206 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Farmers of France. — Statistical report by Maurice Block, cor- 

 responding member. 



Truffies. — Inquiry. Are they a product of oak trees? A far- 

 mer planted acorns and found tliey grew truffies ! Mons. Guerin 

 Meneville said that the inhabitants of the lower Alps knew by 

 certain signs where the truffles would be found about the roots 

 of the oak trees, and that generally such trees were sickly, feeble, 

 &c., and growing where there was little vegetation. 



How to prevent farmers from moving into the cities ! 



M. H. Grand Jean, clockmaker, at Lodi, reports that he im- 

 ported original potatoes from the Cordilleras, of Peru, three 

 years ago, with a view to a new generation of tubers, to be free 

 from disease. He planted them, and so far, all w^ere healthy. 

 He offers some of them for trial by members. 



M. Payen spoke of the great benefit arising from a certain 

 amount of flesh being consumed by a people, and now that the 

 supply of it in France is quite insufficient — of slock and of poul- 

 try — there being only about 700 millions of kilogrammes of cat- 

 tle, sheep, and hogs, and about 380 millions of kilogrammes of 

 poultry, game, fish, eggs, cheese, &c. This makes 980 millions, 

 which gives tq each inhabitant per annum but 28* kilogrammes. 

 This amount is evidently insufficient. 



The Secretary read the following paper from Capt. Smith of the 

 United States Light horse service : 



New-York, Jiore 2, 1856. 



Dear Sir — I had intended to avail myself of your kind invita- 

 tion to be present at your next meeting of the Farmers' Club, but 

 my duties will unavoidably prevent. In great haste I will give 

 you an item, my own experience in sheep raising in a small way. 



It is now about nineteen months since I came in possession of 

 three Nankin sheep, (all ewes.) I took them from on board the 

 clipper ship Jacob Bell, just then arrived from Canton, and sent 

 them to my farm, Norwalk Isla;id, Ct. These were all the sheep 

 I had of any kind, and no buck with these, though they were all 

 with lamb, and I relied on raising a buck as the sequel will show. 

 They brought forth not long afterwards, each with three lambs, 

 (the sheep were poor, having been on ship board 160 days,) but 

 they soon fattened and the lambs grew finely. The next time, for 

 they have lambs twice in a year, they had three, four and five 

 lambs at a birth, and raised them. One of these sheep has had 

 twelve lambs in fifteen months, and the increase from the three 

 original sheep, up to eighteen months, has been seventy foitr ! 



* Kilogramme is 2 lbs., 8 ounces. 3 pennyweights, and 2 grains. Troy weight. 



