134 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
“ 266. No solid matter whatever can be taken up by the roots; for 
this reason metals, which in a state of oxydes are poisonous, are per¬ 
fectly harmless in their metallic state, as mercury; and this is, no doubt, 
the cause why liquid manure, which contains all the soluble parts of 
manure in a fluid state, acts with so much more energy than stimulating 
substances in a solid state. 
“ 267. The cause of the motion of the sap is the attraction of the 
leaf-buds and leaves. 
“268. The leaf-buds, called into growth by the combined action of 
the increased temperature and light of spring, decompose their carbonic j 
acid, (279) and attract fluid from the tissue immediately below them; 
the space so caused is filled up by fluid again attracted from below, 
and thus a motion gradually takes place in the sap from one extremity 
to the other. 
“269. Consequently the motion of the sap takes place first m the 
branches, and last in the roots. 
“270. For this reason a branch of a plant, subjected to a hight tem¬ 
perature in winter, will grow, while its stem is exposed to a very low 
temperature. 
“271. But growth under such circumstances will not long be main¬ 
tained, unless the roots are secured from the reach of frost j for, if 
frozen, they cannot act, and will, consequently, be unable to replace 
the sap of which the stem is emptied by the attraction of the buds con¬ 
verted into branches, and by the respiration of the leaves. (XII.) 
“272. Whatever tends to inspissate the sap. such as a dry and heated 
atmosphere, or an interruption of its rapid flow, or a great decompo¬ 
sition of carbonic acid, by full exposure to light, has the property of 
causing excessive vigor to be diminished, and flower buds to be pro¬ 
duced. 
“ 273. While, on the other hand, whatever tends to dilute the sap, 
such as a damp atmosphere, a free and uninterrupted circulation, or a 
great accumulation of oxygen, in consequence of the imperfect decom¬ 
position of carbonic acid, has the property of causing excessive rapid 
growth, and an exclusive production of leaf buds. 
“274. Inspissated or accumulated sap is, therefore, a great cause of 
fertility. 
“ 275. And thin fluid, not being elaborated, is a great cause of sterility. 
“276. The conversion of sap into different kinds of secretion is ef¬ 
fected by the combined action of air, (XI.) light, (XI.) and tempera • 
ture. ___ 
Chinese Indigo. —Gen. Tallmadge has just returned from a year’s 
tour upon the old continent; during tvhich he has devoted much time 
to the collection of facts, &c. to improve our arts and agriculture. Hist 
letters, which have been published in the Journal of the American In-1 
stitute, abound with interesting matters upon these topics. He has 
brought with him some seeds of a plant called the Chinese Indigo, (the 
Poligonum tricitorium of botanists,) which is extensively employed in 
China for dying cloth of a beautiful blue or green, and has kindly pro¬ 
mised us a portion of them, with a view of giving them a trial in this 
latitude. This plant is a biennial, grows two feet high, flowers in July 
and August, and is represented by Loudon as rather tender. But, un¬ 
der the direction of a Russian agricultural society, it has been grown 
in Georgia and other districts on the northeast borders of the Baltic 
sea, as cold a climate as ours, chiefly as yet for its seed, with a view of 
multiplying it, and it is believed will be found adapted to our climate. 
What comparison it will bear with woad, as a dye weed, the mode of; 
using it as a dye, or of extracting the colouring matter, and the man¬ 
ner of cultivating it, are matters of which we are as yet ignorant. 
THE MORUS MULTICAULIS. 
A new mode of acclimating this plant to a northern latitude, as prac¬ 
tised in Belgium, has been communicated to the Massachusetts Horti¬ 
cultural Society, by a Belgian gentleman. The method is to cut down 
the plants in autumn, to a"few inches above the sod, and to cover the 
stump with leaves or other matters, and to do this annually, till the 
roots have acquired size and strength enough to withstand the severity 
of winter, which is less severe in Belgium than it is with us. The 
stump sends up shoots in the spring, in proportion to its size, which 
grow six or eight feet, and afford as abundant a supply of leaves as 
would a tree upon a single stem, and are much more easily gathered. 
Any deficiency in product may be made up by planting thicker than for 
standard trees, as treated in this way the plants may be placed eight to 
ten feet apart. This mode of culture is successfully practised with the 
basket willow, not to preserve it from cold, but to enhance the value of 
its products—the annual shoots are multiplied, and increased in strength, 
as the root acquires vigor by age. This plan, we believe, is the best 
that can be adopted here, with the multicaulis. 
After all the lauding that this plant has received from journalists and 
speculators, as being hardy enough for our northern climate, and as 
affording the best material for ordinary silk culture, the truth is now 
evidently admitted, that it has neither of these qualities to recommend 
it;—that it does not withstand our hard winters—and that although it 
produces the finest, it does not produce the best silk, for common fa¬ 
brics, and requires peculiar delicacy in its management, illy adapted to 
common rural labors. 
The Osage Obange, ( Madura durantica.)—'We have noticed seve¬ 
ral articles in the public journals, commending the culture of this plant 
as affording suitable food for the silk worth. We have had this plant 
in our grounds eight or ten years, and the stems have been invariably 
killed by the winter. It is more tender than the morus multicaulis, 
and is of slow growth; its fruit resembles, in appearance, the black wal¬ 
nut, and is altogether worthless. We state these facts to guard our 
readers against expending time and money in attempting to cultivate it 
for feeding silk-worms. 
Experiments with ashes, gypsum, lime and salt.— -The last Farmers’ 1 
Register gives us the details of seven experiments, made with mixtures 
of ashes, leached and unleached, gypsum, lime, &c. applied to corn 
when planted. The experiments were made on a field embracing forty 
acres. The different compounds were applied each to five rows, and 
six other rows were left without any application, between each series 
experimented upon. The compound was dropped, in various propor¬ 
tions, upon the seed before it was covered with earth. “Not the slightest 
apparent benefit was derived from any of these experiments.” Most of 
the compounds were entirely calcareous, and the reason assigned for 
their not acting beneficially, is, that the whole field had been-already 
rendered calcareous, by the free use of marl. The experimenter ex¬ 
presses a belief in which we fully concur, that upon soils deficient in 
calcareous earth, these applications would have produced a decidedly 
beneficial effect. Every year’s experience teaches the use of scientific 
knowledge, in determining the qualities and defects of soils, their adap¬ 
tation to particular crops, and the best modes of increasing their fertility. 
THE FARMER’S SCHOOL BOOK, 
Is the title of a volume in 12 mo. of 240 pages, just published by J. 
Obville Taylob, publisher of the Common School Assistant, and is 
one of a series of small volumes which he is publishing, designed as 
reading books in common schools. Price 44 cents. It ts a good book, 
calculated to instruct the boy, and to implant in his mind the seeds of 
knowledge and usefulness. If it is proper for boys to learn “ those 
things which they expect to do when they are men,” and of this no one 
will express a doubt, nothing can be more proper to be put into the 
hands of those who are soon to become farmers—(if the speculating 
mania should in time abate) than a book which teaches them the pro¬ 
perties and laws of organic and inorganic matter—which not only in¬ 
structs them in their future business of life, but tends to qualify them for 
the higher duties of society, which will tend to make them intelligent, 
and useful and good merit Such is the character of the work of which we 
are speaking. An effort is now making to “ bend the twig” as it should 
grow, by providing for our eommon schools, arid common school libra¬ 
ries, in a cheap form, a selection of books, calculated to make our sons 
wiser, and we trust better, than their fathers. The effort is a noble 
one, and those engaged in it deserve the commendation, and the co¬ 
operation of every friend to civil liberty. 
The Peach Worm. —Dr. Scott has furnished us, in the Plough Boy, 
with a description of the habits of the insect which attacks the peach 
tree, about the surface of the ground, and often fatally. The egg is de¬ 
posited by a large fl-y, in July, which pierces the outer bark; it soon 
hatches., and proceeds always towards the root, through the green or 
inner bark, until checked by the cold of winter. Its presence is indi¬ 
cated by the gum which exudes near or at the surface of the ground. 
The worm resumes its depredations in the spring, and emerges, a per¬ 
fect insect, late in June, or early in July. The doctor’s remedy is to put 
ashes about the collar, or lower part of the stock, and particularly in 
the spring. The worm is then below the surface, and the rain which 
percolates through the ashes, becomes a ley, which settling into the worm 
hole, destroys the insect. Whatever prevents the eggs being deposited 
near the surface, as covering the lower part of the stock with straw in 
the spring, so that the frosts of winter may destroy the insects ere they 
penetrate the ground—or whatever will destroy the worms when under 
the ground, as the alkali of lime, ashes, &c. will preserve the peach 
tree from the depredations of this insect. 
FOREIGN WHEAT. 
There was imported, to the port of Baltimore alone, between the 
first of January and first of November of the current year, 164,408 
bushels of foreign wheat, and an equal amouut, probably, to the ports 
of New-York and Philadelphia. It may be deemed good fortune that 
these supplies of foreign bread stuffs have come to our timely aid ; but 
it is bad fortune that we need them. The calamities resulting from bad 
seasons, though not to be averted, may be sensibly lessened, by intelligent 
industry and forethought; and the fact that a nation of farmers are 
| now in a measure dependent upon foreign countries for bread, should 
