No. 199.] 521 



A Sultan of Persia attended by his vizier, guards, purse bearer, &c. 

 saw a very old man setting out a young fruit tree. He saluted him 

 and asked his age, the old man replied four years. An attendant 

 checked him for speaking thus to the Sultan. But he observed, my 

 long life had been passed in the ordinary idle way of man. It is 

 only four years since 1 began to plant for others, as others have be- 

 fore planted for me, and I account all ray past years as nought ex- 

 cept the four. Good, said the Sultan, and the purse bearer, as was 

 customary when the Sultan spoke approbation, immediately handed a 

 purse of a thousand pieces to the old man, who remarked, other men's 

 trees require many years to yield fruit, while mine produce it as soon 

 as planted. Bravo, said the Sultan, and ordered him another purse of 

 a thousand pieces. And sire said the old man, other men's trees give 

 but one crop of fruit in a year, while mine give me two. Bravo, said 

 the Sultan : Adieu, if I stay here your worth and wit will hurt ray treasury. 



Grafts, cuttings and seeds were distributed. 



Subject for next meeting, seeds and planting, grafts, cuttings &c. 



The Club adjourned. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary, 



April 16th, i860 



Judge Van Wyck in the Chair ; Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The secretary read the following extract made by him from the 

 voyage of Juan D'Ulloa. 



The King of Spain commissioned Don George Juan and Don 

 Antonio D'Ulloa, in 1735, to visit and examine South America. 

 They examined the famous beds of guano, used by the Peruvians as 

 manure. 



They say that " many persons supposed it to be a natural earth, 

 for on boring into it they found it the same at the bottom as at 



