istered. And these elements of their nutri- | with their density. They arrive at an eartion are the great primitives of creation, car- lier maturity, and all vegetation partakes of bon, the gases, earths, and metallic bases. similar construction, grown on similar soils. But each plant has not the same demand as The soft and pithy woods, too, yield only others for these respective aliments. To the weak and watery saps, and is but in few cereals, to which belong the rice, corn and plants belonging to the same climate, that cane plants, nitrogen is essential, and water, oils or extracts exist in quantity sufficient to the great source of production, becomes in- work out. They are not formed, or will not dispensable to their growth. The glossy rise without a certain degree of heat, and it coat of the reed tribe and the outside mem- is well known that frost arrests all currents brane of the cane stalk, etc., are attributable to of circulation. The fruit of the walnut and silex taken up from the soil, and the absence the beech in the south of Europe produces of which in old cane lands is supposed to be oil, but will not in this country. The multhe secret of their poverty. To remedy this berry of this country affords a much less deficiency, the combustion of the "shuck" quantity of gum to the silkworm than in is practised, but a second thought will show to France or Italy; and the ground-nut oil, so an intelligent mind that the silex, liquified by common in the East Indies, as well as cocoafire, combines with the alkali of the plant nut oil, are not known in the West Indies ashes, and becoming vitrified by heat, is as articles of commerce. restored only in an insoluble state not available to vegetation, and operating beneficially only to heavy or moist soils, by its mechanical distension of their components, facilitating the action of the air more uniformly throughout. For the same reason we mix heavy bog earth or alluvial soil, with loam and sand. In the beautiful camelia japonica, we find a peculiar demand for hydrogen, and therefore supply it with water, the principal source of this gas, protect the plant from the sun to provide against too rapid evaporation from its roots, having placed it in a soil consisting chiefly of vegetable fibre, which thus sheltered has an affinity for moisture, while its decay produces the element chiefly in demand. Nitrogen is a not less important food for cereals, and is chiefly supplied by the decomposition of water. It is the principal ingredient in gluten, which, by the vital action of the cane, becomes transformed to saccharine, and though drainage may be the great labor of this southern country, because of the surplus of water on its soil, yet there are other available methods to compensate for this superabundance of water, and productive of effect in a greater or less degree. An excess of moisture without heat, and combined with air, induces decay in seeds, and is injurious even to growing plants, as it destroys the delicate tissue of their roots. Therefore plants cultivated where they have an abundance of heat and moisture, but where the roots are beyond the reach of air, by reason of their depth in the soil, have a tendency to produce leaves instead of fruit, and all their secretions are weakened. And on the other hand too little moisture prevents the leaves and fruit from maturing. Hence we derive the maxim, "plant deep on dry, and light on moist ground.' We observe that all woods growing in warm, moist climates, are lighter and more porous than those growing in colder and dryer situations. There is also a marked difference in their durability commensurate That all the secretions of a plant have a definite purpose in the vegetable economy, is beyond a doubt, but that these purposes are not yet definitely known, is equally true. We have no satisfactory explanation of the cause of fragrance in flowers, neither its use to the plant. The saccharine contained in the seed is the primary motive power in its vegetation, and from this source is elimina.ed the other juices which tend to the future nourishment of the plant. Germination having been effected, the development of the roots under ground, and the stalk and leaves above, is at once produced by the additional mois ture attracted by vital action from the air and soil. This moisture is decomposed by the great attraction of the carbon of the seed for the oxygen, and carbonic acid is set free. The nitrogen contained in the gluten of the seed, by its union with the acid, is converted into diastase, a substance resembling sugar, from which the young plant now takes all its nourishment, until by more sufficient extension, it becomes able to feed itself. The formation of the vital knot, or "collet,"* which has been compared to the heart in animals, now becomes more and more distinct, and as it approaches perfection is proportionably more essential to the life of the plant. At this stage the wounds received from the implements of cultivation, or the hoof of the animal drawing the plow, are more liable to prove fatal to the shoots of the cane, or the new plants from the cotton seed, than at any other period of their growth, and the prudent planter will watch with some care that the mule or horse does not travel on the "ridge row." The cane plant increases from its centre, but has no sensible pith or medullary canal. Its tissue is but a bundle of woody fibres, interposed by an infinity of little cells. The long succession of these fibres is interrupted at regular distances by joints, sometimes The joint of the cane under ground. distinguished as nodes, which perform an important part in the economy of the plant. Sap, as it rises through the collet, is little less than water, with some mucilage, in the young shoot, but as soon as these nodes are formed, they become receptacles of little particles of gluten, starch, and sugar immediately formed, and these are thence taken up by the sap, dissolved, and pass into the general circulation of the stalk and leaves. The sap of the sugar maple and the cane is not sweet in their roots, but in beets, as though the operations of nature could be reversed and produce the same results, we find, comparatively, no saccharine in the tops. application of heat, is a phenomenon par allel to the fermentation of juice exposed at a moderate temperature to the free circulation of the air, which all planters know to be injurious in proportion to the length of time and degree of temperature, and therefore expedite the process of sugar-making as much as possible. The nodes of the cane, incorrectly called joints, by microscopic examination are found to be the ovaries of the plant, and from which start one, and, in some varieties of the East India cane, two buds. By a peculiar arrangement of the fibres of the centre, a little cell is formed, in which, as in seeds, a concentrated portion of sugar exists to afford nourishment to the germ until of such age as to obtain its own. And in this protection of the vital spark by portions of the mother plant, stronger and more indurated than all the rest, we observe the beautiful work of design. In stubble or ratoon land, where the stems have been cut from the plant, we observe that the collet, or lowest The cortical integument of the cane plant is only a rind and not a bark, as it has no distinct separation from the wood. It is possessed also of properties of secretion, contains a coloring property and oleaginous substance, which the body of the cane does not, and which are both extracted in the common operation of rolling by powerful mills. This coloring matter is strictly tan-joint, becomes the seat of life and the source nin, and the oleaginous is readily separated from the froth of the mill-strainer, and converted into wax. In the circulation of the juice, both of the maple and the cane, as well as in all plants, we observe changing qualities in the various parts and times of its circulation. The nearer approach to maturity in the tree, enriches its juice, and the little of returning sap found in trees felled during winter and exuding from their cut ends, is almost concentrated by a short exposure to natural evaporation. We observe, then, that during the annual existence of a plant, while the vital current is in motion, a regular and constant change in the juice at every stage of maturity, and the different properties it possesses during this progression, deserve constant attention. It is the vital action which converts the sap to sugar, and when the motion that belongs to vitality is arrested by frost, the conversion to sugar also ceases. Cane-juice once frozen has but an uncrystallizable sugar, and yet the canes being only "frosted," are taken to the mill and still yield sugar, because congelation having taken place only on the ends and surfaces, protects the centre from the same change, as the covering of snow protects the earth in winter from the deep frosts, which would entirely destroy the roots it contains. But as soon as these frozen portions of cane-juice are free to move, chemical power alone is left to them, and with extraordinary rapidity they then circulate in the sap as the active principle of fermentation, which in a very short time extinguishes all traces of sugar to the great loss of the planter. This stagnation of the juice in the cane, by which its vitality is affected and its properties changed on the re from which in succeeding seasons reproduction takes place. Injury to this, therefore, is fatal to the plant. As spring advances, the soil becoming warmer, the circulation under the collet commences, and the old stem sealed against the exit of the sap by the dead-wood above ground, prevents its escape and forces it to find new outlets. Here again the microscope develops to the eye numerous little bright spots upon the collet, which soon increasing become at first buds and afterwards shoots. This process of reproduction, we can at once see by analogy with all other vegetation, cannot last many seasons in canes, were we not convinced, by the result of experience, that canes not only run out in a few crops, but also degenerate and become weakly and small. The shoots starting from a short distance beneath the surface, are sufficiently near to the air to receive warmth and moisture, from which they then derive their chief nourishment, and at a later day should be covered lightly with earth, when it be comes more essential to protect them from the sun. At this age of the plant, (not more than at others, however,) it is plain that all its nourishment must be taken up from a liquid or gaseous state, and we can scarcely conceive that such inorganic matter as silicon or flint, should be conveyed mechanically to its every part, but must be organized from its secretions. Everything that can act as manure, would apparently be only. soluble substances, and we see minerals, earths, metals, and vegetable fibre, undergoing decomposition and assuming new combinations of their elements, to aid in the new development of vegetable life. As is the lime to the animal kingdom the base and principal material in the construction of its frames, so is silex in the vegetable world. It is what hardens the rind, the bark, the stem, and the limb, and, aside from the fluid contained in cellular substance, is the chief cause of gravity. All parts of the animal are nutriment to the vegetable kingdom, and no constituents of the former have been discovered to be noxious to the latter. Yet vegetables and plants are susceptible to poisons in a common way, by means of their circulation. Innoculation with arsenic will kill the lilac, and a solution of nux vomica, introduced by the veins to the hop-vine, is fatal in a few hours. Prussic acid in minute doses, changes the bright green of the ashleaves to the dismal yellow of autumn. The roots, too, of plants take up solutions which, though not fatal to themselves, may be of deleterious influence to animals feeding upon them, and form distinctly an observable influence upon their own secretions, proved by tests applied to the extracts made from their barks. It is observable, therefore, that the amount of their acid secretions may be influenced by the application of alkalies, lime, ammonia, &c., to the roots, as is known to be the case on the sorrels, and may be inferred to be upon canes, which fact every planter should prove for himself. In some districts of Louisiana where shell is abundant, this could be well determined, and for how many seasons its beneficial effect should last, as well as the detail of the application of lime as manure to sugar-cane, might be proved and given to the public. planter. In the rotation of crops, the question lies, is it better to turn cane land to grass, to peas, or corn first, and by what succession is the first object best accomplished? And again, with which crop to apply manure, if with any and not to all. It is not to be forgotten that sugar is a solvent of lime, and if any method can be discovered by which its use can be dispensed with in the process of clarification of canejuice, a decided advantage to the operation of sugar-making will at once appear. Besides that the alkalies neutralize the acid, they lessen the quantities of sugar in the result, and incline that result to a redish color. However, the use of lime in sugar-making is not fully understood, and many planters now make their crops without it. To the soil, it is the great solvent of all vegetable fibre, and in like manner is potash ; but when their caustic properties are lost or consumed, they are no better than limestone or coal ashes, both of which mixing with the more tenacious clay, make it friable and porous, more pervious to water and less retentive of moisture; therefore not all cane lands can be equally benefited by these applications. Our own, and the practice of our neighbors, must be the guides to all useful results in the application of manures, mode of tillage of canes, process of sugar-making; to simplify and perfect all of which, should be the object of constant study, experiment, and observation of every planter. We are all in want of some practical information on these subjects as well as many others connected with the interests of the It is not for us now to go farther into the practice of planting, but from this brief view of a few of the points of common interest, enough of the field has been laid open to show the extent of the land, to what degree the planter becomes his own chemist, and how, dependent upon himself and his own resources, it is plainly necessary that he should consummate his own advancement. To effect this, he cannot stagger blindly forward, hoping by various chance experiments to stumble upon some great improvement, but must, if for no other than the sake of economy, study first the probability of success. He must know enough of the laws of nature and the rudiments of science, not to attempt impossibilities. To employ his agents successfully, he must surely understand their nature, and the mutual influence which they exert on each other, he must understand more fully the structure and function of plants-the office performed by each of their members, &c. Many of the errors which are committed in agriculture, would be avoided if the planter would consent to unite a larger portion of scientific information with his practical skill. In such case, he would not apply the same manures indiscriminately to all soils; he would not suffer land to lie waste which might easily be rendered productive; nor would he be content with a meager crop from soils which, with moderate outlay, might be increased in their fertility fourfold. We are far from supposing that any scientific knowledge can supersede a practical acquaintance with cultivation, but it is the help-meet to the husbandman; and the knowledge which he gathers from personal experience, will teach him not to disregard the light which may be afforded by the experience of others, and by the researches of science. The crucible, the retort, and the lamp of the alchemist, though they have not yet revealed the philosopher's stone or the elixir of life, wisdom and wealth have been acquired to the world, and the whole human family benefited by the developments which these vain researches have given. One man attempts what the laws of nature have forbidden, and by his example benefits his fellows. Another attempts an object practicable in itself, but by means totally inadequate and inappropriate, opens a mine, and expends a fortune for machinery and labor, where the geologist could have foretold a failure. Another proposes to increase the heat of his furnace by forcing in steam instead of air, and discovers that the fire, instead of being increased is extinguished; a result which a slight knowledge of chemistry would have prepared him to expect. A third projector chemistry, though but hints, to his studies, prepares a vessel for submarine navigation, and the mathematical and mechanical attain but not estimating properly the pressure of meats he derived from study with such a man, water at different depths, is crushed to death alone enabled him to perfect those great imduring his first experiment. It is plainly improvements, the beam and the condenser, to portant, then, to gather from science the light necessary to protect us from the delusions of an excited imagination, and to guide us in the way of safe and profitable enterprise. his steam-engine, which were the patents of his noble fame. Arkwright is quoted as an uninstructed mechanic, and he devoted fire years to the perfection of his spinning-jenny, now considered a very simple machine. Sir Humphrey Davy discovered the peculiarity belonging to mephitic gas, after a long series of labors, and but then applied it to practical utility in his safety-lamp for miners, and it is stated by Lord Brougham that the new process of sugar-refining, through the aid of ani mal carbon, by which more money has been made in a shorter time and with less risk and trouble than was ever, perhaps, gained by an invention, was discovered by a most accomplished chemist, and was the fruit of a long course of experiments, in the progress of which known philosophical principles were applied, and new principles ascertained. The great chemist, whose improvements in the manufactures of iron were the foundations of sult of deep research and long-continued study of coal, by which he was at last enabled to substitute the mineral for the vegetable in the smelting of iron. An instructed laborer is enabled to become an improver of the art in which he works, and even a discoverer in the sciences connected with it. He is daily handling the tools and materials with which new experiments are to be made, and daily witnessing the connected operations of nature, whether in the changes by motion or the chemical relation of bodies, and the opportunities which he eminently possesses, must pass unimproved if the artist have no knowledge of principles. But with this knowledge, he, of all men, is most likely to fall upon something new, which may be useful in art, or curious and interesting to science. His practised eye in the field, and dexterous hand in the machinery, may enable him to embrace many opportunities afforded, which he would otherwise pass un-a princely fortune, owed it entirely to the reheeded by. The processes, too, being often on a large scale, and consequently very expensive in many cases, it becomes the more important to devise means of saving labor and material, while the very magnitude of We are to infer from these illustrations and these operations often brings out facts and examples, that no eminence can be attained principles which would otherwise have re- in any profession, nor particular success in any mained imperceptible. But the importance calling, without study and labor, and that to of scientific attainments is most apparent secure the result for which we strive, we when we consider, that in any department of cannot plod on in the dull routine of life, arts, every enterprising operator ought to be half blind to what is doing in the world around informed of the improvements which have us, allowing ourselves to be surpassed by preceded his labors in that department, other laborers, possessed of inferior opportu otherwise he may consume time, labor, and nities, but a perseverance and observation money, in merely reproducing what has long which secures to them the benefit of all they existed, and perhaps in a shape preferable to see, and a comprehension of all they observe. that of his invention. It is obvious that after The seeing eye and the working hand, and the first and most important principles have the mind which conceives all things, are the been acquired, there seems to be a light only guarantees to ultimate success to the over the whole subject of search; there will planter, the manufacturer, and the merchant. be still many difficulties to be met, many ob- Our independence is hereby secured, that unstacles to overcome, and toilsome days and aided by others, we can produce the cane, nights consumed, in the nice adjustment in make the crop, and sell it at the best time, our mind of what we acquire, to render it and highest price, then turn to our plants and applicable to practical purposes. Half the ratoons of the succeeding season with a conlabors of great mechanics, such as Whitte-sciousness of capacity for our labors which more, the inventor of the card machine; Per- shall be the sweetest and most constant rekins, of the nail-machine; Jaquard, of the ward of our toil, and surety for our success. carpet-loom; who were originally men of small acquirements in early education, might have been saved if at first they had been instructed in the principles of mechanical science. Accident sometimes casts up important improvements in such a way that the artist can hardly fail to seize upon them, but in these cases even, it will be generally found that only the man of science can perfect these improvements. Watt confessed that the knowledge he acquired from the lectures of Dr. Black, on L. B. S. SUGAR OF LOUISIANA. (1846.)—The cane is now cultivated and worked into sugar in nineteen parishes, to wit: Point Coupée, West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson, St Bernard, Plaquemines, Assumption, Lafourche Interior, Terrebonne, St. Mary, St. Martin, Lafayette, Vermillion, and St. Landry; and large preparations are making for its intro duction and manufacture in the following heretofore exclusively cotton parishes, to wit: Rapides, Avoyelles, Concordia, Catahoula and Calcasieu. The extent of sugar lands embraced in the above parishes, and which could be put into cultivation at the ordinary expense of clearing and draining, would be sufficient to supply the whole consumption of the United States; and by applying to our low, flat lands, for a few years, the artificial draining of Holland, (and more particularly to the tract on our western coast, between the sea and the Mississippi,) lands enough could be reclaimed to supply, besides, the consumption of a large portion of Europe. By state documents, in the archives of the French government, it appears that the culture of the cane was strongly recommended in the earliest days of the colony. This valuable plant was first introduced from St. Domingo by the Jesuits; and it was cultivated on their plantation, where now stands the most flourishing part of suburb St. Mary, as early as 1725-6. cane. The species first imported was the Malabar, otherwise called Crystalline, or Creole The next species was the Otaheite, sometime about the close of the last century. The third species was the Ribbon cane, in 1817; it was first introduced from Georgia, by a Mr. Coiron; it came, originally, from the East Indies, and presents a good many varieties; it is now the favorite plant, owing to its earlier maturity, and its resisting better an early winter-two very important qualities in this climate. The statistics from 1803 to 1817 are so deficient, that it is extremely difficult to arrive at any correct data as to the progressive annual increase of the sugar crop during the above period. The crop in 1818 had attained 25,000 hogsheads. Cattle was the only power, used up to that period. In 1822, steam power was introduced; the first engines and mills cost about $12,000, and were chiefly imported by Gordon and Forstall. This power, however, was used but by very few, until our own foundries placed it within the reach of all, by reducing its cost to $5,000 or $6,000. The crop of 1822-23 amounted to. 30,000 hogsheads. 32,000 46 Each hogshead averaging 1,000 lbs. net, and yield ing from 45 to 50 gallons of molasses. Number of sugar estates in operation in 1827-8, \ 308, worked as follows: Manual power, about. Steam.... Horse.. .21,000 slaves. 82 engines. 226 .$34,000,000 Capital invested, then estimated at The manufacture of cane into sugar does not appear to have commenced before 1764, when samples were sent to the mother country from the estate of Chevalier de Mazan, near the city, on the opposite bank. The yield per acre was then stated to have been to work, in 1830, 691: 3,000 lbs. and the quality was pronounced to be equal to that of St. Domingo muscovado. The cession of Louisiana to Spain, at that epoch appears to have put a stop to that industry, for no farther traces of sugar-making are to be found until 1791, when the first sugar-house, under the Spanish government, was erected by a Mr. Solis, at Terre-auBœufs, in the parish of St. Bernard. The next was established in 1796, on a plantation situated where now stands Carrollton, and belonging to a Mr. Boré; it produced a crop of $12,000, a sum considered at that epoch as very large. This result may be said to have laid the foundation of the sugar industry in Louisiana. Its progress, however, was at first extremely slow; and at the epoch of the cession of Louisiana to the United States, the number of sugar estates was very small, no doubt owing to the want of capital. Number of sugar estates in operation or preparing Manual power, about. .36,000 slaves. 282 engines. 409 .$50,000,000 Capital then invested, estimated at Number of sugar estates in operation in 1841-2, 668: |