The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-10-17


For Union.
u.sulturs.-Ths Introduotion OF Vegetables and
80 Animals into America.
Mo EpuoR After having read the orations at the
,epllual fairs of those two distinguished patriots
"a statesmen, Lewis Cass and Stephen A. Doug
i. which you have SO judiciousy published in your
o.l feel inspired as when one reads the Georges OF
v;ng 10 become agrcuiurst or TO say something
49,. in favor of, TO promote this noble. vrtuous and
.ursl occupation and art Let me, then. as sort OF
0o,pdx 10 these two eloquent addresses add few re-
marks and Suggestions
onr planters farmers, and scientific agriculturists
hod extend the sphere of their vision every part of
h earth and natual.ze the products OF all the world
Napoleon said to The saUans put The Indies IN France "
IA he was not dreamer II the products OF the Indies
,od he introduce in France, could not We with every
variety of climate. introduce the vegetables and animals
from all parts OF the globe Some would be useful and
aGd 10 our national riches and domestic enjoyment Diners
would be ornamental, and increase our pleasures and
knowledge. Ia every way il would be beneht.
M Rev de Morande a scientific Frenchman, who has
spent more than twenty years travelling and in nvesli
eating the subject has published brochure addressed 10
The Minister of Agriculture which he proposes TO in
roduce different varieties OF the sweet potato ana oher
roots plants, and trees He mentions the cassada, or
,ano which is used for food in various ways by the
natives of Africa and the West Indies, which is re-
the apsoca is made the madere and Caribbean cabbage
delicious roots the muiangd, the touioumane, the
fouss eousse the diedms and otheIsal OF exquisite
tas,e and giving fine, mealy aiment, superior in quality
and quantity that Of the potato, and growing stronger
quicker and easy than it. He speaks especially OF
the uaD which grows 10 incredible size, and at,ains
the weight OF thirty forty, and fifty pounds with
out losing any OF its arinaceous quality altering its
nutitye Projections The yam is Slices and cooked
tha m ia NOR uris
healthy more agreeable, and can be kept better than the
no,a,o 10 which il is always preferred. After twenty
Years experience this is the testimony of M Rey de Mo.
.nde l. too have eaten it, fresh from the ground in the
Feee islands, where it grows to perfection; and have
eaten il after it had been kept on board ship during
voyage OF twelve months, in extreme hot and cold
climates and CONSIDER inc host aeiicious anu huui-
tive Of all edible roots.
Ipop very small patch Of land, not more than eighty
Yards square, the cuvator raise crop of yams
nualIy sufficient TO support the most numerous family.
M Rev de Morande wishes to establish a model nur-
,ery garden and farm, into which he would bring all the
vegetables plants trees and shrubs that would be useful
or agreeable He would give them that temperature and
soil that would conduce most to their perfection. That
what we want at the city of Washington. We have
already the nucleus of botanical garden in the collcc-
ton Of Wkess exploring expedition, in which are many
useful and ornamental plants and shrubs. may men
ton the great variety of acacas, which grow TO good
sized trees and which could be nalurazed in the south
ern States They propagate almost as rapidly as the will
low they are highly ornamental, with their thick, rich
golden bloom, charging the air with perfume and they
may be usefu-or the bark OF the kind called in Austria
LA waffle" is considered good for tanning tina, it is
exported sixteen thousand miles to England for that pu
pose So we nigh, 60 through the whole collection, and
show the beauty and value of other specimens But there
are not enough of Them and what we have too
much neglected by an inudiclous parsmoDy How could
the public money be better expended than by appropra
tons for such an obect' Let US have Jardtn de
plants a model nursery garden, and model farm,
der scientific men, and agricultural bureau let our
national vessels, cruising about the Pacific, the In
dian archipelago, and in other parts OF the world
have scientific and practical attached TO them for
the purpose of making collections and acquiring nor
nation for such noble and useful institution. When
Napoleon went 10 conquer Egypt, and to establish an
eastern empire, be carried with his army the greatest
sapans OF France and their labors will mmoralize him
more than the The interests of science, of agricu-
ture Of the glory OF our country demand that we be not
behind other nations less favorably situated and with
fewer opportunities in acquiring and difusing know
edge Of the products of the earth II the noblest sci
ence it is the most useful But our government
like the French Minister OF agriculture, has been too
much occupied with politics, to give It's attention TO such
mall matter
Il may be said that we cannot introduce so many topi
cal plants And why not "Put the Indies in France
Napoean said TO the sapans and say, put the tropics
the United States Have we not from Cape Florida
Maine and from one great ocean to the other all
the climates OF the world We have summers hot
at the EQUATOR and winters cold the frigd
have the temperate climate, and territory that
The frost never reaches.
Among the two or three hundred thousand vegetables
and animals that God has created TO satisfy natural
tnd artificial wants, there are very few that we have
yet aceimated domesucated, or know how 10 employ.
However few they may be, continue to increase them,
ld our power 10 make acquisitions would appear 10
have no limits but those OF creation. A considerable
number OF the plants which grow among have been
brought very recently from climates quite different from
ours. II will be useful to notice this fact.
Thus, Asia has given hemp, the cherry. the peach
The French bean, the aragon, the onion, rhubab MINT
The mulberry, the cron, the lime, the orange, the chest
nut the pine OF Siberia, the pine OF Jerusalem, the plane
Tree oil the East the aloe the Of province, tue NAL
low the me., the cypress, and forth Grain and
buck wheat We got from the Levant and the olive from
Aiica
Europe has borrowed from America the potato. the
maize, the tobacco, the banana, the loye-spple, the
strawberry, the medlartree, and hundred other trees,
fruits, plants, and flowers,
Within three four centuries, Europe and America
have been literally invaded with vegetables from all
parts Of the globe We live almost entirely upon what
y" been borrowed from other counres and II is but
NE advance guard OF the immense quantity and variety
which SCIENCE and the rapid INSTRUMENTATION between
The different parts Of the world, will give We al
liberty 10 choose from the general herbal Of creation all
that suit US
caqno, give an inventory of all the riches that