No. 144. 1 423 



is now very late to plant these seeds, as you will see by the circu- 

 lar enclosed, which is my mode of culture. I would reserve 

 some, and sow in July or August next. Those planted now I 

 would soak in a solution of guano and water (pretty strong) for 

 twenty-four hours, or in water alone forty- eight hours, before 

 planting. Fresh stable manure suits this grass, and I apply it 

 turned under before sowing the seed. It is best to plant or sow 

 these seeds pretty thick in the row. They require shallow plant- 

 ing and slight covering. The ground should be spaded deep and 

 well pulverized. My grass has stood the cold in Virginia so far 

 without injury. I do not see why it wont do as well in New- 

 York. It stands cold here which kills wheat and barley, parti- 

 cularly while in bloom. I will, after a while, send you some 

 seed of my summer grass which you will prize as a treasure. 

 Should the Ceratochloa succeed with you, please let me know. 

 The Japan pea is beautiful, but does it not require too much 

 ground 1 I shall give it a fair trial, and hope for success. 

 Your obedient servant, 



B. V. IVERSON. 



Mr. Paul Stillman read an extract of a letter from his friend. 

 Captain Edward Pinuix, of Quintay Ranch, Mar^ sville, Califor- 

 nia, from whom he had received the 30 varieties of melon seed, 

 distributed at the club the past spring. He wished to know the 

 result of their cultivation here. He had himself succeeded in 

 raising one the past season of 41 i lbs. It was of the variety 

 wrongly called in the list he gave the club, pultoon, but rightly 

 purutun [iwo-roo-tooJi). It is, perhaps, the largest and best, va- 

 riety of the musk melon. The largest obtained in 1853 was 36 

 lbs. Mr. Stillman said that the seed he had reserved for his 

 own cultivatioti had made him no return owing to the ferocity of 

 the squash bug, wliich had been driven by the drouth from all 

 sections to feed upon his vines, so that they had utterly destroyed 

 them after large melons were formed on the vines. Captain Pin- 

 nix also informed Mr. S. that he had the past summer gathered 

 from eight peach trees, three years from the bud, 3,975 peaches 

 as fine as the best he had ever seen in New-Jersey, and that after 

 he had thinned out above 300 from each tree. 



