April 20. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
33 
some part of that one vast and highly impressible j 
surface (or frontier), consisting of the skin and the 
lining membrane of the bowels and lungs; and, 
possibly, by a direct deadening influence on the nerves, 
as the unwholesome vapour is seen at once to paralyse, 
benumb, chill, and deaden the Sensitive Plant. 
Human life has often been compared to the life of a 
plant, but the likeness would appear most striking 
between the latter, and that poor, precarious existence 
(lifeless life, the Greek poet has called it) which we 
just drag on when borne down by old age or long con¬ 
tinued illness or pestilence. 
“ It has for a long time past been suspected that there 
exists in vegetables a nervous system in some degree 
analogous to that of animals; an opinion which microscopic 
observation has partly confirmed. A French physician, M. 
Leclerc, Professor in the Medical School of Tours, has 
recently conducted a series of experiments, which go far to 
prove that in this respect, at least, the animal and vegetable 
kingdoms approach within very near limits of each other. 
“ The Sensitive Plant, Mimosa pudica, a delicate shrub, 
very commonly grown in hothouses, which, when touched, 
has the remarkable property of folding its leaflets together 
in pairs, and suddenly drooping, as if death-struck, was 
selected as a fit object to experiment on. 
“A Sensitive Plant, and several open vessels of ether, were 
placed together under a bell-glass, surrounded with sand, so 
as to cut off all communication between the exterior and 
interior air. The experiment took place in sunshine, and 
lasted from ten to fifteen minutes. When the bell-glass was 
removed, after the lapse of this time, all the leaflets of the 
plants were wide open; but the plant had entirely lost its i 
irritability, no effect being produced by the most violent | 
shock, acids, fire, or extensive mutilation; though, under 
ordinary circumstances, the plant is sensibly affected by 
either of these modes of treatment. 
“ A leaf being cut off and laid on the hand seemed to be 
favourably affected by the heat, disengaged from its support, 
and, in a short time, a slight shock produced a movement 
in the'leaflets, which appeared as if recovering from a con¬ 
tinued numbness. Another leaf cut off while the plant was I 
under the influence of ether was submitted to the action of j 
a current of voltaic electricity, and recovered its sensitive- I 
ness more quickly than the first. The fact is well worthy 
of being noted, if it be taken into consideration with re¬ 
ference to the observations of M. Abeille, which tend to 
prove that electricity exercises a favourable influence over j 
the effects produced by ether and chloroform. 
“ The presence of sunshine during the experiment ap- 
pears to have had a marked influence on the phenomena, : 
for whilst the effects of ether are evident in from ten to 
fifteen minutes under the rays of the sun, in gloomy 
weather, or at night, they are not visible until an hour at 
least has passed. If the experiment be continued too long 
the plant is killed. 
“ If the Sensitive Plant be exposed for several hours to 
the action of ether during night, it is always found to be 
dead when withdrawn from the apparatus, and its leaflets 
closed—in the position, that is to say, which they held when j 
submitted to the ether; and this proves that inspiration j 
takes place in plants not only in the day time, but in the ! 
night as well, and during the so-called sleep of plants. 
“ The Sensitive Plant, when taken from the bell-glass, 
presented a peculiar appearance, being singularly rigid, and 
reduced to a temperature much below that of a plant in its 
natural condition; the coldness remaining until it had 
parted with all the ether with which it was charged. A 
portion of the ether which had evaporated during the ex¬ 
periment was detected by M. Leclerc beneath the ground 
attached to the extremities of the spongioles of the roots, 
tending to prove that there is in plants a circulation of fluids, 
and that they have also the power of rejecting fluids through 
their roots. 
“ It does not appear, from the experiments tried, that there 
is any centre to the nervous system of vegetables analogous 
to that existing in the higher races of animals, but that, as 
in some polypes, the vegetable is composed of several in¬ 
dividuals; for M. Leclerc succeeded in etherising one portion 
of a plant, without affecting the rest, though the commu¬ 
nication between the parts was in no way intercepted. The 
effect of chloroform was found to be similar to that of 
ether, only more rapid and violent .”—[The Nervous System 
of Vegetables .] 
ADVICE TO SMALL HOLDERS. 
PIG-KEEPING. 
In order to pursue this subject in an orderly way, I 
now intend to examine the Pig question, as connected 
with the holders of small plots of land. In all cases, I 
consider, that where a cow or two are kept, Pigs ought, 
by all means, to form a portion of the system, on 
account of the manure, the importance of good bacon 
and hams, and the impropriety of wasting the swill of 
various kinds, which is ever produced where house¬ 
keeping is earned on together with a little dairying. 
The breeds of Pigs vary so much, or rather the 
crosses are so various, that it seems almost invidious to 
point with a feeling of favouritism to any one. One 
thing I may observe, the day for long-legged breeds is 
gone by; indeed, so much have Pigs advanced during 
the last few years, that a show Pig of these days has 
scarcely a fourth part of the offal of the gaunt, leggy, 
slouch-eared Pig of thirty years since; head, legs, and 
neck, have been reduced to a minimum point. This is, 
perhaps, mainly traceable to the China and Neapolitan 
breeds, the blood of which has now become more or 
less traceable in the majority of our present swine. But, 
here let me pay a passing compliment to the good old 
Berkshire breed; to which much of the success in 
modern crosses is to to be attributed. 
What is called Fisher Hobbs’s breed, or cross, is one 
of the finest Pigs I have seen for small holders; who, 
in the main, manufacture bacon for home consumption. 
Such persons are in the habit of using pickled pork; 
and as they do not require it so very large and coarse 
as those who manufacture simply for the market, Pigs 
of what are termed porkel breed are most suitable. 
By porkel breed, I mean those of whatever cross which 
fatten very speedily, and which may, in general, be 
known by their “prick-ear;” the ear being for the most 
part an index to the feeding qualities, and to the size 
ultimately. Fisher Hobbs’s breed, which is generally 
black, or nearly so, is (I believe) considered a cross 
between the best Berkshire blood and the Neapolitan ; 
of this, however, I am not sure; but they possess every 
requisite for the case in hand. They are all carcase, 
scarcely any neck and head; the latter so small, in 
proportion to what our grocers term the “ middle piece,” 
as to look like one of Punch’s extravagant caricatures; 
at least, such is the character of some possessed by a 
relation of mine in Derbyshire; who, on a farm of 
nearly three hundred acres, keeps, I believe, no other 
breed. However, I merely point to them as a good 
cross for small holders, not by any means wishing it to 
be inferred that they are the only good kind, or the 
very best in the kingdom. The dairy or cheese farmers 
in this part of Cheshire, which is about the centre of 
the cheese district, encourage much larger breeds of the 
slouch-eared kind; for they have to produce a vast amount 
of bacon for the use of their servants, who, in general, 
possess such capacious stomachs, that porkel breeds 
would prove much too dainty. It is no uncommon 
thing for one of these farmers to kill nearly a dozen of 
this class of hogs in a season, besides several of the 
porkel class ; such hogs running from fifteen to twenty 
score each; and this enormous quantity is mostly 
consumed by their own workmen. They, however, 
breed many young Pigs for sale, and these are 
generally farrowed in early spring, in order that they | 
