276 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



them, but without the trees. These lands might just as well as 

 not be crowded and crowned with fruit! Let me mention Webster, 

 of Paynesville, Ohio, who keeps seven acres covered with fine 

 strawberries. 



Mr. Meigs was pleased to be able to testify, that this year, our 

 great city has been filled with fine strawberries, at a very low 

 rate. 



Mr. Freeman — My Brinkle raspberries have paid me this year, 

 at the rate of a thousand dollars an acre ! 



Mr. Field gave some of his experience in the raspberry line, 

 which was, that oif 3,000 canes of them, he picked two perfect 

 berries this season, and no more. They flowered nobly, but never 

 filled up the fruit ! Some said it was because they had not been 

 covered up last winter ! Why, sir, the labor of covering and then 

 uncovering in the spring, and securing them to stakes or wire 

 lines, is worth more than the berries. Our caps never want 

 covering. 



Mr. Freeman — Not so troublesome as some think. We cover 

 the canes, which readily bend down two or three inches with 

 earth, by means of our plows ! 



Mr. Robinson — There are tens of thousands of acres of our 

 native raspberries, north of latitude 45°. 



Mr. Field — Yes sir, and none of them will ever come to our 

 markets ! They are not worth the picking ! 



Mr. Field presented wheat stalks of good growth and good grain. 

 Stooled thirty-one stalks from one grain, planted on pure sand, 

 dug up below the soil many feet, without a particle of manure ; 

 but which, supplied as it has been by the unusual amount of 

 seven inches of rain, (on the level), has flourished as you see. 

 On a good loamy soil, the rain water ran off", while my pure sand 

 heap swallowed up the whole of it. 



Mr. K. Alvord submitted for examination his patent gutta 

 percha and hard rubber Insulator and copper and iron tubular 

 Lightenhig rods. They may be seen at 308 Broadway. 



Mr. Robinson begged to be delivered from them ; he felt much 

 safer where they were not! Insulators for lightening rods! Mr. 

 Chairman, one of the great humbugs of this great humbugging 

 community. 



