GG 
depth of one-sixteenth of an inch. It is indispensable that the 
marble be made warm, therefore large statues, or architectural 
ornaments, which cannot be moved to a fire, must have heat ap- 
plied to them, by the use of hot irons. Thus, by beginning the 
work at the top it may be gradually warmed, and the wax would 
run downwards over the marble, and be conveniently exposed to 
the heat. AVhilst warm the superfluous wax is wiped off the 
surface, which is left with the appearance of beautiful old mar- 
ble. White wax is recommended, as least liable to change co- 
lour. We think that advantage may be taken of this hint, and 
that wax may be employed in the protection of ornamental cast- 
ings and sculpture, which have been executed in various soft 
materials. We hope that some of our friends will immediately 
put it to the test. 
107 Damping off. Many herbaceous plants that will endure any 
degree of frost, without injury, are frequently lost, in mild win- 
ters, by what is technically called damping off; occasioned by 
the humidity of our atmosphere This may, to a considerable 
extent, be prevented, by raising a mound of sand, a few inches 
high, over their crowns, upon the surface of the soil. This 
should be done in November, and be removed in spring, just 
before the young shoots reach the surface; the danger being 
over as soon as vegetation has fairly commenced. 
108 Grow th of plants. This subject is so full of interest, and 
also of admiration, to the contemplative mind, that when treated 
perspicuously and concisely, as we find it treated by Dr. Turner, 
it becomes important as well, morally, as scientifically. He says, 
“While a plant differs from an animal, in exhibiting no signs 
of perception or voluntary motion, and in possessing no stomach 
to serve as a receptacle for its food, there exists between them 
a close analogy both of parts and functions; which, though not 
discerned at first, becomes striking on a nearer examination. 
The stem and branches act as a frame work or skeleton for the 
support and protection of the parts necessary to the life of the 
individual. The root serves the purpose of a stomach by im- 
bibing nutritious juices from the soil, and thus supplying the 
plant with materials for its growth. The sap or circulating fluid, 
composed of w ater, holding in solution saline, extractive, mucila- 
ginous, saccharine, and other soluble substances, rises upwards 
through the wood in a distinct system of tubes called the common 
lOT} Dareucom. 
