314 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE 



Mr. W. S. Carpenter suggested that these things might be 

 turned to great practical utility by having duplicates made of 

 genuine specimens of fruit, with which to compare fruit waiting 

 to be identified. 



Mr. P. T. Quinn thought these were the most perfect specimens 

 of imitation fruit that the institute had ever received. 



Chinese Yam. 



Mr. W. R Prince, Flushing, L. I., sends to the club some tubers 

 of the Chinese yam for distribution, and gives the mode of culti- 

 vation: 



Keep the tubers in sand, free from frost, till spring. The 

 blossoms emit a cinnamon odor. By autumn the roots will be 

 slender and a foot long. The ensuing spring cut the roots into 

 sections one and a half inches long, and plant the pieces in rows 

 one and a half feet apart. The vines may be allowed to run on 

 the ground the same as the sweet potato. The roots thus produced 

 will weigh from half a pound to one and a half pounds. 



A light soil is preferable, but they will grow on any warm and 

 rich ground. All the sandy soils of New Jerse}^ and the south 

 side of Long Island are suitable for raising the yam. This is the 

 only vegetable to which God and nature have imparted a pro rata 

 portion of azote sufficient to sustain the muscular force of man 

 without the use of meat, and at the same time be superior in 

 quality. 



Unsound Flour. 



Mr. F. C. Treadwell presented a report from the committee 

 which was referred back for further action. 



Mr. H. P. Smith, Westfield, Mass., said he had little faith in 

 o-etting inspectors to remedy the difficulty, for the reason that it 

 is inspected by men who generally can be bought. He spoke of 

 having bought thirty barrels of beef of a trustworthy dealer 

 ■which proved rotten; it was sent back, his money refunded in 

 part onl}^ and the beef was sold to ship owners. 



A gentleman remarked that the only remedy lay in having the 

 grain inspected on the farm. The evil lay in the farmers taking 

 a bad quality of grain to market. 



Dr. James Knight said that he had found so many obstacles in 

 the cure of his little patients from the use of unsound flour, that 

 he felt like coming to the club and thanking them for what they 

 were doing to counteract the adulterations and swindles in flour, 



