482 [AsSEMBtT 



Judge Livingston. — Presented Isabella Grapes which he has pre- 

 served by enclosing them in air tight glass jars. They were tailed 

 by the members and pronounced very good. 



Alexander Walsh, of Lansingburgh. — A letter from him was read 

 stating the propriety of trying as a substitute for potato, the South 

 American Arracacha, a root partaking of the nature of carrot and po- 

 tato. 



Mr» Meigs — Put the following questions relative to the 



Culture and Manufacture of Flax, 

 to Mr. Billings from Missouri. 



1st. What kind of soil shall I choose? and what manure? 



Where there is most lime. On our best Prairie land w^e add 

 twenty bushels of lime to an acre; the lime should be first slaked- 

 Use also good well decomposed manure. 



2d. When and how often and how deep shall I plow it ? 



Plow as soon as the crop is off the field in the fall; plow deep, 

 and if necessary use the subsoil plow, so as to plow twelve inches 

 deep. Then in the spring plow four or five inches deep. 



3d. When and how shall I sow the seed — broad cast or in drills; 

 and how many bushels to each acre? 



As soon as the land is plowed in the spring; harrow it lightly, 

 and sow two and a half, to three bushels of seed; then harrow well. 



4th. How shall I keep the crop clean? 



The crops keep clean of weeds by the close thick growth of flax. 



5th. How shall I gather the flax, and at what time? 



Cut the flax with a cradle having a scythe from eighteen to twen- 

 ty-two inches in length. Cut as soon as the blossoms of the flax 

 begin to fall. 



6th. How shall I secure the crop when gathered? what quantity 

 in a bundle? 



