342 



be clwg' up by the roots just as they ^row, and put up in bundles of eig^ht or ten canes tied 

 together. The leaves should be turned down towards the roots, and packed head and tail, 

 with some straw or dried csine leaves, so as to protect the eyes ; they should be handled 

 with great care so as not to bruise them. They should be placed on board in a cool place, 

 exposed at times to the air if possible, which will save them from dry rot. On approaching 

 our country they should be well guarded from being frosted. The exposure to cold at 30° 

 Fahrenheit will destroy their vitality and render them useless by killing the eyes. This 

 might all be done by our national vessels which pass there ; or our Boston or New York 

 clippers, if reciuested by your department, would take pleasure in complying with our wish 

 •and in rendering so important a service to our portion of the country. 



"There is also in the same vicinity, in the kingdom of Assam, on a large river like our 

 Mississippi, a very large red cane, called by the Malays ' Tibboo merali,' red cane, which 

 resembles and has nearly the same good qualities of the ribbon cane, and which might be 

 advantageous to us. A few could be imported. All the other varieties do not suit us, and 

 we do not want them. We do not wish to receive any from the West Indies for fear of in- 

 troducing the worm called the 'grubber,' and getting unsuitable varieties. 



" Some time after 1840 a few ribbon canes were sent from here to Tabasco, Mexico, and 

 cultivated there on the river Tabasco. They have flourished there, the soil and clinrate 

 suiting them well. I have seen canes brought from there which had not degenerated, and 

 were as good as when first introduced. This is owing partly to the tact that they do not 

 replant the cane but once in ten or twelve years, and also to the extreme richness of the soil 

 in a warm climate. We might get some cane from there were it not for the state of the 

 country, which is now in great confusion and anarchy. 



"A schooner of fifty or sixty tons, drawing seven or eight feet of water loaded, can be 

 freighted here to go after a load of canes for about $'2,000 in gold, and would make the trip 

 in two months. The best season for planting such canes would be in October or No- 

 vember." 



DONATIONS FROM CALIFORNIA. 



Persons visiting the museum of the Agricultural Department are always in- 

 terested in noting the samples of Oaliforuian products, some of which are so 

 exceptional in vai'iety and extraordinary in size, as compared with those of the 

 east. Californians have been public- spirited and generous in furnishing the de- 

 partment with these specimens. 



Valuable additions to these collections have just been received of seeds and 

 wines, which made the long voyage via Cape Horn. As much of the wine was 

 of the last vintage, not having undergone its second fermentation when it started, 

 it was expected that some loss would result. 



The seeds were from Daniel L. Perkins, of Oakland county, numbering 101 

 bottles, as follows : Corn, 4 ; beans, 7 ; peas, 9 ; melons, 3 ; cucumbers, 4 ; 

 squashes, 9; tomato, 7; cabbage, 13; cauliflower, 2; Scotch kale, 1; lettuce, 

 11; s])inach, 2; peppergrass, 1; parsnip, 2; tobacco, 2; beets, 7 ; turnips, 5 ; 

 kohl rabi, 2; carrots, 3; onions, 1; radish, 6. 



The wines were sent by B. N. Bugby, Natoma vineyard. Eighteen bottles, 

 one broken, one cork out — nearly empty; Griswold & Sons, Salt Spring valley, 

 four bottles ; Schell & Krouse, Knight's Ferry, four bottles, two broken; T. A. 

 Paley, Woodbridge, San Joaquin, two bottles, one broken. 



Specimens of the soil and subsoil of these different vineyards were also re- 

 ceived with the wines. 



Among these Californian products, are six bottles of wine from Messrs. 

 Schell & Krouse, of their vintage of 1865, for analysis, together with s.imples 

 of soil from their vineyard in Stanislaus county. The previous vintages have 

 •obtained much celebrity and several premiums. The soil of the vineyards 

 is largely composed of the debris washed down from the volcanic i-egions 

 of the mountains. The site has a southern aspect, and is flanked by hills 

 composed of lava, white chalk, red and yellow ochre, iron rock, and sandstone. 

 The wine is made from the Mission grape of California. Eight thousand cut- 

 tings were set out in 1860, were well cultivated and irrigated for two years, 



