7

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en made to the number of caz th plants. A large number of -sei is food at the present day, d manufacture, were unknowɛ :for farther extension of our ngdom seems indefinitely lar a in modifying plants is also much ending power of domestication in eidest extant drawings of the horse, warely point out any distinctive fea scendants now living; the potato and the per and. may almost be considered as man

→tent are t contains many hints of use to florists and gar speerally, vhere many subtropical plants can with care be

ufactured products; while many gardeners' flowers, such as the Pelargonium and the Tulip, differ so widely from their ancestors as, in some cases, to obscure their parentage. The term acclimatization has been objected to by some scientific men, on the ground that the descendants of any animal or plant which has been transported from one climate to another have no more power than their ancestor of adapting themselves to that climate, unless the principle of Natural Selection has come into play to eliminate the individuals least able to adapt themselves to the new climate, those only surviving which, from some cause or other, are most suited to the fresh conditions. Be this as it may, there is no question about the fact that the farmer and the gardener have it in their power to naturalize plants foreign to our climate and our soil.

But the conditions of this naturalization are by no means so simple as might at first sight appear. It might naturally be supposed that all we have to do is to introduce those plants which grow spontaneously in a climate and a soil similar to our own, and that they will necessarily flourish, and will scarcely be aware of the change. Or, if they come from a warmer country that all that is needed is to protect them by glass and artificial warmth from the inclemency of our winters. But in practice this is not found to be the case. A plant will frequently obstinately refuse to become naturalized in a country, the climatal and geological conditions of which are similar to those that occur in the region where it is indigenous. Our common daisy, a native of almost every country of Europe, is said to have resisted all attempts to introduce it even into the gardens of the United States. Some plants seem to have an unconquerable aversion to the fostering hand of man, even in their own country. A wellconstructed and carefully kept fernery will contain specimens, more or less luxuriant, of nearly all our native ferns; the polypody and hartstongue from shady banks and treestumps; the so-called male and female ferns from the woods;

ACCLIMATIZATION OF FOREIGN TREES AND

PLANTS.*

BY ALFRED W. BENNETT.

THE introduction of new forms of vegetable life into our gardens and greenhouses has made considerable progress during recent years. The Acclimatization Societies of Paris. and London have, it is true, paid more attention to the domestication of foreign animals than of plants; something, however, has been attempted in this direction, and with considerable success. This branch of acclimatization would, indeed, seem likely to be the most fertile in results beneficial to mankind. For one fresh animal introduced that will be of real utility, there will probably be a dozen plants that yield important economical products. The early races of mankind appear to have exhausted our powers over the lower animals-the horse, the ass, the dog, the camel, the ox, the sheep, were all brought under subjection to man at the earliest period of his history; and within historic times no important addition has been made to the number of our domestic animals. Not so with plants. A large number of the vegetable substances used as food at the present day, and of the vegetable articles of manufacture, were unknown to the ancients; and the field for farther extension of our utilization of the vegetable kingdom seems indefinitely large. The power of cultivation in modifying plants is also much greater than any corresponding power of domestication in modifying animals. The oldest extant drawings of the horse, the ox, or the camel, scarcely point out any distinctive fer tures from their descendants now living; the potato ar apple, on the other hand, may almost be consider

*This article is introduced since it contains many hints of deners in the middle states especially, where many subtror' made to grow. - EDITORS.

ufactured products; while many gardeners' flowers, such as the Pelargonium and the Tulip, differ so widely from their ancestors as, in some cases, to obscure their parentage. The term acclimatization has been objected to by some scientific men, on the ground that the descendants of any animal or plant which has been transported from one climate to another have no more power than their ancestor of adapting themselves to that climate, unless the principle of Natural Selection has come into play to eliminate the individuals least able to adapt themselves to the new climate, those only surviving which, from some cause or other, are most suited to the fresh conditions. Be this as it may, there is no question about the fact that the farmer and the gardener have it in their power to naturalize plants foreign to our climate and our soil.

But the conditions of this naturalization are by no means so simple as might at first sight appear. It might naturally be supposed that all we have to do is to introduce those plants which grow spontaneously in a climate and a soil similar to our own, and that they will necessarily flourish, and will scarcely be aware of the change. Or, if they come from a warmer country that all that is needed is to protect them by glass and artificial warmth from the inclemency of our winters. But in practice this is not found to be the case. A plant will frequently obstinately refuse to become naturalized in a country, the climatal and geological conditions of which are similar to those that occur in the region where it is indigenous. Our common daisy, a native of almost every country of Europe, is said to have resisted all attempts to introduce it nto the gardens of the United States.

nquerable aversion to the

own country. A well

1 contain speci

our native ferns; banks and treefrom the woods;

ACCLIMATIZATION OF FOREIGN TREES AND

PLANTS.*

BY ALFRED W. BENNETT.

THE introduction of new forms of vegetable life into our gardens and greenhouses has made considerable progress during recent years. The Acclimatization Societies of Paris and London have, it is true, paid more attention to the domestication of foreign animals than of plants; something, however, has been attempted in this direction, and with considerable success. This branch of acclimatization would, indeed, seem likely to be the most fertile in results beneficial to mankind. For one fresh animal introduced that will be of real utility, there will probably be a dozen plants that yield important economical products. The early races of mankind appear to have exhausted our powers over the lower animals-the horse, the ass, the dog, the camel, the ox, the sheep, were all brought under subjection to man at the earliest period of his history; and within historic times no important addition has been made to the number of our domestic animals. Not so with plants. A large number of the vegetable substances used as food at the present day, and of the vegetable articles of manufacture, were unknown to the ancients; and the field for farther extension of our utilization of the vegetable kingdom seems indefinitely large. The power of cultivation in modifying plants is also much greater than any corresponding power of domestication in modifying animals. The oldest extant drawings of the horse, the ox, or the camel, scarcely point out any distinctive features from their descendants now living; the potato and the apple, on the other hand, may almost be considered as man

*This article is introduced since it contains many hints of use to florists and gardeners in the middle states especially, where many subtropical plants can with care be made to grow. - EDITORS.