The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-10-26
The VegeiahIe Kinadam.


The vegetable Kingdom.
writer in "Hours at Home has an art-
Gle on the vegetable Kingdom OF California
which may not be unintere ting to the cult
vators OF the soil in this region. He states
some theories which have the charm of nov
city about them, at lea they must be new to
many readers. The geographical position of
California presents greater variety OF local
conditions and greater diversity of climates
than many other portions of the globe
While not an order of plants found in Cali
fornia lacki representatives in the Atlantic
States, there is long list OF orders and inn
portant genera which occur here and are
quite unknown there This writer contends
that the same conditions which exclude so
many orms of vegetation multiply the species
OF few favored families and 1--WE marvellous
development to few species.
"It is not feasible" he says, chat physical
conditions should be the potent, or creative
cause of characteristic vegetation. The most
that they do is to foster some OF the species
which are subjected to their influence and
suppress and destroy others. In no country,
therefore, are all the indigenous plants adapt
ed to their situation. Many species hardly
maintain precirious existence under adverse
circumstances; some are in process of extinc-
tion; aud others present none but degraded
FORMS" But he goes rurther and contends
on the other hand that there is no evidence
and no conclusive q priori argument to con
vince him that to each locality the best
adapted species have been introduced either
by the original act OF the Creator or by any
cham Of natural events. And hence he con.
cludes that the plant which pines in an un-
congenial birthplace will outstrip all the ma
tives Of some distant part OF the earth, while
that which would flourish most, if put in its
room, is pining al the antipo6es.
Supposing this theory to be true-and we
are not prepared to dispute tive may con-
clude that many of th,se weeds which wage
most stubborn war with our farmers grew
originally in some distant region. II thistles,
white-weed and some other pests to agricll-
ture had their origin in some foreign cline,
our farmers, no doubt, wish they had not
o9fOICd iOih tuVIi itu-pidCCs
1t is trre as this writer says that. Ameri-
can plants, introduced since the discovery o
this continent, have disseminated themselves
over the whole of Hlndostan, from Cape Cor
morin 10 the Himalaya Mountains; hence
it is not strange that wild oats should be the
leading grass in California which were proba
bly, introduced from Europe by those who
first visited that shore. And when that was
We leave Others 10 determine These wild oats
are lound from San Diego to the head of Sac
ramento valley, almost the sole occupants OF
thousands oil square m lies. Now the ques-
tion comes up, die these oats supplant the
native vegetation or were these plans and
hil,sides previously bare?
The writer Aforesaid says that these oats
differ very little from the cultivated ones, but
seldom grow as thIclly as In farmers field.
They drop their seed early upon the parched
clay and spring up again after the winter
rains, out OF the sun cracks that have saved
portion from hungry beast aud sweeping
4 fire.
| The experience oil the Californian farmers
has shown that wheat and paIley crops are
mere profitable than oats Notwithstanding
the wild ones cover SO large an extent Of ter
ritory. From the above teats and considera-
tions the writer csDcludes that this condition
OF things is so established t15t it will. prove
more profitable 10 conform than to resist it.
| That climate and soil reveal a mood OF ma
ture proptious to early ripening, favorable to
| ehol ta1 20
ennial glasses which form sod such as COW
er our hills and vallers with such a beautlful
green during our warm season and this year
late into autumn.
California is no place for raising corn but
as Tar north as our recent acquisitions barley
may be grown. Buckwheat will flourish at a
lower temperature than corn. The absence
Of severe cold allows barley to be sown early
the rainy seasons agree with il, and, when
the drought comes, it natures so promptly as
to escape injury. Wheat succeeds in Cahfor
MIA by being sown in tie iall and CROWN.
during the early aud latter rains. II thes'
have been sufficient, it afterwards needs pre-
cisely the dry and hot sun it enjoys there
but it tails in high la.itudes, where barley
and oats will succeed. 1t is expected that il
few years the Chine or Japanese will cul
tivate rice in the low grounds now abandon
ed to bulrushes.
Much has recently been said about Califor
MA -four, and some praise has been bestowed
upon it. Now there is one good quality il
this -four. 1t has that natural dryness whIcl
Is security against the injurious tendencie
of long keeping, sea voyages and tropical eli
mates. 1t has ranked high in the New Yorl
markets and many bags of it have beel
brought to this market. There has been
special demand for it and a good price ha
been maintained even higher than that Q
it, and we agree with the writer in Hours a
Home that it is not considered the lest fc
dometic consumption. 1t never reache
quite up to the price of f"tancy brands" OF tn
West. The wheat grown 10 our own StaI
makes sweeter flour, and we trust that at n
distant day enough OF 1t will be raised to sto
mportations from the Golden State or frol
The West.
: Potatoes" says the writer alluded
: above, 'are not roots or biennials, anu 'nel
native countrv. Chilli is not unlike Calforni;
in situation and physical GEOGRAPHY out ca
either of these countries or Peru laIse sue
crops of potatoes as Long Island9" And W
NAV add, such as Maine can groSs
recent correspondent of the American A!
ricuturist flom Sacramento county say:
"For the last three years my potatoes hav
invariably run to vines and set no potatoes
But to cut short and sum up: we can saiel
say, on the whole, that or State has Its p'
cuIiAr advantages which render 1t as good
pace to be born in, or to live in or to die l
as any other.
A prisouec at Bourges, France, WHO
--:-- o,t b;s eiUhth santanca tor hao o;o