SCHROEDER he intellectual and moral resources of horticulture SB 105 S38 THE INTELLECTUAL AXD MORAL RESOURCES OP HORTICULTURE. AN ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE, fc PRONOUNCED BEFORE THE NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, AT THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION, AUGUST 26, 1828. BY JOHN FREDERICK SCHROEDER, A. M. AX ASSISTANT MINISTER OF TRIJTITT CHURCH, 15 THE CITY OF NETV-TORK A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. Salve, inagna parens frugum, Saturnia tellus., Magna virum : tibi res antiquce laudis et artis Tngredior, sanctos ausus rccludere fontes. TIRG. GEOE. II. NEW-YOBK : PUBLISHED AT TUE REQUEST OP THE SO( n-ri'T- S^NTA FAItBAKA OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY. DAVID HOSACK, LL.D. PRESIDENT. JOHN R. MURRAY, Esq. } JACOB LORILLARD, Esq. > VICE-PRESIDENTS. WILLIAM NEILSON, Esq ) JOHN GROSHON, TREASURER. ABRAHAM HALSEY, COR. SEC'F & LIBRARIAN. WILLIAM R. COOKE, RECORDING SEC'RY. COUNCIL. N. H. Carter, Andrew Parmentier, G. W. Arnold, John I. Palmer, Michael Burnham, William Phelan, William Curr, Thomas Kinnersley, Gavin Yuill, Charles Henry Hall, Nicholas Saltus, Peter Hatrick, Michael Floy, William Seaman, Samuel L. Mitchill, Israel Dean, Thomas Hogg, Peter Aymar, Andrew Clark, George Newbold, Isaac Adriance, Richard Hatfield, William Neale, James M'Brair, Alexander Smith, Charles Oakley, Edward Probyn, Francis Cooper, William Wilson, William M. Price, William Fairbairn, Oliver M. Lownds, George Nixon. William M. Ireland, Extract from the Minutes of an Extra Meeting of the " NEW-YORK HORTI- CULTURAL SOCIETY," held on the 2rf September, 1828. ON Motion, it was unanimously Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be presented to the Rev. JOHN FREDERICK SCHROEDER, for his elegant and classical Address, delivered before them in celebrating their tenth Anniver- sary, and that a Committee be appointed to request a copy of the same for publication. Whereupon the following persons were appointed '. WILLIAM R. COOKE, fa WILLIAM WILSON. WILLIAM R. COOKE, Recording Secretary. New-York, Sept. 3, 1828. DEAR SIR, WE have much pleasure in enclosing you a copy of a Resolution, passed unanimously, at a Special Meeting of the " New-York Horticultural Society," held last evening. It would be extremely gratifying to us, and no doubt so to every member of the Society, if you will do us the favour to fur- nish a copy ot the able and eloquent Discourse, for publication, which you delivered before them, in celebrating their tenth Annual Festival. In making this request, on behalf of the Society, we take the opportunity of tendering you our individual thanks for the high satisfaction which it afforded us. We are, Sir, most respectfully, Your Ob't Servants, WM. R. COOKE, ) > Com. WM. WILSON, $ To the. Rev. JOHN FREDERICK SCHROEDER. New-York, Sept. 4, 1828. GENTLEMEN, YOUR Communication, enclosing an Extract from the Minutes of the " New-York Horticultural Society," is a flattering assurance, that my endeavour to fulfil the pleasing duty, which their partiality assigned to me, was well received. Our FRANKLIN has somewhere observed, that while he looked on human nature, he was agitated by a conflict of sadness and disgust and pity ; but when his eye reposed in contemplation on the vegeta- ble kingdom, all that he beheld was "beauty, harmony and peace." Mv memory may be, perhaps, unfaithful to the words, but 1 am conscious that my heart is true to the emotion of the great philosopher. And amid the tur- moil of party politicks, and the perplexities of commerce, and all the thorny mazes of our busy mart, if the accompanying Discourse may but scatter a few flowers, to recreate with amiable, pure and hallowed sentiments, any one in the vast crowd, I shall be abundantly rewarded. Accept, Gentlemen, my thanks for the kind manner of your Communi- cation, and believe me, With sincere esteem, Your Ob't Servant, J. F. SCHROEDER. WM. R. COOKE, & WM. WILSOK, Esqrs. Com. ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE, GENTLEMEN OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, ASSEMBLED at this interesting season of the year, it is pecu- liarly proper for us to indulge those sentiments which our Associ- ation would inspire. The horn of plenty ' overflows with its abundant fruits ; the gardens arid the fields are glad ; the groves and forests are resounding with a cheerful harmony. And while on every side the valleys and the hills rejoice, we may appro- priately celebrate our festival. We have a high sanction for the sympathies which we have assembled to indulge. When the Beneficent first chose a scene to occupy our intellectual and moral faculties, having " planted a garden eastward in Eden," he there " put the man whom he had formed." And when Earth, and " all which it inherit," shall have passed away, within the precincts of a future world the ransomed shall partake of joys, that are depicted under the allur- ing imagery of a garden. Refreshing bowers and luxuriant verdure, a pure crystal stream, sweet fragrance and delicious fruits were man's first blessedness, and are the graphick emblems of that final bliss which is reserved for him.* It was a Paradise that we have lost ; we are to regain a Paradise. * Compare Gen. ii, 8. 9, 10. and Rev. ii. 7. xxii. 1.2. 14. >, While we yield to the emotions which are suggested by our Anniversary, we may be enlivened therefore by this interesting thought : We are engaged in the promotion of an object suited to man's highest earthly destinies. It is calculated to afford the intellect abundant themes, to which a patriarch's long life might with unceasing gladness be devoted ; for it extends above, beneath, around us, rare beauties that are without limit, and varieties that are without end ; it is replete with the animating pleasures of discovery, and the calm delights of contemplation. It is calculated also to affect us by yet higher and more wholesome influences ; for it can act upon the heart with a benignity, that has power to allay the angry passions of the breast ; it can promote our peace on earth ; and it can fill us with pure sentiments and holy breathings. Let us, then, exult to-day, in these attributes of our subject. I. We have said that it was calculated to engage the in- tellect. There is no human science that is more ample in its range, or more attractive in its multiplied allurements. It unfolds to the astonished view a living landscape the wide world ; and as its votary is pointed to the Eastern and the Western Hemis- phere, it leads him, in full vision of the extended scenery, to look abroad. It then invites his contemplation to the bold draft that marks its outline. In all that may appear so wild and scattered, in these multi- tudes that teem throughout the vegetable kingdom, it discerns an exquisite gradation, *' From the proud woods, whose heads the sky assail, To the low violet that loves the dale." And it disposes all, with a regard to that established order, which is proclaimed by their peculiar characteristicks. With a philo- sophick eye, it dwells upon the parts of which they are composed, and it again developes every where the rudiments of " heaven's first law." It views the external forms which plants exhibit, and sees them to be well-ordered both for nourishment and repro- duction. It names, it classifies, and it describes the gifts of Flora. Within the bounds of four and twenty classes, it brings no less a multitude than thirty thousand* species. It beholds their internal organization. It explains the Physiology of plants.t It sees them pass through their successive states, from their incipient existence, to the period when they have at- tained maturity, and sink again into their native dust. Their numerous causes of disease are also carefully detected ; the fa- vourite places of their habitation are distinctly marked ; and whatever is connected with the peculiar traits, which they as- sume, is made a theme of accurate and laborious investigation.! The details resulting from this scrutiny abound in interesting facts. But it is the province of our subject to indulge a range yet wider. It investigates the geographical distribution of the vege- table families, in which it every where discovers a variety the most pleasing, regulated by established general principles. It explores the surface of the globe, with a regard to its various qualities of soils and earths ; and here Geology and Chymistry, its handmaids, decorate it with new charms. It is concerned * See Decandolle aud Sprengel's Philosophy of Plants, P. II. Sect. 122. t An excellent popular treatise on Vegetable Physiology is contained in the Library of Useful Knowledge, P. I. No. 14. Nov. 1827 t On the several subjects suggested in this paragraph, the " Philosophy of Plants" will abundantly supply useful information. The " Essai sur la Geog. des Plantes par Al. de Humboldt et A Bon- pland" is full of interest, B 10 also to improve and renovate the earth by fertilizing agents; and the vegetable, animal, and mineral kingdoms here conspire in its cause.* With an admirable ingenuity excited by its wants and its emergencies, from age to age it has contrived implements, ma- chines, and other articles of mechanism. In the history of these, is comprehended much to entertain and discipline the mind. With a parental care, it rears appropriate stmctures, for the nourishment, security and preservation of its household ; it erects larger edifices, both for use and ornament ; and it disposes all, with a regard to the just principles of taste. Its gardens thus are Landscapes, where the useful and agreeable, as lights and shades in the chiaro-oscuro, charm the eye. These lovely scenes are the abode of the aimable genius of Horticulture. She ranges the wide world with an indefatigable assiduity ; she gathers, and transfers, and naturalizes, and adapts to our use, whatever can regale the senses. And it is her envi- able occupation " to dress and keep" what she has thus gather- ed and arranged. A boundless theme is here presented ; it is the application of her Art. It is to sow ami plant; to prune, to train, and to transplant ; to propagate by grafting, cutting, budding, layering and inarching. And connected with these operations are remarkable phenomena, that lead the mind to pleasing and to elevating thoughts; for it may thus dwell on many of the most interesting pages in the book of Nature. Both as a SCIENCE and as an ART, if it be properly apprecia- ted, Horticulture is abundant in resources. It has occupied the * LOUDON, in his Encyclopedia of Gardening, Lend. 1827, has collected much that is very curious and instructive, on the topicks contained in this and the two following paragraphs. 11 meditations of the learned, in all countries and at all periods of the world, as is demonstrated by its Literature. Within its gar- dens are inscribed the names of Hesiod and Homer, Aristotle and Theophrastus, Xenophon and ./Elian, Cato, Varro and Palladius, Martial and Horace wandered there. Beneath its shades, and in its cool retreats, a Virgil could repeat his Eclogues. Dioscorides, and Pliny too, and Columella lingered in its fra- grant walks. All these conspire to commend the fascinations both of Flora arid Pomona. To their shrine each realm of Eu- rope has sent multitudes of votaries. From Britain the ingen- ious Bacon, and the philosophick Evelyn, and the poetick Cow- ley mingled in the throng ; and in their train were Milton, Ad- dison and Pope ; Thomson, Shenstone, Cowper, Mason ; Wai- pole, Darwin and the illustrious Sir Joseph Banks. And from the continent, amid a bright array of genius and learning, we may recognise a Buffon, a Delille, and a Saint-Pierre, in France ; in Germany, a Hirschfeld and a Herder; in Swisserland, a Conrad von Gessner ; and in Sweden, the renowned von Linne. Such* famed scholars and historians, poets, statesmen and phi- losophers commend our subject by the various contributions, with which they have themselves adorned it. To dwell in con- templation on those spots, which by their presence they have consecrated, gratifies the generous mind. And other pleasing themes await the votary of Horticulture. With a retrospective view, he may recur in meditation to its Ancient History, and be refreshed by its alluring visions, as they pass successively before him. * It may be invidious to select from the distinguished names of those who have adorned and illustrated our subject ; but it has been my aim, to present a view of various minds, all kindling at the contemplation ot the sam source of light. 12 He now sees man's first place of bliss, " planted with the trees of God, Delectable, both to behold and taste." Now the gardens of the Hesperian nymphs, with every classical embellishment, attract his eye. He sees the Babylonian terraces, which, by the magnificence of art, and the luxuriance of nature, formed a wonder of the world. The pleasure-grounds of Solo- mon, described in Scripture ; and the gardens of Laertes and Alcino is, which Homer has immortalized ; the far-famed Sar- dian retreat, which Cyrus cultivated ; the Panchsean paradise and the Orontian grove, here rise in their enchantment. There appear, the celebrated vale of Tempe ; and the Academus and the Lyceum, each associating nature in her loveliness with phi- losophy in all its pride. The splendid works of ancient Roman sumptuousness are seen displayed by a Lucullus and a Horten- sius ; and to these villas that extend round the Imperial City, the orators, the poets and the philosophers of Rome invite the student who would sympathize in their emotions. Such is the Ancient History of Horticulture. And the first rosy light, that beamed after the dark ages, kindled a new radiance about our subject. It is thus encompas- sed by the attractions of its Modern History. The gardens of Holland and the Netherlands feel the influence of Science and the Arts revived. The atmosphere of Italy and France next breathe rich odours. They soon scent the isles of Britain ; they pervade the continent. This department of our subject draws its copious details from the political and moral state of Europe, while the last four hund- red years have been inditing their momentous records. To the understanding of the intelligent it here offers a rich feast ; for its garlands have allured the eye and called forth the emulation 13 of the Medici in Italy, Louis the XIV of France, Peter the Great of Russia, and the most celebrated literary worthies, and bene- factors of the human race, in every region of the world. Since the invention of the Microscope at the beginning of the seven- teenth century, the most wonderful discoveries, alluring multi- tudes to the pursuit of vegetable science, have given animation to their diligence, and recompensed their toils. The History of Horticulture thus puts forth its buds and thus expands its flowers, in Ancient and in Modern times. When the inquirer, who is curious to learn its present state, ascends that eminence from which its groves and walks may be discerned, his interest is yet further heightened by the most glad- dening discoveries. In Europe, a fresh impulse to investigation has been experienced; and many a distinguished naturalist on the continent is emulous to obtain a wreath, like that which dec- orates the brow of him who lately towered aloft, Quantum lenla solent inter viberna cupressi* But now, alas ! the mournful branches of the funeral tree are- waving over him ; yet, with the distinctive qualities of the same cypress, the memory of the immortal Sir James Edward Smitht shall be evergreen and everduring, scmpcrvirens et sempiterna. Throughout the East, new stores are yet continually unfold- * Virgil, Eel. I. 1. 26. t This great naturalist, the President of the Linnean Society of London, breathed his last on the 17th of March in the present year. The tribute that I feebly utter is dictated by an ardent admiration of his rare endowments. The CUPRESSBS sempervirens I have called also sempiterna, with a reference to its durability. THEOPHRASTUS says, it remains uncorruptedyburgenerafa'orw, nTT3 yeiti ; PLINY alleges four hundred years, quadringentis annis ; and VITRUVIUS ascribes to it eternity, ajternam diuturnitatem. See Buxtorf, Geog. Sacr. col. 22. 14 ed to us ; and the vegetable treasures within South America ap- pear in real value to transcend its precious mines. And we rejoice also at beholding in our happy land, a scene at which the Horticulturist has cause to glory. We have alrea- dy, as a people, enriched by numerous treatises and volumes, the Library that illustrates the natural products of the earth. Were 1 not surrounded at this moment,* by the learning, genius and talent, which have been most conspicuous in accomplishing these toils, I would with pride repeat the names of many, and add to them, with pleasure, their appropriate epithets. And learning, genius and talent are emulated by indefati- gable industry and practised skill. The gardens that surround our city are abundant evidences of this truth.t Throughout the Union, enterprise is now directed to the cul- ture of the most valuable plants.} Besides sectional objects, confined to particular regions of our country, there are others also claiming universal notice, which may be denominated national. Of these, the fast, by its importance, is the cultivation of the vine. The interesting facts and valuable suggestions on the subject, which you received from our President in his Inaugural Discourse, deserve particular regard. Four years have inter- vened, since the Anniversary when he pronounced it, and his sentiments have been corroborated by indisputable proofs. Ex- * A Catalogue of Books and Treatises by Members of the New- York Horti- cultural Society may be seen in the Appendix, A. t The Publick Gardens in and near the city of .New-York are mentioned in the Appendix, B. t On this subject see the Appendix, C. $ An Inaugural Discourse, delivered before the New- York Horticultural Society, Aug. 31, 1824. 15 periments have been successful, and the voices of our intelligent and enterprising Farmers and Horticulturists proclaim : ' The vine will flourish in our country, in various latitudes ; and it yields to us an agreeable and valuable product.'* Yes ! and native wines derived from it, and from the fruits of our orchards! and our gardens, may be hailed by the philanthropist as the har- bingers of a new era. The epocha may not be distant, when the draughts that are inebriating and destroying thousands of our population, shall be superseded by the use of milder and of sal- utary beverages. A second object, that may be called national, is the cultivation of the mulberry. Distinguished among trees, as that from which the serick insect draws its nourishment, the mulberry deserves in- deed particular attention. The American Institute of the City of New- York, anticipating the results to be derived from this in- valuable plant, have received the aid and counsel of the learned President of the Linnean Society, and have entered upon a large and liberal plan of operation. We congratulate them, and sincerely trust, their labours may be remunerated by a rich abun- dance of the golden fleece.J As an article of manufacture, silk has claimed the notice of our general government. Its ' House of Representatives have ordered, that the Secretary of the Treasury " cause to be prepared" a Manual on the subject, * See the Appendix, C. t In the Appendix to Dr. Hosack's Inaugural Discourse, is an interesting letter on this subject, by Dr. S. L- Mitchill. \ A Volume on the culture of silk, by Dr. Pascalis, is now ready for the press. It is accompanied with a Preliminary Dissertation by Professor An- ihon of Columbia College, who argues that the product of the silk worm is to TJC understood by the golden fleece of antiquity. See Appendix, D. 16 and a well-digested Treatise* was accordingly transmitted to them by the Secretary, during the period of their last session. It is before the publick ; and its very favourable views of the growth and manufacture of silk in the United States, present a field of speculation, that is peculiarly attractive. The same policy, which has enlightened, and will no doubt stimulate by due rewards, the enterprising and industrious in this particular department, may soon become extended, (veni dies !) to the whole range of Horticulture ! Had I not already dwelt so long upon the first of the par- ticulars, that were proposed for your attention, I might here en- large upon the future prospects of our favoured land. I might collect before you the anticipations, which are sufforested, by its unparalleled advancement in the facilities of transportation and the extent of commerce : its canals and rail-roads ; the staple products of its soil ; and its natural adaptation for the residence of the most enlightened of all people on our globe. Exhibiting, in their true colours, the glories that may one day reach, like the celestial bow, from our Atlantick to our Pacifick confines, 1 might direct your contemplation to this graphick symbol of our great national destinies. And when all sounds of a disunion shall have passed away ; when the rude storm of political ani- mosity shall have been stilled ; and when the last echo of the thunderings that arrest us in the South shall cease to roll ; as the prismatick arch, the token of an everlasting covenant of * It is entitled "Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting the information required by a resolution of the House of Representatives, of May 11, 1826, in relation to the Growth and Manufacture of silk, adapted to the different parts of the Union". Octavo, Wash. Gales &, Seaton, 1828. pp. 220. Another Congressional Document on the subject is the " Letter from James Mease, transmitting a Treatise on ithe rearing of silk worms, by Mr. DC Haz/.i of Munich, for." Wash. Gales &. Seaton, 1828. pp. 108. 17 peace and union, shall shed its smiles upon our soil, I might depict the happiest of lands, that, like an aromatick " field which the Lord hath blessed," shall send up to heaven, from the wide extent of its vast territories, the mingled purfunies of its cornu copise, sweet-scented fruits and fragrant flowers. As we mingle our sympathies at this anniversary commem- oration, we may with joy reflect upon the numerous, the varied, and the enlivening themes, by which Horticulture, with its stores of learning, and with its stimulus to industry, is calcula- ted to engage the intellect. II. And there is a moral halo that invests our subject. It can improve the heart. As we behold the wonders that abound throughout the vege- table kingdom, we are lost in the interminable manifestations of the Supreme. The organization that pervades it lifts up our hearts unto an Omniscient Creator. We cannot view the mechanism of a single plant without this sentiment. We see the several parts of which it is composed, arranged with a regard to its nutrition and its perpetuity, demonstrating a contrivance* the result of the profoundest wisdom. The succession that is discoverable in the annual circuit of our globe, directs our thoughts to Him, who is " the life and light " Of all this wond'rous world we see." Flowers, fruits, and culinary plants attain perfection, in a series that must command our gratitude. Not lavished with an indis- * Very beautiful illustrations of this truth are collected by Dr. Paley, in iiis Natural Theology, Chap. XX. Of Plants. C 18 criminate profusion, at some one favoured crisis of the year, they are dispensed with an all-wise frugality, and " yield their fruits every month." Their nature also is adapted to the condition of mankind. Where sultry beams are shed upon the torrid zone, umbrageous groves extend their branches. Where the Polar skies are cheered by a short summer's reign, its vegetation is distinguished by a rapid* progress to maturity. Where manual labour is discoura- ged by oppressive heat, and where the mind is destitute of moral enterprise, abundant aliment is yielded to the lowliest cultivator of the soil. But in the temperate regions of the earth, where, un- exposed to the depressing influence of an ungenial atmosphere, man walks abroad, delighting to exert his energies, here Nature calls forth talent, and awakens industry, by obstacles, which she allures them to surmount. As if anticipating the caprice of man, in countries, where the valley and the mountain each invite his residence, the products of the torrid zone are found within this vale; and on that towering summit is displayed to view a Northern} vegetation. * In Lapland and at Olekminsk in Siberia, barley ripens in seven or eight weeks. See Georgi as quoted by Malte-Brun, Syst. Geog. B. XX. Grain. t Les valle'es des Andes sont ornees de bananiers et de palmiers ; plus haut se trouve 1'arbre bienfaisam dontl'ecorce est de febrifuge le plus prompt et le plus salutaire. Dans cette region temperee des quinquinas, etplus haut vers celle des escallonia, s'elevent des chenes, des sapins, des berberis, des nlnus, des rubus, et une foule de genres que nons ne croyons appartenir qu'auxpaysdu Nord Aussi 1'habitant des regions equinoxialesconnoit toutes les formes vegetables que la nature a disposees autour de lui: la terre de>el- oppe a ses yeux un spectacle aussi varie que la voute azuree du ciel, qui ne lui cache aucune de ses constellations. See Humboldt's " Essai sur la Ge"og." near the close. 19 In the distribution of the odours that are breathed around us, Nature seems to have been regulated by the same economy. Where happiness is found only in the refinement of the senses ; where in luxurious repose, the Hindoo, with no zest for intel- lectual delights, seeks an innocent enjoyment in exhalations of sweet flowers ; there the loveliest of plants, that are unrivalled in their perfume, dispense aroma in rich offerings to the ambi- ent air. " Who has not heard of the vale of CASHMERE, " With its roses the sweetest that earth ever gave f " Where man, upon another continent, is seen degraded by the indulgence of the most loathsome appetites, and we are told that, by a. remarkable peculiarity,* which he possesses in com- mon only with the inferior animals, the Hottentot experiences an emotion of delight, at the carrion-smell of what regales the hyaena and the vulture; in that region of the earth, (as if the poor savage were to be indulged in his caprice,) while Oriental perfumes are withheld,! plants distinguished among us by their offensiveness, the Stapelias, in their variety, abound upon the soil, and fill the atmosphere with their putridity of savour. Wherever man resides are found nutritious berries, which are agreeable to all. The barberry, the cranberry, and the dwarf mulberry, regale the distant Laplander ; and beside these, the currant forms a wholesome food for the inhabitants of Greenland. Does the exhausted native of warm climates, parched with thirst, ask such plants as may be most refreshing to his enfeebled energies ? Lo, Nature's bounty has supplied him with the melon, and the pine-apple, and all cooling fruits. * See Malte-Brun, where hp treats of the Boschmen, B. LXX. t See Appendix E. And does the mariner, from the long use of salt provision, need some prompt remedy for its scorbutick influence"? He may coast along the shores of the most distant regions in the North or South, and be furnished with the succory, the cresses, and the wild-sorrel, from Siberia to the remotest of the Pacifick isles. The Botanical Materia Medica is but an enlargement of this interesting thought. But on a theme so vast I dare not venture further. It is re- plete with interest and instruction, wheresoever we direct our eyes, from the most attenuated lichen, that is scarce discoverable on the rock, to the huge baobab, developing its mammoth trunk of eighty feet ; and from the lowliest moss that peeps above the surface of the soil, to the towering palm-tree of the tropicks, almost two hundred feet in elevation.* As the march of know- ledge shall advance, and man be more mizmtely taught the mysteries of Nature, this wide field of Science, with an increased earnestness, shall be explored. What has been accomplished in the heavens by the rare genius of Laplace, bold, brilliant, and aspiring, by some future Linne may be accomplished in re- gard to earth; and while the blue vault, and while the verdant landscape, are more and more distinctly uttering : " The hand that made us is divine," the philosopher and Christian will continually be attracted by new themes of " wonder, love and praise." It has been my object, not to venture far within this vast domain, but merely to suggest what may awaken the resources of a learned and intelligent assembly. A single pearl proclaims the boundless treasure of the deep ; one gem is witness of ex- * Malte-Brun, Syst. Geog. B. XX. Vegetation of the torrid sone. 21 haustless mines within the earth ; and a few fitful rays from the bright canopy above may reveal to the imagination innumera- ble worlds of glory. Under the influence of these thoughts, I would now say to the Members of the Society which I have the honour to address: While you participate the intellectual and moral stores of Hor- ticulture, you have a two-fold object, worthy of your tenderest solicitude. 1. It is for you to collect the vegetable treasures of the Old Continents, and enrich with them the glories of our favoured land. The correspondence between Mr. Rush the Secretary of the Treasury and our President, now stands upon our records. It invites us, literally, to regale upon the bounties of the wide world ; to look abroad, wherever the banner of the country has been planted, by a Foreign Minister, a Consul, or a Diploma- tick or Commercial Agent; and to ask what we will of the pro- ductions of this ample realm. " Forest trees," I adopt the very words of Mr. Rush, " forest trees, useful for timber; grain; " fruit trees ; vegetables for the table ; esculent roots ; in short, " plants of every description, whether used as food or for pur-- " poses connected with any of the useful arts all will fall " within the scope of the plan proposed."* Such cheering smiles the General Government bestows upon that field which it is our privilege to occupy. They thus emu- late the policy of other nations ; and in accordance with this policy, were proper publick grounds provided, either in each * The correspondence between Mr. Rush and Dr. Hosack has been pub- lished in the New-York Farmer and Horticultural depository. Vol. I. Art. 34. The quoted passage is in Mr. Rush's Letter, dated May 15, 1827. State, or in the four great sections of the Union, we doubt not, that our nation would rejoice at the benign results. We have a soil, which, like the heritage of ancient Israel, is " the glory of all lands." Within the limits of our four and twenty States may be discovered an appropriate residence, for almost every plant in all the four and twenty Classes of the Botanist. And to the Members of the New- York Horticultural Society are offered powerful inducements, to be the channel of our na- tion's intercourse with other countries, in regard to plants. In the Mythology of Ancient Rome it was ingeniously fabled,* that Pomona could not be induced to shed a smile on any of her suitors, until her heart was touched by the devout breathings of Vertumnus ; and in the tendercst of bonds were joined the god of merchandise and the divinity of gardens. The ingenious fable is instructive; for our Art thrives most " Where Commerce lias enriched the busy coast : " He catches all improvements in his flight, " Spreads foreign wonders in his country's sight.' ; 2. Another object, far more interesting, invites your care. It. .is the preservation and the culture of plants indigenous to our soil. They are confided to your guardianship. But look around you ; see them perishing in multitudes beneath the ploughs-hare and the axe. Certain species and varieties, which in old time adorned the verdant mantle of the earth, are to be found no longer;! but their memorial, transmitted to us in floetz rocks, is a demonstration of their original existence. And shall it ever be recorded of any valuable varieties of our native plants, their sweetness has expired on " the desert air?" Your active mea- * Ovid has given the story with all its embellishment*. t See Decandolle and Spreng-el, P. II. Sect. 143. 23 sures, I doubt not, will soon eloquently teach, that in the garden which you are preparing to establish, .will be collected from our woodlands and our fields, a beauteous and bright floral galaxy. And here again I would refer to our President's Discourse, in which is cjearly and minutely stated a well-ordered plan, both practical and scientifick, discovering to us large views, which it is noble to possess ; and could we but effect their con- summation, the reality would be magnificent. We might then call together, (and exult as we contemplated,) the lovely families of our rural offspring. We might find within this native circle, when possessed of suitable advantages for their improvement, the rarest and most estimable qualities, to please and benefit mankind. Among the changes that are exhi- bited upon the surface of the globe, none are more worthy of remark, than the transmutations which are effected in the vege- table tribes. Our Celery is but the parsley, or smallage, in an advanced state of cultivation. The Cauliflower and the Broc- coli have issued from the humblest plants. When hi its' natu- ral condition, the Asparagus can scarce be recognised as that, which when domesticated is a table luxury. And the potatoe, which is the sustenance of millions of our race, has been gene- rally cultivated but a hundred^ years, and the most useful of all esculents, it is insignificant and uninviting in its natural state. And can we for a moment think, the progress of disco- very has been arrested ? Are there no other contributions which the earth may yield, to the existence and enjoyments of our race ? At this moment, the botanick missionaries of the Old Continent are engaged* in traversing our fruitful territories, that * M. Leroy writes to me iu these words : Le gouvernement Fran^ais entretient habituellement ici de jetines Botanistes, qui parcourent les forets des Etas-Unis dans toutes les .directions, pour enrichir leur pays de tout ce qu'ils pouvent decouvrir de nouveau et interessant. '24, they may answer the inquiry. Let us emulate their zeal ; and let us not value at a lower estimate than others, those rare gifts which the great God of nature hath put into our hands. Let us co-operate in the attainment of our interesting purpose ; let us tie together our rods in the manner of the Roman/asces, and this union cannot fail to give us permanence and power. Replenished with indigenous attractions, our proposed gar- den will be esteemed abroad " a garden of delights." The hand of many a distinguished foreigner will soon beckon for an inter- change of precious plants ; and by the winds, that swell the sails of our commerce, will be wafted to us the best offerings of the remotest realms. We may even rival in celebrity the paradises at Copenhagen, Kew and Malmaison ; at Schonbrun and Ber- lin. Let us then appreciate our natural inheritance. It is our bald-eagle, that in full view of Niagara's sublimity, soars beyond the flight of his companions, " sailing with supreme dominion, " Through the azure deep of air." i :vi The forest hears the minstrelsey of the whole feathered throng, in the delightful musick of a bird,* that in its native beauty and perfection is our own. And, as the youthful Otaheitan, who " sprang forward at the unexpected sight of a banana tree, in the Jardin des Plantes, and embraced it, while his eyes were bathed in tears ;"t could we, within the confines of some distant land, but scent the gale that bore upon its wings the perfume of our Magnolias, as we imbibed the fragrant offering, with the * See Wilson's glowing description of the Mocking-bird, in his Ameri- can Ornithology. t Phillips' Syl. Flor. Vol. I. Introd. 25 name generous enthusiasm we also might exclaim : " Ah ! tree of my country /" Let us appreciate all our natural inheritance ! Let us perse- vere to the full attainment of the objects which we contemplate. We know that we are able, and we will succeed ; possunt quia posse videntur. Then by science and by industry we will contribute to the stores of human happiness ; and we will take the lead, where to follow in our footsteps will be honourable. Our ardent, able and efficient President, our learned and indefatigable Lecturer and Counsellor, and our classical and accomplished Corresponding Secretary* have, in turn, been cho- sen to animate you, when convened at the former celebrations of this festival. I was unmindful of myself, in my devotion to my subject, or I should not have consented to follow in their path. But, though I " attain not unto the first three," I account it a distinction for which I tender you acknowledgments, that I have been deemed worthy to be named and numbered with them in our cherished cause. It is a benevolent, it is a noble cause. It exerts a salutary, intellectual and moral influence. It has rich resources for the head ; and it has rich resources for the heart. While it instructs and edifies ; ennobles and exalts ; it awakens feelings of philan- thropy. Its motto is : " GOOD WILL TO MAN." It inscribes above its portal, what was written at the entrance of that me- morable garden, into which the very Patriarch of Botany, Linne himself allured his followers : " ENTER ; FOR A GOD is HERE." * The Society have listened, successively, to Dr. Hosack, Dr. MUchill. and Mr. Carter. 1) 26 Like that holy faith which we profess, it calls up sympathies, that would excite every one within the extensive sphere of its operation, to partake of its innumerable enjoyments and its manifold rewards. In my enthusiasm for my subject, I now experience this sen- timent which I describe. Could I address myself to all the ingenuous, and liberal, and enlightened among my friends, adopting the eulogium pro- nounced on the study of Polite Literature by the great orator of Rome, I would thus paraphrase it with a particular reference to our subject. " Were it not as abundant in resources as I have " alleged, and were it to be pursued merely for the pleasure " which flows from it, you will acknowledge, I doubt not, that " it is a mental recreation, the most liberal and polite. For " other studies are not appropriate at all times, to all ages, and " in eveiy place ; but this has nourishment for us while we are " young, and pleasing joys when we are old. In prosperity, it " is an ornament ; and in adversity, a refuge and a solace. It " delights us when at home, and it is no impediment abroad. " Whether we go forth to meditate at eventide, or are occupied " in journeying from place to place, or are wandering through " the country in our rural recreations, it is an agreeable com- " panion and a constant friend. If any are themselves unable " to pursue the subject, or want a relish for its charms, yet when " they see it blooming about others, they should not withhold " the tribute of their commendation."* Could I appeal to such as are entrusted with our Literary Institutions, I would say : Instil into the minds of all your youth- ful charge a love of nature. Teach them * Cicero, Oral- pro Archia Poela, Sect. IV. 27 " To mark, in every magick change of scene. The grand diversities of nature's laws, Yet find in all the ever present God !" You will thus give them an instructive friend, where they might otherwise be solitary. You will supply them with a volume, in which with rapture " they may read, and read, And read again, and still find something new, Something to please, and something to instruct." Could I accost the amiable portion of our race, whose attri- butes are symbolized by the delights of Flora, I might maintain the justice and propriety, with which a certain Oriental lan- guage* uses the same word to designate both flowers and the fair. Every estimable virtue that adorns the sex has its type in these exquisite manifestations of the Benignant. And they are adapted, not only for the personal embellishment, but for the intellectual and moral discipline of those, to whom I would com- mend the contemplation of their loveliness. Their province is not only to afford the senses a rich feast, to fill with their sweet perfumes the air we breathe, and to allure the eye by their con- formations, and by their tints of colour ; but by sympathies, the mast refined, and pure, and amiable, to exalt the soul. " The spleen is seldom found where Flora reigns. The low'ring eye, the petulance, the frown, And sullen sadness, that o'ershade, distort, And mar the face of beauty, when no cause For such immeasurable woe appears : These Flora banishes, and gives the fair Sweet smiles, and bloom less transient than her own.'M" _ * The Malay, the most agreeable throughout the East. Like French in Europe, it is a very general medium of thought; and its characteristicks. entitle it to be distinguished, as the Italian of the Orientals* t I would here name particularly the Siflra Florifera by Henry PhiUip? r ajs deserving a place- in every Lady's Library. .No one can rise from the perusal of it without amiable feelings. 28 Could I move the authorities of our city in the cause which 1 espouse, our publick squares and parks should become plea- sure-grounds, disposed and decorated, to regale our citizens. Within their walks should be no fumes of the intoxicating deity, but the pervading pure, and salutary influence of Nature's God. And in the suburbs of our Metropolis should be a Cemetery ; it should be " a garden and in" the midst of " it a sepulchre," where the ashes of the departed might repose in peace ; where children might be literally gathered to their fathers ; and where the vernal buds, the summer flowers, and the sere leaves of autumn might teach lessons of morality, and speak of the resur- rection and the life to come. Could my voice reach the Legislative Councils of the land, I would say : Appropriate to those who have fulfilled their trusts, and arc withdrawing from the paths of publick life in the in- teresting manner of the heroickf age, appropriate a te.me.nos (rsfisvot) ; a portion of that soil, which in their hearts is conse- crated as their country and their " sweet home." It will refresh their spirits, when they look around them, and reflect : this is the nation's gift. There is a peacefulness and a serenity in rural scenes, that have at all times had a charm for the philosopher and patriot. That hand, which held the destinies of ancient Rome, when it had guided and had saved the nation, held the plough upon the farm of Cindnnatus. In the hearts of all his countrymen is the memorial of him, who loved mount Yemen's calm retreat. The, shades of Monticello have been forever con- secrated. And at this moment, the beloved Lafayette is seen t See Homer, Iliad. M. 310314. Z. 194. et al. and the notes of HEYNE. STEPHENS, Thes. Grsec. Art. -4fjnw<, quotes the appropriate passages to show: heroibus et principibus peculiariter haec Ttusw tribuere videtur, aple- beiorum agris sejuncta et separata quibusdam tv 29 cultivating his La Grange; and our own Jay, retired to the sanc- tuary of his villa, now calmly meditates upon his rest above.' Were it given to me, on this festival, to distribute garlands, I would thus place them upon the brows of our youth ; I would supply them also as a decoration for the fair; I would fill our country and our city with their fragrance and their verdure ; and I would present them as a reward of publick services. Were there some happy realm, where might be realized the joys, which, inspiration teaches, were the first blessed- ness of man, I would delight to resort thither with the beloved circle of my friends, that in the tranquillity of the terrestrial Eden, we might live in rural happiness and die in peace. But, with the learned, we shall in vain seek the enviable spot. One tells us, it was in the confines of the ancient Armenia ; another points us for its bliss to the lovely valley of Cashmere ; and ano- ther teaches, that in Persia were its gladdening groves. But it is no longer upon earth. Like good men of old, it has been translated. Yet, I would indulge, in reference to it, the kindest sympathies toward my associates ; I would embody my best feelings in a devout ejaculation : that, when our studies and our cares and toils shall have ceased here below ; when, like the grass that withereth, we shall have mingled with the dust; we may hereafter meet within the bowers, and be regaled with the enrapturing transports of that Eden in the skies. APPENDIX. A. BOOKS AND TREATISES, ON BOTANY, AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE, BV RESIDENT MEMBERS OF THE N. Y. HORT. SOC. DAVID HOSACK, M. ., P. R. s. L. &. E. President of the Society. Syllabus of a Course of Lectures, on Botany and Vegetable Physiology, delivered in Columbia College, in the year 1795. The 2d. edit, is en- larged, in the Author's MKDICAL ESSAYS, 2 vols. 1824. Hortus Elginensii, New- York, 8vo. Statement of Facts, relative to the Elgin Bot. Card. New-York. American Medical and Philosophical Register; or Annals of Medicine, Nat. Hist., Agricult., and the Arts: conducted by David Hosack, M. D., r. L. s., and John W. Francis, M. D. Prof, of Mat. Med. in the Univ. of New-York. 4 Yols. 8vo. Inaugural Discourse, delivered before the New-York Horticultural Socie- ty, &,c. Aug. 31, 1824. New- York, 1824. To these may be added numerous contributions to Scientific!: Periodicals. SAMUEL L. MITCHILL, M. D., F. R. s. Ed. &c. fee. Discourse, pronounced at New-York, before the Society for promoting Agriculture, Arts and Manufactures, 1792; printed in the Society's Transactions. Correspondence with Robert R. Livingston, on Light as a menstruum dis- solving vegetable matter, fcc. Ibid. 1793. Remarks on Mnnures; intendi d an a sequel to Judge Peters' inquiries con- cerning Piaster of Pans. Med Fepos. vol. 11. p. 30 50, 1798. Discourse before the Society for the promotion of Arts, &,c. in Albany .- 1799; printed in a subsequent volume. SAMUEL L. MITCHILL, M. D., F. R. s. Ed. Further Observations on Manures; intended as a supplement to Kirwan's publication on those matters. Med. Repos. vol. n. p. 240 9, 1799. Additional Notices on Manures; intended to follow the meditated Report of the British board of Agriculture on Manures. Ibid. p. 345 354, 1799. Observations on the Can'ker-worm, which devours the leaves of Apple- trees. Agric. Transactions, 1801. Med. Repos. vol. iv. p. 69. Facts in relation to Vegetation. Med. Repos. vol. HI. p. 420, 1801. Description of various vegetable phenomena. Ibid. vol. iv. p. 196, 1801. Essay on Salt (muriate of Soda), as favourable to the health and thrift of domestick animals, when taken with their food in moderate quanti- ties. Tilloch Philos. Mag. 1804. Letter to late Gov. Milledge of Georgia, assuring from culture, that the seeds of the Bhenne, brought there by the negro slaves, produced plants of Sesamuin, whose grain affords an oil of a preferable quality to that of the Olive, for food, medicine, &c. 1809. Georgia News- papers. Letter to the late Josicih Meigs, Surveyor General of the Land Office, on introducing the Phoenix dactylofera, or Date-bearing Palm-tree, into the Southern section of the Fredonian States. 1810. Nat. Intell. and Southern Gazettes. Description of the North American fungus, called Tuckahoe orsclerot; Med. Repos. vol. xv. p. 3357. 1812. Discourse before the Hist. Soc., on the Botany of the two Americas. 1812. Hist. Soc. Trans, Abstract of Don Jose Ignacio Pombo's Spanish book, on the four Spe- cies of Cinchona, called Peruvian Bark trees; in Southwick's Plough- boy, for Aug. 5th, 1820. Correspondence with William Prince, on a singular hybrid fruit, produced between the Spanish chesnut, and the Fredonian chinquapin; South- wick's Ploughboy, Nov. 1, 1820. Address, pronounced before the New-York County Agric. Soc., at their fair in Haerlem, Oct. 1820, in Newspapers of the time. Two Speeches, on the Linncan celebration at Flushing, in May 1823 and 1824, in Newspapers of the time. Botanical and Horticultural Notices, in Ilauston's and Brooks' Minerva: Vol. II. P. i. pp. 185, 202, 217, 296, 313; P. n. 28, 72, 107, 136, 137, 186, 344; vol III 90, 184 &, 281, &c. Letter to Stephen Van Renssalaer, Pres. of N. Y. Board of Agriculture, on the Fly-weavel, or Tinea segetis, destructive to wheat-grain, in the sheaf and stack. Oct. 1825, in Newspapers of the day. Address, pronounced before the IS". Y. Horf. Soc. at the Annual Celebra- tion, Aug. 29, 1826. 33 SAMUEL L. MTTCHILL, M. D., F. R. s. Ed. Correspondence, with Prof Hooker of Glasgow Univ. on the St. Lorenzo Polatoe, or Witheringia montana of Peru; with a coloured fig. Bot. Magaz. Sept. 1827. An extensive collection of MSS. prepared with great care, when he was Piof. of Botany and Mat. Med., and then used for the purpose of Lectures. To these may be added Occasional Contributions to Woodworth and Dell's Parthenon; to Messrs. Fleet and Halsey's N. Y. Farmer; and to the Amer. Farmer of Mr. Skinner. N. H. CARTER, A. M. Author of " Letters from Europe," and late Corresponding Secretary of the Society. Address, read before the N. Y. Hort Soc., at the Anniversary Celebra- tion of the 28th of August, 1827. New-York, 1827. WILLIAM WILSON, Nurseryman. Economy of the Kitchen- Garden, the Orchard, and the Vinery, with plain, practical directions for their management. New-York, 1828. 12mo. pp 206. The Author announces also, as forthcoming, a new work, to be entitled The New- York Horticulturist, an Extract from which is published in N. Y. Farmer and Hort. Reposit. Art. 120. vol. i. GRANT THORBCRN, Seedsman and Florist. The Gentleman and Gardejier's Kalendar, containing ample directions for the cultiration of the Kitchen and Flower Garden, Green House, Nursery, Orchard, &,c. for the U. S. of Amer. New-York, 1821. 3d. edit. 12mo. pp. 132. Beside the above mentioned Books and Treatises, there are numerous con- tributions to The New-York Farmer and other Periodicals, by the Resi- dent Members of the Society. B. LIST OF PUBLICK GARDENS, GARDENERS, SEEDSMEN AND FLORISTS, IN AND NEAR THE CITY OF NEW-YORK. ARMSTRONG ... at Kip's Bay, near New- York, has a Nursery aad Green-house. BLOODGOOD b Co. James, Nurserymen, 206 Front St. New- York. At Flush- ing, L. I. 11 miles from New- York, they have a Nursery, &c. occupying 10 acres 34 Boy CE John, 3d Aveuue, corner of llth St. N. Y. cultivates a Vegetable Garden. BRIDGEMAN Thomas, Bowery Hill, has recently established a Seed-Store, and Garden. Di'CKMAS . . . , has a very large Market Garden and Orchard, co- vering 50 acres. FLOY Michael, Nurseryman, is the proprietor of an extensive Green-house, and a Seed Store, at the corner of Broadway and 12th St. His Horti- cultural Nursery at Haerlem includes 10 acres. HOGG Thomas, Nurseryman, near the House of Refuge, occupies 3 acres with his Green-house and Nursery, and displays a very rare collection of exotick plants. A notice of his premises is contained in the IV. Y. Farmer, Vol. i. Art. 76. HOLDEN William, at Bloomingdale, has a large Vegetable Garden of 8 acres. HUBBABD . . . , 3d. near Avenue C., is the proprietor of a Vegeta- ble Garden. KENKEY Daniel, Gardener and Florist, corner of Carmine and Bedford St., beside a Green-house, has also a Seed Store. MILLS &, Co. at Flushing, L. I., 11 miles from New- York, occupy 8 acres with a valuable nursery. PARMENTIER Andrew, at Brooklyn, L. I., 2 miles from N. Y., has a Horti- cultural Botanick Garden, containing 24 acres ; and his collection of rare and valuable plants, his numerous vines, his ornamental and fruit trees, and the great taste and neatness with which all are disposed, render his Garden one of the most attractive resorts near our city. See Amer. Farm. Vol. x. No. 24. PHELAN William, an extensive cultivator of Green-house plants, resides in the 2d. Avenue near 5th. St. PRINCE William, is the proprietor of the large Linnean Botanick Garden at Flushing, L I., 11 miles from New-York. His premises include 41 acres ; his garden is very rich in rare and valuable plants ; his green- house contains 20,000 exoticks ; and in his assortment of vines are com- prehended more than 400 varieties. See Amer. Farm. Vol. x. No. 22. SIMPSON William, cultivates twenty acres as a Market Garden, and has a Greenhouse in the 7th. Avenue near 15th. St. SMITH Alexander &. Co., 372 Broadway, N. Y., have a large Seed Store. At Newark, New Jersey, 7 miles from New- York, they have a Garden and Nursery, occupying 10 acres. STILL George, cultivates about 5 acres as a Vegetable Garden, at Bloom- ingdale. THORBCRN &, Son, 67 Liberty St. N. Y., have the largest Seed Store in America. The premises which they occupy are 84 ft. by 100 ft. ; their building is 60 ft. by 40 ft., with an elegant green-house 84 ft. by 16 ft., extending the whole front ; and the Store is replenished with bulbous roots, and the seeds of iadigenous and exotick plants, with utensils and 35 implements of Husbandry, with valuable Books on Agriculture and Hor- ticulture ; and beautiful engravings and paintings of flowers and rural scenery decorate the walls. WILSON William, Nurseryman, beside a large Green-honse, at the corner of 4th and Macdougal St., has an extensive Nursery at Murray Hill, cover- ing about 10 acres. c. REMARKS ON CERTAIN EXOTrCK AXD INDIGENOUS PLANTS. My affectionate preceptor, M. LEROY, an intimate friend of the celebrated MICHAUX, has communicated in his letters to me, the following facts and state- ments : 1. Of EXOTICS, plants introduced into the United States. " J'avais introduit dans les Etas-Unis la celebre Rhubarbe de Tartarie, celle a feuilles entieres, et celle dite Rhoeum palmatmn ; M. Delatullaye au quel je les avais procurees les a conservees plusieures ann6es ; elles prosp6- raient et fructifiaient a Baltimore, comme dans leur pays natale." " J'avait apporte' dans mon dernier voyage d'Europe nombre d'especes de graminees; dans ma collection ^talent vingt six especes et varietes de sentences certales, vingt quatre des plus belles especes de vignes, de la cele- bre collection du Luxembourg a Paris ; des avelincs, les pistaches de Verdua, des oliriers, le fusnin, le gtnet epincux, excellent pour faire des haies, des pruniers de la meilleure qualite, des chateignes dites marrons de Lyon, c'est a dire de la plus belle espece connu ; deux especes de noyers a tres gros fruit, 4 especes d' aseroliers, 3 de nefliers, 2 especes de frenes, le quercus suber, dont 1'ecorce fournit le liege, et enfin le quercus robur, le meilleur chene d'Europe pour la duree et pour la construction. Tout cela venait a mer- veille ;\ Baltimore. Les vijjnes prosperaient au gre de mes desirs." " II y a deux ans que je fis venir de France, pour un jardinier pepinieriste actif et intelligent, une caisse contenant 24 especes des meilleures pommes de Normandie, a peu pres le nn A :me nombre de poires et toutes les vari(t6s de fruits qui se trouvent eti France. Cette caisse, qui n'excedait pas 22 pouces en tous sens, contenait plus de mille sujets, parceque je m' etais contente de ne demander que des grefles de tous les arbres que je savais pouvoir etre entes sur ceux de ce pays, et comme elles avaient ete prises a 1'extremite dei branches de 1'annee prec^dente, aucnne n'excedait six ousept pouces de 36 longueur, ct ne depassait pas la grosseur d'une plume u ecrire. Elles etaieni par rangs, pressees entre des couches de mousse fraiclie, d'un doigt j d'epaisseur, et si bien empaquete.es que le tout est arrive ici au mois de Mars dans le meilleurs etat Tout a parfaitement reussi, et j'ai le plaisir de voir que les jeunes arbres qui les portent commencent a se repandre dans le pays." 2. Of our INDIGENOUS plants introduced into Europe. " Vous m'avez observe, que, ' le locust (Robinia), nombre d' espcces du Magnolia, Sic. &.c. depuis longlems embellissaient V Europe;' cela est vrai. Le locust a et(5 introduit en France, du terns meme de HENRY IV, dit le grand, c'est a dire, vers la fin du seizieme siecle. J'ai vu le populus lulipK- feraftava au milieu du jardin botanique de Caen, que j'ai juge a sa grosseur ne pas avoir moins de soixante ans ; j'ai vu sa variete alba a Bordeaux dans le jardin de M. Chaudfour, pres de 1' ancien jardin des Chartreux, aujourd'hui convert! en Cemetiere, qui pouvait avoir quarante ans Au Jar- din des Plantes a. Paris il y en a une allee entiere, mais le terrein y est trop sablonneux, et trop su; cet arbre demande un sol frais. J'en ai vu d'autres aux environs de Paris dans une position plus favorable, qui promettaient un grand deVeloppement. Le locust Robinia a gagne en France. Mr. Descemet, celebre botaniste a St. Denis pres de Paris, est parvenu a en obtenir une espece ou variete absolument inermis, et dans de doubles propor- tions relativement au feuillage et a la fleur; 1'arbre est loin d'etre arrivS au terme de sa crue; on regarde cette acquisition comme prtcieuse sous la rap- port du fourrage." * * * * " Tous les arbres d'agrement jusqu'a pre- sent d6couverts aux Etas-Unis ont 6t6 introduit en France." " M. Michaux, auteur du Sylva Americana, et un de mes intimes amis, convaincu del' inutilite des plantations particulieres pour la conservation des arbres forestiers, est parvenu a persuader le gouverncment de la necessite de faire des semis en grands, et de les placer de suite dans les lieux que la nature leur a designe; c'est au milieu des forets del'Etat que se font en plan- tations, qu'on a soin de prot6ger contre les entreprises des lupins et des betes fauves, pendant les premieres annees, par des enclos Jegers, mais suffisants pour 1'objet propos6. On est parvenu par ce raoyen a introduire trente mille chenes de semis sortant des Etas-unis. C'est moi qui ai fait cet envoy, ct M. Michaux m'eri a mande" le sacre, en me disant qu'on avait donne mon nom a la section de la forets qui les contenait, sur le plan qu'on en avait tire." * * * * " Le Maryland seul m'a fourni 16 especes ou varietes du quercus, 8 du juglans, 5 de 1'acer, 3 du fraxinus, 2 du liquidambor dit sweet gum, 2 du nyssa, dit gum tree, 3 de 1'ulmus, 2 dufagus, &.c. * * * Mr. Michaux m' observe que la crue des chenes du Nord de 1'Amerique est bien plus accelerce que celle des chenes indigenes d'Europe." Pour la vie, Votre bien affectionnee ami; vale. VICTOR LEROY. 37 Ample details, in regard to the culture of indigenous and exotick plants HI the United States, may be found in several excellent repositories of Agri- cultural and Horticultural knowledge ; particularly, the AMERICAN FARMER, which is very ably conducted by Mr. Skinner at Baltimore ; the NEW-Esc- I.AND FAKMER AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL, which Mr. Fessenden edits with great zeal and talent at Boston ; and the NKW-YORK FARMER AND HORTI- CULTURAL REPOSITORY, on the management of which, it may be stated with pleasure, Mr. Lyman has recently resolved to enter, in connection with Mr. Halsey, the Corresponding Secretary of the New-fork Hort. Soc. D. LETTERS FROM DR. PASCALIS, ON THE CULTURE OP SILK. " REV. J. F. SCHROEDER, " Dear Sir, " The culture of the Mulberry tree is to be entrusted to the Horticulturists of our City and State; and as an inducement to serve the publick, in promoting its extension, and the most genuine crops, it is interest- ing to consider its beneficial results." " One ounce of Mulberry seed, well raised, gives 16,000 trees. Ten trees, after three years nursery, a-e sufficient to feed one ounce of eggs, that is 40,000 cocoons. These cocoons, at sixteen to the ounce, will afford 136 pounds and a fraction of raw silk, which, at 2 oz. of reeled silk per pound, make a little more than 191bs. of perfect silk, (from ten trees and one ounce of eggs,) which are worth 114 dollars in that genuine state." " The possible income from one ounce of seed being 16,000 trees, is or may be equal to $182,400; and that from one pound of the same seed $2,918,400." " Very respectfully, dear Sir, Your ob't serv't, FELIX PASCALIS." Silk may be raised with advantage, throughout the Union. The culture of it, in this country, commenced at a very remote period. As early as the year 1623, it commanded attention in VIRGINIA; in 1656, it was encouraged by the government with rewards, and the planting of the mulberry was at the same time required by penalties. 38 Upon the settlement of GEORGIA in 1732, lands were granted, on condi- tion of the culture of this tree. In 1735, eight pounds of raw silk, sent to England from Savannah, were made into a piece and presented to the Queen. The exports, from 1750 to 1754 inclusive, were $8.880; in 1759 they amount- ed to 10,001bs. of raw silk, which sold at two or three shillings higher than that of any other country ; and in 1766, there were exported more than twenty thousand pounds weight of cocoons ! Mrs. Pinckney of SOUTH CAROLINA, in the year 1755, raised and spun, in the vicinity of Charleston, as much silk as was required for three dresses ; one of which was presented to the Princess Dowager of Wales ; another to Lord Chesterfield ; and the third, in 1809, was at Charleston, in the posses- sion of Mrs. Horry. At the recommendation of Dr. Franklin, considerable attention was directed to the culture of silk in PENNSYLVANIA, soon after the year 1770. At Cayuga in NEW- YORK, during the late war with England. Mr. Chid- sey sold sewing silk, of domestick manufacture, to the annual amount of $600. In Windham County, CONNECTICUT, the culture of the white mulberry was introduced in 1760; and it was greatly encouraged at New-Haven, by Dr. Ezra Styles. In 1789, two hundred pounds of raw silk were made at Mansfield, where, at the present time, three-fourths of all its families are occupied in raising silk. Fear after year they are producing, severally, 5, 10, 20, or 501bs. ; the success attending some is, occasionally, 100 Ibs. ; and during the last season (1827), it was estimated, that the aggregate amount in this town only, was 2,430 Ibs ! The " Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, &c. in relation to the growth and manufacture of silk," from which these facts have been derived, abounds with the most animating encouragements to domestick industry. A great influence must be exerted on our trade in silk, during the lapse of the next five and twenty years ; and with confidence it may be anticipated, that before they have revolved, the value of imported silks will not, as in the year 1825, exceed ten millions ! [See Report of Committee on Agricult. in H9use of Repres. May 2, 1826.] Attention has been awakened; enterprise is active ; and while 1 write, the precious insect is at its toil. Vellera mine foliis depectunt tenuia Seres. 39 E. REMARKS ON CERTAIN PLANTS IN THE SOUTH OP AFRICA, AND ON A PECULIA- RITY OF THE INHABITANTS OF THAT REGION. So large a number of plants, at the Cape of Good Hope, and in the ad- joining region, are destitute of fragrance that it has been said: " In the South of Africa flowers have no smell." [See Colebrooke's State of the Cape, p. 158. sec. Malte-Brun, Vol IV. B. LXX.] And while Oriental perfumes are withheld, the STAPELIAS abound, and yield a savour that is agreeable to the degraded Hottentot. Writing to me on this subject, my father says : " la Donn's Catalogue are given 55 Stapelias, all of which have been brought from the Cape of Good Hope only; and as far as I am acquainted with this plant and its varieties, of which I have had several, they are all very disa- greeable in smell. I now have in my green-house a STAPELIA hirsuta, as Dr. Thornton calls it in his Temple of Flora, and it has often been blown by the flies which it attracts." In a Communication, with which I have favoured by Dr. S. L. Mitchill, on the alleged peculiarity of the Boschmen, the Dr. writes: " Idiosyncrasies in regard to the sense of smell are numerous. There are individuals of the human family who have not the power of distinguishing odours of any kind. I have known several such persons ; and they are in a situation, analogous to those who are born deaf and blind. It has been supposed that brute animals have not the ability to distinguish aromatick emanations ; but the proof of this conjecture is merely negative. It is told of Louis XIV. of France, that perfumes were generally unpleasant to him ; and certain Asia- ticks, in ancient times, employed assa foctida as a condiment, calling the very substance which we have nicknamed Stercus diaboli, the food of the gods." Wifti his characteristick learning, the Dr. then cites the Tartars, and the St. Kilda Islanders, as distinguished by the same peculiarity, which is attributed to the natives of South Africa. Whatever may be the fact, in reference to the particular example here illustrated, the general truth that has been alleged is certainly demonstra- ble : The vegetable families subserve the wants of man, as he exists, in dif ferent regions of the earth. 40 The cistern trunk of the vast ban tree, when once filled with water in the Spring months of rain, supplies refreshment in the midst of Africans hot sands, during the intense heat of a protracted summer. The abundant sap of the Lianne, on the parched rocks of the Antilles, is a salubrious and limpid vegetable fountain. The raining-tree of the Canaries, and the bussa butyracea of Indostan; the Lapland hair-moss, the New Zealand flax plant, the Kamtchatka lily, and the coroa-nut of the Nicobar Islands ; the breeid- fruit ot the South Seas, and the date-palm of the desert of Zahara, afford a few only of the innumerable testimonies, that proclaim with a sublime elo- quence : " There's mercy in every place." " O Lord ! how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom hast thou made tfiem all." . CONRAD, PRINTER. SOUTHS* I REGIONAL LIBR III II II II III 111 II A 000 555 753 3 SB THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW.