42 Scientific Memoranda. 



enough have been cited to call the attention of philosophy to this 

 curious subject, and enable us to give proper attention to it, in 

 all the practical operations of agricultural pursuit. Much time 

 and expense might be saved, and profits realized, if this were 

 more generally understood. 



We have already observed, that the heat of the sun in southern 

 climes forces plants to a false maturity, runs them on too rapidly 

 to fructification, and renders dry and woody the culms, stalks, and 

 leaves of the plants, where these parts are used. Hence the 

 chaffiness of the leaf, the dryness of the culm, the lightness of the 

 grain, and the unsavory spungy quality of the pulp of the plants 

 in those latitudes. Hence the difficulty of fermenting their juices, 

 distilling their essences, and preserving for use the fruit, juice, or 

 blades of such plants. The prevalence of insects is another bar 

 to the productiveness of southern plants : swarms of them invade 

 and strip the leaves, bore the fruit, and lead to blight and de- 

 composition ; and just in proportion as the labours of man have 

 rendered plants succulent, and their fruits and seeds sweet and 

 pleasant, do these insects multiply on them, devour their crops, 

 and defeat the objects of husbandry. 



The labour of man too is more conservative in northern cli- 

 mates, because his arm is better nerved for exercise, his health 

 and spirits more buoyant ; and instead of saying, " go and work," 

 he says, " come and work ;" treads with a cheerful heart upon 

 his own soil, and assists in the cultivation, collection, and pre- 

 servation of his own productions. It is in temperate climates that 

 man can be most familiar with nature ; it is there he has the best 

 opportunities of observing the guarantees which nature has for 

 the preservation of her animals and plants against the devasta- 

 tion of the elements ; he sees an occasional apparent neglect of 

 individuals, but a constant parental care of races. In every 

 thing he sees the wisdom and benevolence of God. W. 



SCIENTIFIC MEMORANDA. 



We are indebted to our friends of the Lyceum of natural 

 history at New York, for the following report. We announce 

 for our next number a general paper on the osteological remains 

 of extinct animals found at Big Bone lick, in which the bones 



