Messrs. Editors —Much has been said and 'writ¬ 
ten upon the sjjbject- of the severe?, drouth of the past 
summer, yet perils a few words on its effects upon 
vegetation, may not be uninteresting to some of your 
numerous reader?, indeed, have been much in¬ 
terested in observ e it.s action upon both wild and 
cultivated plants, and have noted the general effects 
upon those observed, numbering about six hundred 
species or more, growing in six counties in central New- 
York, and in some of the localities, the drouth has 
been as severe, and as destructive as in any part of 
the state, wlaere it commenced early, and can scarcely 
be said to be. finished yet. 
The first, and ^ost obvious and* conspicuous effect, is 
the general smaller size of leaves. This has been 
alike observed on the lower herbs, and on the higher 
forest trees; in the latter, most especially in those 
leaves which formed after the middle of June. And 
this diminution of size has in very many cases modifi¬ 
ed their shapes, making them generally more angular 
In those leaves that are lobed, as the oak, the inden¬ 
tations are deeper, as if the frame work of veins or 
nerves had not been well up filled 1 with the parenchyma 
which forms the blade. In those leaves that are notch¬ 
ed, or^ybu many angles, the notches are deeper, and 
the ang. ^ e e Jtrper. In such as have slight spines at 
their points, these spines grew larger and more mark¬ 
ed in their characters; and on those that had conspicu¬ 
ous spines, as the various thistles, they grew longer 
and harder. 
This same scanty growth was observable also in the 
leaves of the grasses and the grains. These were nar¬ 
rower, and had an unusual dried up aspect, and this 
of course has affected greatly the quantity of hay and 
straw. As plants draw much of their nourishment 
from the air, through their leaves, these being smaller 
have diminished the size of the whole plant, and trees 
have grown less than usual. 
Several peculiarities have been observable in the 
microscopic appearance and structure of leaves, mak¬ 
ing them approach more nearly those which grow in 
dry, arid regions. Many species are usually covered 
entirely or in part, with down or hairs, sometimes con¬ 
spicuous, but oftener very minute and scattering- 
This summer all have .been more hairy than usual; 
some species that usually have scarcely any, have ma¬ 
ny, and others that usually have many have still more. 
Mulleins have been more woolly, and clover more hairy 
or downy. On fruits.the skin has been thicker; on 
peaches the down is more abundant. 
The time of flowering has also been affected, as well 
as that of ripening. The flowers have generally ap¬ 
peared earlier, and been of shorter duration, more 
scanty in numbers, and the colors generally less bril¬ 
liant. Fruits and seeds have been smaller. 
Insects that prey upon leaves, (indeed all parts of 
plants,) appear to have suffered even where there was 
enough food, and very possibly, I might say probably, 
many species have had their numbers greatly thinned, 
and in this manner the ravages of the drouth may in 
the end be compensated. 
On thin soils, where the rock was near the surface, 
the foliage of many trees dried up in August, as if 
scorched with fire, and seem now dead; some are ac¬ 
tually so, others, though leafless, or with their dried 
leaves still upon them, have still vitality. 
Of course these effects mentioned, only occur where 
water has been much scarcer than usual, yet some 
have been observed in swamp species, such as only 
grow where is always an abundance of this element. 
In these cases, perhaps the unusual dryness of the air 
has produced the results, rather than the soil. 
Drained lands appear to have suffered the least, 
other circumstances being equal—a strong argument 
in favor of thorough draining. Yours truly, Wm. H. 
Brewer. Ovid , N. Y. Sept. 29, 1854. 
Slate for Roofing Purposes. 
What shall we use for roofing for our buildings, is a 
question that is yearly becoming of more importance, 
as shingles that are generally used for farm buildings 
are every season becoming scarcer and dearer. Many 
substitutes are proposed, but for durability, beauty, 
and comparative cheapness, slate is probably the best 
thing that can be used. Many causes have conspired 
heretofore to bring this material into disrepute in some 
sections. One was, ignorance in those working quarries, 
of what should be used and what rejected. It was 
supposed that the scaly material alone could be split 
to the requisite thickness, and that the solid stone eould 
not be worked; but with more experienced workmen, 
the scaly stone is now rejected and the solid only used. 
Of the slate, there are various colors—•black, blue, red. 
&c ., found in different localities and occasionaliy in 
the same quarry. The writer had the pleasure a short 
time since, of visiting the quarries at North Hebron, 
Wash. Co., N.Y. The slate found here, is of a fine red 
color, and said by good judges to be of a very superior 
quality. No slate of this color had, until within a year 
or two, been known to exist in this country, the few 
specimens seen being imported from Wales or from 
France. A Welshman, who had been a practical quar- 
ryman in his own country, first opened one of the quar¬ 
ries, since when some three or four companies have in¬ 
vested a considerable amount of capital in the business 
of getting out the slate for roofing, and the tiles for 
stone floors, known as Mosaic. The quarries are work¬ 
ed mostly by Welchmen, who were familiar with the 
business before coming to this country. The refuse 
slate is ground, making a very fine tnaterial for paint¬ 
ing. 
As a matter of economy, the slate must in time come 
into general use. It is furnished at a price but little 
above that of the best shingles ; it is not, like them 
liable to take fire from sparks from chimneys or else 
where, and will last a long time. We have seen it 
stated that an old house was torn down lately in Bos- 
ton-—the slate from the roof of which sold for eight 
dollars a square—after covering the house for more 
