242 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



week, as many more seeds in another part, and so on to the fourth 

 part. As the plants rise, the striped bugs and black cut worms 

 attack tliem, but the number of plants is now sufficient to feed all 

 the bugs, and leave plenty of plants for us, say five in a hill. 

 Some of our folks have ten acres of cucumbers. I plant melons 

 three times. All the soot, lime, snuff, &c., have proved unavail- 

 ing. If you will have plenty of cucumbers and melons, you must 

 first feed all the bugs. 



Chairman — Are ashes of any service on the hills ? 



Adrian Bergen — I think that both ashes and lime are of some 

 utility against the insects. 



Prof Mapes has raised great numbers of melons, and never 

 loses any when he uses a method of his own contrivance. Small 

 wooden boxes, some eight or ten inches high, set over the hills. 

 These cost but two dollars a hundred. The box causes the plant 

 to grow vigorously, somewhat on the principle of a mulch, and 

 the cut worm comes up to its sides, but cannot get in. The bug 

 on wing flies to it, but the sides of the box are in his wayj he flies 

 around it, cannot dive into it, and at last hits his head against the 

 side of the box, and falls down stupified if not killed, he is stifi"- 

 ened at any rate. I have not lost a cucumber or melon plant these 

 eight years. 



Chairman — What do you say as to the almost universal practice 

 of hilling up corn 1 



Prof Mapes — Flat cultivation of it is preferable, especially in 

 under-drained land. 



Chairman — I did not find as large crops of grain per acre in 

 the valley ot the Nile, as our good farms yield, notwithstanding 

 the long boasted fertilizing power of the waters of inundation 

 or irrigation. When the water of the Nile is low, its water is 

 cold, limpid and remarkably delicious. And I found the water 

 of their unglazed jars cold enough to make my teeth chatter. 

 And I found the day heat a hundred degrees of Fahrenheit, and 

 at night often only forty degrees. Indian corn lasts two years. 

 The first year yielding its ears, and in the second year a growth of 

 leaves and imperfect ears from its joints, making an abundant 

 forage. 



