New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-02
TIE CURIOSITIES OF AGRICULTURE.
A LECTURE

N lChb
By PROFESSOR JAMES }. sAPEs.
Last evening Professor MAPEs delivered Lecture
az above, in the Mechanics Institute, No. Bowery,
to very numerous audience. CHARLES A. DELA'
VAN Chairman Of the Lecture Committee, presided.
The Professor commenced BY abiding to the great
importance Of Agriculture in this country, where nine
tenbs Of the wealth bslorg to farmers, snd Of which
class the mercantile may be considered more than
the factor employed ts dispose Of their products and
to import the foreign goods they require. Ba OF the
knowledge Of the farmers he could not speak 30 well
a. Of their wealth; good lAborer merely is BOT q
q good farmer; no pTsuit offers 30 msny induce
IT eBts, even IN regart 10 pecunary profit, FOR tue
application Of sciei ee as that of the farmer. Foe
lecturer next presented vie< Of the gradual pro.
erosion of matter from chaotic state TO its pres
condition, commencing with the e2glomeranon
Of the elemental particles, which fOated widely
apart through space and advertng to their chemc Al
combinations Into the substances of which the earth
IL composed. He then detailed large number OF
facts not generally kno in regard to the growth OF
animals and plants from among 1hich our space only
admits Of our collecting the few following: Toe
gradual improvement Of animals a. well a. PIants,
though cOLrary TO the popular idea rs nevertheless
indisputalle II is completely proved oy the Zig u
marbles, in which horses are sculptured OF such Q
make az would not bring $50 to day in the New York
market. Men, too. must have improved. AT the
Egibton tour anent, few years ao, the old armor
taken down for the occasion vas found 10 be Altogether
too small for the men Of the day. Fruits and
vegetables have equally improved. Inc present
ne sch is the lnes though much improved, descend
ant Of bitter almond, in which toe ancient Perslans
used 10 din their arrows to make them poisonous.
The hybridstion, or uniting into one kind, Of t~o
kincs Of vegetables, and tie Improvement ID soma
instances al et.riorston in others, were described
The Professor sdverted TO the reclaim .tion OF lands
there is not an acre on this Continent thar cannot
he converted to the support of human life. The
favorirg matter OF all fruits is the sane; the
difference only depends on the different ACIDS
with which this mater is combined. The scien-
ti6c horiiculturist can by different .nures, pro
duce from two trees Of The same KIND, fruits oil.
f.rrpg as widely Is the cherry aud the peach Al
be waste of Continents carried out into the ocean
by large riyerr is restored and made OF uliity-in
oil FISH shells and other marine products By a
law of nature nothing Is wasted every psrueie OF
water after doing service in one shape is shroSn Int
the natural laboratory and turned out again IN the
same or another FORM to be again OF USE BY com.
puiatit made by the Professor. the quantity OF
beaches brought into New York CitS one week, ex.
ceeded that Of all the fruits Of every KIDD Imported
into Great Britain IN one year. Some DOUBT tns
utility of applying TO soil that fertilizer which an
ANALYSIS of il show it 10 want but facts, OF which the
lecturer quoted everal decidedly show the reverse
10 he the TRUTH No; month passes that there Is not
in The bsrbor Of New York OF Boston, ship laiinS
With bones for England the result is seen in the de-
crease Of American wheat from 80 TO IL bushels per
acre and the increase OF English from ii To -.
Where q barren soil Is found 10 be OF the same con
stnent as fertile one the barren one Is not s1ti'
GENTLY pulver to produce this fact is an answer
10 any objections founded on such instances
The address was listened 10 with the utmost atten-
ton and elected frequent appliance.
vote Of thanks to Prof. Mspes for his instructive
and entertaining lecture, vas proposed by the Chi,
and unanimously carr'eo.