AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 151 



Canada thistles and chess? Last year, on one of my low ground meadows, 

 on which I raised oats three years ago, there was an enormous crop of 

 Canada thistles, and there had been more or less thistles for some years. 

 All that was done to them was to run my mower through them when I 

 cut the grass. This year, on that part of the meadow where the thistles 

 were largest last year, we find an overgrown crop of chess, but not a single 

 thistle is to be seen with them. No wheat has ever been grown on the 

 field. B}' what law or process ha? this transmutation been effected ?" 



Mr. Pardee continued. — We can explain why the thistles have disap- 

 peared, because we know that cutting them at the right season will kill 

 them. But who can explain why the chess should start up there and no 

 where else, since no one will suppose chess and thistles have any connection, 

 whatever may be thought of wheat and chess ? 



Mr. Fuller related a fact of a field of oats in Wisconsin that grew no 

 chess, but the scattered oats vegetated next spring, and grew all chess. 

 This was in 1846, and his faith that grain could not turn to chess was 

 shaken. 



Solon Robinson. — I hope the chess question will not be revived here, 

 since scientific men have settled the question that wheat never did, never 

 can, never will turn to chess. But I can relate home facts that are 

 very hard to get over, if wheat and oats both do not produce chess. I don't 

 pretend to believe or disbelieve anything. Mr, R. then related several 

 very strong cases of wheat and chess growing on the prairies. 



BUSTY OATS. 



Prof. Morris mentioned the fact of horses having died from eating rusty 

 oats, and suggested that rust in this case was animalcula. 



He said that peaches are grown in Russia by cutting back the stock of 

 the first year to two buds, and afterwards laying it on the ground one 

 year, and then training it on the north side of a wall. 



R. G. Pardee. — The best flavored peaches I have ever eaten, as well as 

 largest size of the variety, were grown in Canada. Greenhouse peaches 

 are insipid and almost worthless. By the plan of layering we may be able 

 to produce fine, healthy peaches, even if it is upon dwarf trees. We know 

 that we cannot grow raspberries without layering. 



Prof. Mapes. — We can't train a peach tree with limbs below a horizon- 

 tal line, without injuring the growth of the trees. It may do to layer 

 down the young limbs in winter, but they must be lifted early in spring. 



BLIGHT IN CORN. 



Mr. Ambler. — I have a farm in Bethel, Conn., and find part of my 

 corn blighted as though touched with frost. But it cannot be, for nothing 

 else has been touched by frost near it. I do not think I shall have two- 

 thirds as much corn as the stalks indicate. The first symptom is spots on 

 the leaves. 



