Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1852-07-23
Advantage Of the Farmer of this Age

MD ~ " Ais, fFoStdtnt.
Advantage Of the Farmer of this Age
Within the course of century, what
vast discoveries have been made in rela-
tion to the structure of plants and TO the
vegetable economy in the functions.
especially Of absorption and perspiration.
Science has shown the mode in which
plants take up their aliment, the particu-
lar kind Of imcnt required by them,
and the circulation of the food in the
Juices Of the plant, its changes by respira-
tion and excavations by respiration These
accesslons to our knowledge of the vegeta-
ble kingdom have been made by degrees,
the result Of long studies and exact expe-
rlmen,s, by many different persous Ia
relation to perSpirAtion, Dr. Hales found
that sunhower lost l lb. If OF. weight
III twelve hours of hot day. Ia dry
night II lost about 3 OF. In moist night
little alteration was pcrceptible
Haym4kers know the rapidity with
which grass is dried, which is owing to
this perspiratiou, the juices not being
again supplied by absorption as when the
grass WAS living 1t would be interesting
to trace the history OF these discoveries in
vegetable physiology, but would require
more time and space than We can now de-
vote to the subject
A century ago, nothing, il may be said,
was known Of the vegetable anatomy
Now the structure Of the plant has become
nearly as well known as the anatomy Of
the human body, though the knowledge
of the former is confined to a fewer num-
Der Of persons than the latter
1t is only little more than fifty years
since the true suggestion Of what the true
sap vessels of plants, was given by Dr.
Darwin, and their operation and functions
ascertained, by experiments of himself
and others, followed to more certain re-
suits by Mr.. knight. Il was discovered
from those experiments that the sap
ascends the spiral vessels of the plant
forming iu its ascent the alburnum, and
descending in the outer bark This
knowledge is valuable to the farmer, who
by this knows tlat if he would destroy
his tree b. girlling, he must cut through
the alburnum TO the hard wood, while if
be merely girdles the outer bark of his
vine with narrow ring after midsummer,
when the sap is descending he may in
crease his crop Of grapes by preventing
the descent of the sap, and retaining it
for the nourshmen' Of the fuit, without
injury to the vine, if the ring is not made
too wide to unite again. The two gentle
Inen named, with few others, Trbel,
Malpighi, Grew, WiIdenow, II lies, Priest
ly and others, by series of interesting
experiments, have made US acquainted |
with the structure agd functions of the
vegetable world.
To DR. Priestly we owe the knowledge .
of the respiratory action of the leaves of
plants. And his opinion was, that the
was by the upper, and the ex-
piration by the under surface of the leaf
The fact is corroborated by the Use Of the
cabbage leave in medical treatment; the
upper and smooth side is always applied
10 the skin, which "draws," as it is
termed; while the under side, if applied
in the same manner will have no such
effect. ;
1t is true great deal remains for the
esearch of science to accomplish. "When
re attempt" says DR.. Smith, Z" to con. ,
lder how the particular secretions of diff
ercht species and tribes of plants are
'ormed how the same soil, the same at
nosphere, should in the leaf of the vine
'r sorrel, produce a wholesome acid, and
n that Of spurge or machineel most b
'irulent poison; how sweet and nutricious Il
ierbage should grow among the acrid a
'rowfoot and aconite, we found ourselves Il
Otaily unable to comprehend the existence '
# s0ch wonderful powers il SO small and to
eemingiy simple ali organ as the leaf Of j
plant. y t. Ia,m.r "a