320 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



CULTIVATION OF FLOWERS. 



Mr. R. G. Pardee. — I want to impress upon those who design to 

 plant flowers this spring the importance of frequently stirring 

 the soil. It is of more importance than manure. I have already- 

 dug up and stirred my ground twice, and I should like to do it 

 five or six times before planting the seed. The rule should be, 

 keep stirring and pulvering the soil. Do not wait till you 

 are ready to plant your delicate seeds, and then stir the soil only 

 once. That is less than a farmer would do for corn. How much 

 more important that the earth should be well prepared for flowers. 

 Then be careful to get the best seed. Although there are forty 

 kinds of asters, there are but two or three worth buying. Ditto 

 of pinks. Then there are many things sold by seedsmen for 

 flo^^ers, that are not worthy of a place in any collection. The 

 people need a great deal of information upon the subject of 

 flower cultivation, and it should be talked about at every meet- 

 ing at this season. 



"The neglected fruits of our country and flowers" were con- 

 tinued as the subjects for the next meeting. Adjourned. 



JOHN W. CHAMBERS, Secretary. 



April 14, 1862. 

 Mr. Hawkhurst in the chair. 



A NEW FRUIT BOX. 



Mr. H. G. Allen presented a new^ fruit box, made by the Oneida 

 community, Oneida county, N. Y. These boxes are very neat and 

 strong, in the form of a fig drum, without a cover. They are sold 

 at the rate of ten dollars per thousand. 



Mr. Robinson suggested that it would be an improvement if 

 they could be made with a flaring top, so that the. empty boxes 

 might be packed one within the other. 



A NEW SUBSOILER. 



S. B. Pierce, of Homer, Cortland county, N. Y., exhibited a very 

 beautifully finished plow, with a subsoil attachment, contrived 

 so as to set it by turning a screw at any depth from one to ten 

 inches below the bottom of the turning plow. This he stated 

 Avould require about one-fourth more power than it does to draw 

 the plow without the attachment, but will add more than a fourth 

 to the value of the work, and probably induce some farmers to 

 subsoil their plowing who would not do it with a separate plow, 



