126 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



have been made by it, to obtain for Fi-ance, tbe wild silk loorm which 

 lives in China upon oak trees. That a committee consisting of Messrs. 

 Guerin-Meneville, Tastet and himself had prepared a list of questions in 

 detail relative to it, which by the care of the superior of the foreign mis- 

 sions, has been sent to all the French missionaries in China, who lend us 

 powerful aid in these matters, for which we cannot be too gateful. The 

 Abbe Bertrand, our apostolic missionary in Sutchuen, has returned very 

 precise answers to our circular of questions. Mons. Jacquemart read it. 

 Mons. Guerin-Meneville stated that the facts given to us by the Abbe 

 Bertrand coincide with those we had obtained from the director of the 

 Russian colony established in Pekin, who is noiu in Paris. He remarks 

 that we have some leaves of the two kinds of oak spoken of by the Abbe 

 Bertrand, and the acorns of which were received through the Bishop 

 Verolles and Mons. Montigny, and we now have those two kinds of oak 

 growing here, and one of them, the chesnut leaved one is cultivated in 

 the museum of natural history gardens. We can readily multiply these 

 oaks when we shall possess the silk worm. 



Note by H. Meigs. — Michaux, in his admirable North American Sylva, 

 describes three oaks as " Che.<nut White Oak," " Rock Chesnut Oak," and 

 "Small Chesnut Oak," lohose leaves resemble those of the chesnut ''Cas- 

 tanea vesca,^'' the one said to be preferred by this new silk worm, 



Charles F. Erhard, of Astoria, exhibited branches and bunches of his 

 cherry currants, which are very large, and so closely clustered on the 

 branches as to hide them from view. 



Solon Robinson asked the privilege of making a little statement about 

 the value of improvements made upon our common fruits, as most particu- 

 larly shown in the cherry currant. Some of the members of the club, said 

 Mr. R., will remember with what pleasure we looked upon a specimen of 

 the fruit of the cherry currant, exhibited here last year, by Charles F. 

 Erhard, a German gardener, at Ravenswood, that beautiful little village 

 on the bank of the East river, opposite Blackwell's Island. It was doubted 

 by some whether such currants could be grown, as a general thing, to such 

 perfection. I don't doubt it — I have visited Mr, Erhard, and seen how 

 they will grow, and how they will compare with the crimson sort growing 

 in the same soil, and I am satisfied that all gardeners, and all farmers, 

 should get rid of the old style currant bushes, and replace them with those 

 of the new variety, as soon as possible ; and it is possible very soon, for 

 even now, great as the demand is, the sets can be bought for about $70 a 

 thousand. As some persons may inquire, " What is the cherry currant?" 

 I have requested Mr. Erhard to allow me to read a paper prepared by him, 

 giving that information. It reads as follows : 



Description of the Chemj Currant. — It is not a distinct species of the 

 genus Ribes — only a new variety of Ribcs Rubriim, of which the red and 

 white Dutch, and many others, are also varieties. It is, therefore, just as 

 hardy as the common currant. The distinguishing properties of the cherry 

 currant are : Strong, robust growth of the bush — the shoots being stouter, 



