The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-12-06
lnaaence of Climate On Fiast-,

conducive to health than a Southern one is
generally admitted; but that its influence upon
the vegetable kingdom is more propitious to the
perfectability of plants necessary for the sus
tenance of man and of beast, is a proposition
perhaps not so generally noticed and adopted
as it should be- In these cold northern re-
sions we sometimes need to be apprized of facts
which will rebuke the spirit Of discomfort, and
make us more reconciled to the climate in
which Providence has cast our lot; and it is
my purpose in the present paper, to ask the
attention of the readers of the Press, espeoii.-
ly of those engaged in agriculture and hor'l-
culture, to some of the most obvious VI 49,
facts that go to support the proposi''o-
named.
The influence of climate upon pi"".s
questionable. Those carried from the Nor1h 10
the sontb generally deteriorate; those brought
from the South are generally improved by the
tronsfar. In the process of vegetable acclima
t;on nature indicates that plants should emf
crate towards the fields and gardens of north
ern cultivation, rather than that northern cul-
tivators should emigrate towards south-born
plants. The process, indeed, is slow, but it is
exist beyonda vertical sun, have, by acclima-
ton, been transferred to temperate ATTITUDES,
and made tn yield larger and better fruits in
their new homes than they ever were capable
of yielding in their native soils.
In general il is true, that all euiticated plants
yield the greatest products, and these Of an i'm
proved quality, near the nOrtheramoa limit in
.ohich then sciR ripen. This is true OF all the
f.rinaceous plants, such as rice, maize, wheat
rye, oats, barley and millet; ofali tuberous and
dubious roots, as potatoes, carrots, beets, tur-
nips, parsnips and radishes; OF all lint plants
as cotton, hemp and fax; of the salad family
as cabbage, lettuce, endive and spinach; OF All
the grasses from timothy and red-top 70 lucern
and the cloyers red and white; ofall the gourd
family from pumpkins and squashes to cucum-
bers eherLins, and musk and water melons OF
all delicious and pulpy fruits-as apples, pears,
peaches oranges, nectarines, grapes, plnms'
cherries, currants, gooseberries and strawDer-
ries. 1t is also equally true of sugar cane, sor-
90 and tobacco. Each and all of these most
important products of the earth are improved
bv northern acclimation and when brought as
far into the high ATTITUDES as they can be made
to grow and mature, are found to produce in
the greatest abundance and of a more excellent
quality. The reason is this the hot sun OF
southern sky forces the plants into rapid
modification before they have had time to con-
coct their juices. @The growth in stalk, vine
and foliage is too much for the composition of
fruit Fructifcation is forced and premature.
1 know not but the same principle is measur-
ably applicable to the human productions of
the South Men and women in the tropics
bear what little fruit they do bear prematurely,
are early exhausted and die young. The genus
homo is strong, vigorous and prolific mostly in
the temperate latiludes All history shows
that the northern have been superior to the
southern races in physical endurance and in
yentiye genius. But enough of this. Let me
proceed to illustrate the principle have stated
by an appeal to the facts of agricultural and
horticultural science.
Cotton is tropical plant, but it yields the
surest products in temperate ATTITUDES. The
East and West Indies can never compete with
the comparatively northern regions OF Carroll
ma and Tennessee iu the size of the bolls or the
fineness of their contents. Cotton wool, like
the fur of animals, becomes thick and hne as 1t
becomes acclimated northward, and eonse-
quently brings the higher price in market
The fibre of the lint plants, as hemp and
fax, is harsh and brittle in southern ATTITUDES,
but becomes softer and stronger as it advances
northward. The hemp of Russia and the fax
of Ireland are much superior to the same ar
ticle grown in Spain or Italy. A warm CHI
mate forces these plants so rapidly to maturity
that the lint does not acquire either consistcn-
cy or tenacity. Like almost everything else in
agriculture, mirdbile dictui it requires colder
climate than its birthplace to bring it to perfec-
ton.
The orange is a tropical fruit, but who goes
to Cuba for oranges when they can be procur-
ed from st. Augustine in Florida? In the
West Indies the pulp is spongy, partially filled
with juice, and is quite unpleasant to the taste.
Its northern limit of success is in our Cotton
States.
Tobacco is a southern plant, but in its ma
tive country it is always light and chaffy, and
never gains its highest property till it Is pro-
duced as far north as Virginia. 1t is indeed
raised and marketed in considerable quanti-
ties in Connecticut, and may be grown in Maine
as easily as mullen; but New England,
think, is beyond its northern limit for the
plants acquiring its best narcotic quality.
The Irish potato was born near the tropics,
but there it is not much better than our ground
nuts. Acclimation in northern regions has
made vastly superior article out OF it. The
further north you go, the better it IS Maine
potatoes are superior to those grown IN any
more southern State, and the Aroostook valley
in Maine produces larger yield and more far
inaceous tuber than can be grown in York or
Cumberland counties. In the South, a forcing
sun brings the potato to modification before
the roots have had time to obtain their proper
size, or ripen. into the desirable qualities for
nutIiment.
The sweet potato an its native SOL OF the
West Indies, never flowers 1t runs wild, COW
ering the ground with rank vines, and makes
so much foliage that the roots become small,
woody and tasteless. But in Virginia and
Maryland, and even in New Jersey and Penn
sylvania, it is large and sweet. TRAIL
INeENIoUs.-The Argus returning to the
Circulation" question, says, For the sake OF
peace, we will allow that eur figures were
slightly erroneous, but our contemporary knows
very well that the error was in its favor. The
;nonudanaa If tlais rl;srenrese ntation is too