AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 261 



earthen pot, and it will greatly improve its quality. I have so kept a 

 melon thirteen days, and have used seed thirteen years old. 



Mr. Pardee. — A successful grower of melons of my acquaintance throws 

 out the earth of a large hole and suns it, and then throws it back another 

 day, and so on several times ; and before planting he puts a lot of good, 

 fine manure in the bottom, so that the hill is a little higher than the ground 

 around ; then plants the seed as Mr. Burgess does, and always carefully 

 pinches out the center buds of the first stalk, and also the laterals, when 

 two or three feet long. 



Mr. Wright, a farmer of New Jersey, gave his experience in raising 

 melons. He said that he was careful not to raise the hills ; he would 

 prefer to have the hills a little below rather than above. 



Mr. Burgess. — It would improve the melons to cover the ground thinly 

 with straw for wines to run over. 



Andrew S. Fuller. — I agree with Mr. Burgess about his mode of plant- 

 ing melons, and setting trees. He presented illustrations to show how 

 trees may be anchored down with hooked stakes. Also the plan of dig- 

 ging holes with a cone-shaped bottom, so as to give the lateral roots 

 a chance to run deeper than the bottom of the hole under the tree, and 

 also drains away the water from the tree. His plan of staking down the 

 roots obviates all necessity of setting up a post and tying the tree to it, or 

 using wires to brace the tree as is common in France. No injury occurs 

 to the roots from the stakes, if driven firmly, so as to hold the roots fast 

 on the ground. 



TRANSPLANTING PINE AND OTHER TREES. 



Mr. Veeder. — I have many trees upon my place, and of late I have been 

 very successful. I one lost 99 out of 100 pines. Now I lose few, if any. 

 The pine tree must be carefully taken up. Cut the roots all smooth, with 

 a square of earth attached to the roots. Use no manure. It grows best 

 in sandy or poor soil. From May 15 to August 1 is the best time in the 

 latitude of Albany. I have been successful in transplanting all sorts of 

 forest trees. I am careful to dig large holes, and put the top soil with 

 the roots. If the hole is in sod, I invert the sods at the bottom. Some- 

 times I borrow good earth from some other place. I am careful to embed 

 the roots in fine earth. Afterward, I pour on a pail of water if the earth 

 is very dry. I tramp down the earth hard above the roots. I seldom cut 

 ofi" a branch of a fruit or forest tree in transplanting. I have the best 

 success in not pruning, and I never stake a tree. I put weight of earth 

 enough on the roots to hold them firmly. If drouth comes on, I always 

 use mulching. Transplanting requires a great deal of care and attention, 

 but by it I have a grove of 6,000 or 7,000 trees to protect my house from 

 cold winds. I only use water to compact the earth around the small roots. 



GERMINATION OF SEEDS. 

 Mr. Pell addressed the Club upon the subject. Moisture, air and heat 

 are all reqjred to make any seeds germinate. Soil, mechanically speaking, 



