333 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 22, 1859. 
very differently from what lias been called “ the sociality of 
plants. The social plants are those that are found herding only 
with members of their own species. We need only quote as an 
example the common Heath, which, as Meyen observes, “ is the 
most social plant of all; and if all other plants were to occupy 
the surface of the earth in the same proportion, there would not 
be room for more than 5000 species.” This sociality is regulated 
entirely by soil and climate. Thus, the Heath will only grow on 
a peculiarly siliceous soil, and it cannot endure cold like its fre¬ 
quent companions, the Andromeda and Juniper; therefore, it does 
not follow them within the Arctic zone. 
As some plants are social, and are benefited by being grown 
grouped with their kindred, so there are others, the hermits of 
the vegetable world, which prefer being separated from all their 
relatives. Examples of these are the Sicilian Ilorehound ( Marru - 
Hum peregrinum) ; the Blue-bottle Thistle ( Carduus cyanoides ) ; 
the Crimson Grass Yetch ( Lathy rus Fissolia ) ; the Elegant St. 
John’s Wort ( Hypericum elegans) ; and the Heath-leaved Sun 
Rose ( Jlelianthemum Fumana). These and some others, it has 
been well observed, “ stand quite insulated, and seem as if they 
would disappear, did not Nature, in a manner often inexplicable, 
provide for their continuance.” But the most remarkable we 
have not yet mentioned,—namely, Forstera sedifolia, on the 
summits of the loftiest mountains of New Zealand ; Melastoma 
Tidorense, on the crest of Mount Tidor, in the Molucca Islands; 
and Fisa cornuta, on a few spots near the summit of Table 
Mountain. 
Plants are very much benefited by having oxygen applied to 
their roots, being found to consume more than their own volume 
of that gas in twenty-four hours; and when applied by Mr. Hill 
to the roots of Melons, Hyacinths, &c., the first were found to 
be improved in flavour, the second in beauty, and all in vigour. 
We will only quote the details of his experiments on the 
Hyacinth. They are as follows “ I have been making experi¬ 
ments, during several winters, on the roots of Hyacinths, placed 
in glasses of New River water, by immersing, mouth downwards, 
iu the glass, an ounce phial filled with oxygen. These Hyacinths 
were double varieties, seldom succeeding in water alone, yet not 
a single bulb failed. On the contrary, both flowers and leaves 
were bolder and larger than those of the same plants cultivated 
in the earth with the greatest care.”—( Horticultural Society's 
Transactions, i.) 
It has also been proved by experiments, that if the roots of a 
plant are growing in water which partly fills a vessel, the other 
part being occupied with attnospheric air, the oxygen of that air 
is gradually abstracted from it. The roots take it from the water 
as fast as this absorbs it from the air. 
But we have evidence still stronger in proof of the absolute 
need there is for oxygen gas being supplied to the roots of plants. 
For if, instead of with atmospheric air, the space in the vessel 
mentioned in the last experiment be filled with carbonic acid gas, 
hydrogen gas, or nitrogen gas, the plant growing in the water 
rapidly droops, and dies in a few days.—( Johnston’s Lectures on 
Agricultural Chemistry .) 
Promoting the presentation of oxygen to the roots of plants 
therefore, must be beneficial} thus we find, that frequently 
stirring the ground about them promotes their growth; for, in 
proportion as the soil is loose can the atmosphere more easily 
penetrate it. Moist earth rapidly absorbs oxygen from the 
atmosphere, as Humboldt has demonstrated, but dry soil does 
not. This affords another reason for frequently stirring the earth 
about plants during the droughts of summer; for well-pul¬ 
verised soils admit the evening dews more freely than others 
more consolidated ; and, consequently, dews will be deposited 
more within their texture, and moisture is more firmly retained 
in such pulverised soils, inasmuch as that they are not so much 
heated by the sun’s rays, being more pervaded by the air, which, 
like all gases, is one of the worst conductors of heat. 
M. Schubler has more recently published’experiments upon 
this subject, and their results confirm those of M. Humboldt. 
No earth, in the following table, absorbed any oxygen from the 
air in which they were confined, so long as they were dry ; but 
when moist, and confined in a similar bulk of atmospheric air for 
thirty days, they had absorbed its oxygen in the following pro¬ 
portions : — 
Per cent. 
Siliceous sand . . . .1.6 
Calcareous sand . . . . . 5.6 
Gypsum iu powder .... 2.7 
Sandy clay . . . . . 9.3 
Fine lime 
Per cent. 
. 10.8 
Slaty marl 
. .110 
Arable soil 
. 16.2 
Garden mould 
. . 18 0 
Loamy clay . 
. 11.0 
Stiff clay or brick earth . 
. . 13.6 
Grey pure clay 
. 15.3 
Magnesia . 
. , 17.0 
Humus , . 
. 20 3 
The decomposing parts of animals and vegetables contained iu 
a soil are also highly absorbent of moisture: hence the more 
freely the air is exposed to them, the more effectually will they 
be enabled to exert this power. By being freely exposed to the 
influence of the air, such substances are more rapidly decomposed, 
which leads to a consideration of the practice of exposing soils 
as much as possible to the action of the atmosphere by ridging, 
&c. When a soil is tenacious, or abounding in stubborn vege¬ 
table matters, as in heath lands, it cannot be too completely ex¬ 
posed to the action of the air; but to light soils, which are, in 
general, deficient in organic decomposing matters, chemistry 
would say that ridging is accompanied by evils more injurious 
than can be compensated by the benefits obtained ; for such light 
soils are easily pulverised whenever occasion requires, are so 
porous, as at all times freely to admit tire pervasion of the atmo¬ 
sphere ; and, therefore, by this extra exposure the vegetable and 
animal remains are hastened in decomposing, and much of their 
fertile constituents evolved in the state of gas, or carried away 
by the rains, &c., without there being any crop upon them to 
benefit by them. Thus theory argues, and practice certainly 
supports her doctrines. Switzer, one of our horticultural classics, 
says, “ Rich, heavy ground cannot well be ploughed too often to 
make it light, and the better manure by killing the weeds; as 
poor, light ground cannot be ploughed too seldom, for fear of 
impoverishing it.”—( Ichnographia Eustica , Yol. iii., p.237.).—J, 
{To be continued .) 
FRUITS ADAPTED TO THE VARIOUS 
LOCALITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
{Continued from page 368.) 
GRAPES. 
SYNOPSIS OF GRAPES. 
I. BERRIES BOTIN 
* Black I 
A. Muscats .f 
August Muscat 
Black Frontignan 
Blue Frontignan 
Caillaba 
Early Black Muscat 
Early Jura Muscat 
July Muscat 
Purple Constantia 
Sarbelle Muscat 
B. Not Muscats. 
Barbarossa 
** Red, Tawny, 
A. Muscats. 
Catawba 
Grizzly Frontignan 
Madeira Muscat 
%* White, Ye 
A. Muscats. 
Cbasselas Musque 
Early Saumur Muscat 
Ottonel Muscat 
White Frontignan 
i, OR NEARLY SO. 
r Purple. 
Black Corinth 
Black Damascus 
Black Hamburgh 
Black July 
Black Muscadine 
Black St. Peter’s 
Black Sweetwater 
Black Tripoli 
Dutch Hamburgh 
Esperione 
Mill Hill Hamburgh 
Richmond Yilla 
>r Striped. 
B. Not Muscats. 
Aleppo 
Chasselas de Falloux 
Gromier du Cantal 
Negropont Chasselas 
Red Chasselas 
), or Green. 
b. Not Muscats. 
Buckland Sweetwater 
Chaptal 
Chasselas Duhamel 
Chasselas Yibert 
+ The term “Muscats” includes, besides the true Muscats, the American 
Grapes, with their peculiar foxy flavour. 
