416 TiiAxsACTioys of the Am eric ax Ixstitute. 



acid was supposed to be found in the juice, but this statement has 

 been questioned bj authorities. Our Professor, Johnson, says no. 

 A man may hurt himself by eating blackberries ; I have. So are 

 peaches liable to make one sick. Pie-plant is as safe as anything else. 



Dr. Isaac P. Trimble. — Any student of materia medica knows there 

 are certain plants of which parts are poisonous and other parts valu- 

 able. I have no doubt that the leaf of the pie-plant is poisonous, 

 however safe the stalk may be decided to be. 



Dr. J. V. C Smith. — I believe the functions of leaves and stems 

 are very different. But if the leaves of the pie-plant had been cooked 

 for the swine, I apprehend there would have been no trouble. 



Prof James A. Whitney. — There can be no doubt that the leaves 

 of pie-plant are poisonous. There is oxalic acid in them, and any 

 one who uses them will run the risk of uncomfortable consequences. 

 As regards the pulp, long experience has proved that there is no 

 danger from that. 



Mr. P. T. Quinn. — I send to market some 15,000 bunches of pie- 

 plant per annum. During the past twelve years the demand has 

 increased 1,400 per cent. Still I have never heard of ill effects from 

 its use. We throw the rubbish in the manure-shed and not in the 

 pig pen. 



On Thinning Pears. 



Mr. P. T. Quinn spoke briefly in advocacy of the great advantage 

 of lessening the weight of over-burdened branches. lie said : It has 

 often been remarked that he is a benelactor who causes two blades to 

 grow where one grew before. The other day, in the State of Cam- 

 den and Amboy, a gentleman avowed his conviction that he is a 

 benefactor who puts three railroads where before were two. In pear 

 culture, if you leave two where before there were three, you consult 

 your own interest. By doing this you give tlie two a chance to 

 mature, and there is always a demand for first quality pears, while 

 commoner specimens are always a drug in the market. It is to the 

 advantage of all, both producers and consumers, that only those be 

 left which arc likely to come up to the standard. 



The Chairman. — The difficulty is, people can't bear to remove fair 

 looking fruit. It was ten years before I could screw my courage 

 up to do it, yet all the while I appreciated the advantage. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — The same is true with pruning. A husband- 

 man hesitates to put the knifo among the branches. 



