Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-06-19

every vigorous eHOrC TO pry into one OF her
mysteries is sure to open up to US new fields
of thought and investigation, and to give
us not only fondness for such studies. but
courage and strength for their prosecution.
And herein she differs from human teach
ers She makes, no demande on our faith :.
she shows US the evidences Of her declara-
tons; proves everything as she proceeds:
asks nobody to believe what is not proved ::
and, to crown all, when she has led ms
through one of her apartments we see no
smack of self-complacency, but kindly
anxiety to show us further beauties
Before proceeding to my subject, [ must
ask you to bear in mind the Interesting
fact in vegetable physiology that the car
bon, or charcoal, which constitutes nearly
all the solid parts of trees and plants, en-
tiers them through their leaves in combina-
ton with oxygen gas. This fact, it is true,
has been seriously objected to, but the evil
! dences on which it rests can hardly be over
thrown. Vegetation, in the very nature of
| things, must have preceded animals in the
order of creation, md it is quite certain
that the first trees and plants grew on
! barren soil
The principal Office of stems and vines
is to receive and elaborate the food which
enters them through the leaves and roots.
and to apply it either to their own enlarge
seeds.
! In searching for proofs that this is their
true function, I have found them album
dant and conclusive, and [ am no little as
tonished that the subject has not been
investigated before. The cabbage stalk
after it gets grown is filled with nutricious
matter which is expended the following
Spring i'll the production of sprouts, flow
ers and seeds. The " ribbon or Louisi-
lana sugar cane bears no seed. The stalks
are planted and sprout at every joint, the
young plants living for some time on the
sugar in the parent stalk.
In the corn stalk there is deposited g
large quantity of saccharine and glutinous
matter which is expended in suckers, tas-
sells and ears, and the same remark applies
to wheat rye, oats &c, and to the grasses.
| In the stems and vines of potatoes, tur-
nips, onions, &C., the nutrient matter
passes mainly into the roots hence sweet
potatoes continue to grow after frost kills
the leaves and until the vines are dry. In
some fruit trees it requires one year to
store away nourishment enough to produce
one crop of fruit /; hence they bear every
other year.
In all these instances and many others
! of equal interest, which could be men
toned, the growth OF frlit retards that of
|
vents a full yield Of fruit The farmer re-
cognizes this truth when he tops his Irish
potatoes, bruises his sweet potato vines,
suckers his corn, and checks the growth of
! his melon vines ; and SO does the fruit
| grower In keeping his trees pruned.
| The process is simple and beautiful and
cannot fail, when thoroughly understood,
to suggest some valuable improvements in
farming and fruit raising.
To make the subject still palmer, and
prepare the way for few practical re-
marks, l will give an illustration : The nu-
tritious matter which enters corn stalk,
e. g., is disposed of in two ways : One part
| is converted into cellular substance and
the other is deposited in the cells as fast as
they are formed. There it remains, under
| favorable circumstances, until the stalk is
grown. Then the cells are all emptied of
their contents to produce the tassel, shoots
and ears, after which, as every one knows,
the stalk is dry and tasteless. It often hap
pens, however, that the lower Joints of
corn, in their haste to discharge their con-
! tents, put out suckers, and it is question
of some interest whether this can be pre-
vented, and it is worth an experiment to
ascertain whether, if let alone, tie suckers
would not increase rather than diminish
the yield of corn. Some farmers maintain
that they will
The first practical lesson which this sub
ject teaches, is that other things being
equal, the largest stems and vines always
produce the most fruit the secoud is that
annual plants which have the earliest and
most vigorous start, always do best, be-
cause their stems and vines grow largest,
contain more nourishment and have more
time to put it into their seeds or roots; the
third is that fruit trees ought to be hasten
ed in their growth and forced to attain
their maximum size before being allowed
to bear fruit the fourth is that grasses in
tended for hay should be mown Just when
they get their growth, and before any of
their nutritious matter is gone into the
flowers and seeds the fifth is that of re-
moving the blades and tops from corn be-
fore they are thoroughly dry, diminishes
the weight of the ears the sixth is that we
should always plant the largest seeds and
roots, because the nourishment they con-
tain is intended for the sprouts-heDce the
practice of cutting off all except the ''eye'
of an Irish potato is very injudicious. It
delays the maturity of the new plant, so
that when it ought to be supplying its tu-
bers with food, it is doing it's best to get
grown; the seventh is that the best time
to cut down trees for building material is
Just after they have born a full crop of
mast ; because their bodies are then free
from those nutritious fluids which in life
less trees are ever ready to undergo de-
composition.
These are some of the legitimate deduc-
tons from the theory which have ad-
vanced, and it is gratifying to know that
experience has proved most of them to be
| true.
There are many practical questions IN
husbandry whose solution, | think, is now
within our grasp-those, e. g., Of saving
wheat before it is fully ripe. cutting off the
vines of sweet potatoes, &c. ; indeed, it
may be fairly claimed that, on reflection,
we shall find ourselves armed for successful
advances in many departments of useful
inquiry.
In conclusion and further illustration Of
this subject, / have the pleasure of relating
some very interesting facts, which came
under the observation of one of the most
scientific fruit growers in Eastern Carolina
DR.. Henry A. Bizzell, of Clinton. He set out
some apple trees several years ago on q
parcel Of ground which included his gar
den. It was poor land, except the garden
which he kept highly MANFRED. In few
| oil no o,tsiIa tba frarHpr he Cran