who 

 seems to have been more of a fool than a knave. 

 BoRNEMANN received a host of letters with money 

 enclosed, at the London Post Office, and left that 

 place a month ago. All persons who have sent 

 money to this August Schmidt, may as well con- 

 clude that it has gone up the spout — 0. Farmer. 



Premium for Grapes— Zo?/.^MJor^/i'5 Winehovse, 

 Cincinnati, Feb'y 23, 1867.— To the wine-growers 

 of the United States, through the American Wine- 

 growers Association ot Ohio : — 



Feeling deeply interested in the improvement of 

 our native grapes and wines, we offer the following 

 premiums: A silver pitcher, two goblets and wai- 

 ter, to cost not less than $350, as the first premium; 

 a silver cup, to cost not less than $100, as a second 

 premium ; and a silver cup, to cost not less than 

 $50, as the third premium. 



The first premium to be given to the best gene- 

 eral wine grape of our whole country. The second 

 premium to be given to the best variety of grapes for 

 wine purposes in the State of Ohio, provided it is 

 not awarded to the grape that receives the first pre- 

 mium, in which case it will be given to the second 

 best wine grape in the country. The third premi- 

 um to be given to the best table grape, for general 

 purposes in the country. 



Our requirements are, that the plants, when gen- 

 erally cultivated, shall be perfectly healthy, hardy 

 and productive, and the fruit shall produce wine of 

 a good quality, as to flavor, strength and quantity. 

 The fruit shall be shown at the coming fall consoli- 

 dated exhibition of the American Wine Growers' 

 Association of Ohio and Cincinnati Horticultural 

 Society, in quantities of ten pounds or more, with 

 samples of the wines from the competitors for the 

 first two premiums, if practicable. 



The Committee to be composed of the Hon. Mar- 

 shall P. Wilder, of Boston ; Solon Bobinson, Esq., 

 of New York ; a member to be designated by the 

 Lake Shore Grape-growers' Association, at their 

 next meeting; a member to be appointed by the 

 American Wine-growers' Association of Ohio, and 

 Dr. C. W. Spalding, of Missouri. 



At the meeting of the Committee to award pre- 



