Clarksville evening tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1890, 1890-03-11
THE MAGNOLIA TREE.
Fine Specimen ia Philadelphia Leads to
Investigation of tho Subject.

A Fine Specimen ia Philadelphia Leads ia
an Investigation of the Subject.
While this city abounds in rare and curious
trees, two specimens Of the southern magno.
liza, known by botanists as Magnolia grandi-
fora, thriving outdoors in this section, are
particularly interesting to those acquainted
with the habits Of the variety One of these
trees is growing on the Broad street side of
the grounds of Mrs. Lippincott, 1888 Walnut
street, and the other in Laurel Hill cemetery,
near the group of "Old Mortality The lat
ter tree is the larger and handsomer speci-
men Of the two, but Mrs. Lippincotts tree is
better known, and is, besides, a beautiful ex-
ample of the species.
These two trees are said to be the only ones
growing outdoors as far north as this CITY. it
being supposed not to be hardy beyond Vir-
ginia, and even gardeners who are used to
the curious vagaries existing in plant life.
have been heard to express surprise that these
trees should be in such flourishing condi-
ton when apparently all other efforts to ac-
climatic the kind here have failed. 1t is
said, however, that in all these efforts the
trees have been brought from the Carolinas
or from Georgia The change from a semi
tropical climate to one as cold as this was in
each case too much for the plants constitu-
ton. The two trees, HvWever, that were the
exception to the rule were brought from Vir-
ginia, the climate of which is nearer that Of
Philadelphia, and gardeners who are ac-
quainted with the history of these two trees
say that there is no reason why efforts to
transplant other trees from Virginia should
not be equally successful, and thus make
plentiful in this locality one of the handsom-
est of the magnolia family.
In the neighborhood of Savannah, Ga, and
near New Orleans, the southern magnolia
commonly grows to height of from sixty to
eighty feet, and occasionally trees are found
the graceful and spreading submits Of which
are hundred feet from the ground. 1t is
one Of the handsomest trees of the south, and
when in bloom its large white flowers form a
striking contrast to the dark green foliage,
and the delightful fragrance which the flow
ers eXhale fills the air for a long distance
Travellers who have seen this royal species Of
tree for tho first time in blossom declare that
1t is a sight never to be forgotten
1t is said that the first specimen Of the mag
noia grnndihora was introduced into Europe
in 1892, and was transplanted from the banks
of the Mississippi river to Maillardiere, about
five miles from Nantes, where it seems to have
been speedily forgotten until twenty eight
years later, when M. Bonami, a physician,
and also botanist of Nantes took notice of
it, and at "a meeting Of the states of Brstagne,
in September, 1860, in Nantes, he presented @
large branch Of this magnolia in flower TO the
Princess Of RoAun-Chabet Its loneliness,
both of foliage and flower, made 1t SO much
talked OF that Louis XIV, who had short
time before received several small trees, but
which were not thriving, sent two gardeners
TO see whether the tree, which ~as them about
forty feet high, could not be moved to Yer
sailles, but this they found to be impractical |
BILE
During the civil war Of La Vendee the tree
was badly mutilated, and it lost many Of its
branches A few years later il was still fur .
-her damaged through the burning of an ad- .
iacent house. 1t had not recovered from this
when, according 10 its historian, q severe
winter nearly killed it, In spite OF these dis
isters the tree made another effort, with such
success that a few years ago it was still alive,
.ith height of between 30 and 40 feet, and
4 trunk four feet in circumference, and
bearing nearly 400 flowers annually.
During tho civil war in this country 30
great were the straits to which the Confeder-
tie army we're driven for medicines, that
Dr. Francis Peyre Porcher, surgeon in charge
# the city hospitals In Charleston in 1861, was
lirec,ed by tue surgeon general Of the Con
edeEate States to study the medicinal quail
les of the plants and trees of the southern
tates, and in voluminous report which he
published he says of the Magnolia grandifora
hat from it could be profRed a stimulant
tonic, and Il IL also yielded
-olatile oil, resin aud a stallized substance
imilar to canphor.-5l@ ddelphia Ledger.
Are ste.Ss Alive?
A few weeks ago The Saturday Republic
ave the results of some startling experiments
" Mr.. Mason Kline, Of California, in which
hat gentleman laid claim TO having discov-
red sex in mineral atoms From the follow
ng it viii be seen that 4. d. Walker, the
chemist and writer, anticipated the Pacific
lope philosopher by about two years. The
xtract given below is from An article by
ir. Walker written in 1887:
I'VE generally think of minerals as dead
amps of Inactive matter But they may
be said to be alive, creatures of
ital pulsations and separated into individu-
Is as distinct as the pines in a forest or tigers
D a Jungle. The dispositions OF crystals are
S diverse rs those of animals They throb
nth unseen currents Of energy. They grow
1 size rs long as they have opportunity
hey can be killed, too, though not rs easily
S an oak or a dog. ,
"a strong electric current discharged {
trough a crystal viii decoupose it very !
apidly If it be Of soft structure, causing the
articles to gradually diSintegrate in the re-
erse order TO its growth, until the poor thing
os dead, shapeiess .uin, 1t is true the
rystal'S life is unlike that OF higher crea-
lres. But tho difference between vegetable
nd animal life is no greater than that be- |