The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-10-16 00:00:00

THE
Igrintitural altb )ortirulturai

COLUMN.

Like all other fashionable amusements, or tastes, gar-
dening has the fault of being carried to ridiculous ex-
tremes ; in nothing is this more apparent than in the cul-
tivation of florists' flowers ; every cultivator becomes more
or less touched with the mania, and rushes after novelty,
as if all the gold of the Sacramento was hidden in some
new variety of his favourite flower.

We hardly know whether this is to be regretted or not;
it is true that the science is lowered by the infinite multi-
plicity of varieties which exhaust even the florist's ingenuity
tofind them names, it alsoinvolves the enthusia:tic amateur
in a bewildering labyrinth in which he scarcely knows
how to turn. Let him be fond of roses, what a hetero-
geneous mass of names beset him, and render anything
like a satisfactory choice impossible ! He has no sooner
selected a dozen, than thousands more, by their highly
extolled beauties, upbraid him with the preference.
The dahlia, the pansy, the verbena, and many others
are increasing with equal rapidity, and there appears to
be no limit to their kaleidescopical variations ; the calceo-
laria has beaten the florticultural nomenclature, and so
infinite is the number of its varieties which are raised
every season, that but few acquire the honour of a name ;
other species, we think less fortunate, obtain names so
meaningless, or vulgar, that they really detract from the
satisfaction of possessing the plants. Indeed the naming
of florist's flowers is one of the worst managed matters
connected with horticulture. It really seems that names
are chosen which may offer the greatest contrast to
the beauty of the plant. The only remedy we can
see for this is to establish a Horticultural Society in
all large towns, or at least one in every county, to whose
committee every novelty should be submitted for name
and approval. But the multiplication of varieties if it
puzzles the amateur, has one advantage, it shews the
wondrous capabilities of the floral world, and after satiat-
ing the florist with variety, he can turn back with fresh
zest to the point from which he started, and commence a
new series.

This is exemplified in the history of the pelargonium,
many lovely species of which were brought from the Cape,
and became favourites with our forefathers; hybrid
varieties were raised, one after another, in such immense
number that even their variety tired, and we now go back
to the originals and their more immediate hybrids with
avidity. But this will not be the case in all instances,
for example the dahlia, because the beauty of the original
species is by co means very attractive; there is, however,
a limit beyond which no great accession of beauty will be
gained, and the florist will do well to keep his eye on good
sorts in preference to mere novelties. Time will shew
the truth of what we have advanced—the dahlia is at, or
very near, the point of perfection, and nothing startling
will again be seen in that beautiful flower. We believe,
however, that in some points it may still he improved.
There are no good orange coloured varieties, and yet there
appears no reason why such should not be raised ; a dahlia
of the same bright tint as Eryssimum Peroffskianum
would be a great acquisition.

PAPERS ON AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY.

NO. 111.

All vegetable life, as far as we can trace it, commences
with a few elementary granules, the nature of which is
still one of the mysteries of science; these elementary
bodies form themselves into the primary cells mentioned
in our last, and as soon as these cells are formed in a situa-
tion suitable to their development, they increase with
extraordinary rapidity, which may be wonderfully acce-
lerated by the application of certain substances, either in-
organic or organic, in a state of decomposition ; or, in
other words, plants can be made to grow more rapidly by
the application of mineral, or animal and vegetable
manures.

With the formation of cells, in the commencement of
a plant's growth, other functions are generated and per-
formed by fresh cells, originating in the same manner as
the first, but assuming other modifications as the growth
of the plant, and its progress towards perfect develop-
ment, requires the elimination of new secretions.

This point in vegetable physiology is of the utmost im-
portance to the agricultural chemist, by whom it may be
considered the first step ; having established the existence
of cells possessing secreting powers, he has next to learn
what simple substances afford the greatest stimulus and
nutriment to these simple organs, and also what is the
best pabulum in which to exhibit these nutritive sub-
stances, for, as we stated in the first of these papers, con-
centrated nutriment is not necessarily the best either in
the animal or vegetable economy.
After the plant has once commenced growing, and stem
leaves and other parts are developed they all assume pe-
culiar functions, upon the due performance of which the
perfection of the vegetable growth depends ; thus the
spanaioles of the roots absorb moisture and elementary
matter from the soil, the spiral vessels of the stem elabo-
rate the cambium and other substances necessary to the
formation of the wood, while peculiar organs on the leaves.
called stomates, absorb oxygen from the atmosphere and
emit carbon at night, and rice versa by day. But these
particular functions are not confined to the parts men-
tioned ; roots absorb nutriment from the atmosphere, and
leaves procure moisture and other gaseous substances
than those mentioned.

No solid food is taken up by plants—it is either in the
liquid or gaseous form ; and the principal substances
taken up are alkalies and alkaline salts, held in solution
by the water contained in the soil, which from time to
time requires replenishing.

(To be continued.)