AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 269 



Solon Robinson thought Long Island farmers must delight in 

 growing weeds, since they hauled the seed home by the wagon- 

 load in the stable manure they buy in this city. His remarks ex- 

 cited a good deal of merriment. 



Mr. Pardee said almost the entire cost of growing garden vege- 

 tables was in keeping the ground clear of weeds. For five years 

 he put everything in compost, till he got rid of weed seed, and the 

 cost of raising strawberries did not exceed thirty cents a bushel. 



Dr. Waterbury made a statement to the same effect; by the use 

 of compost he got rid of weeds. 



Mr. Amos Gore corroborated these opinions. 



Dr. Smith related a noted case of a farm in England that was 

 manured many years with nothing tjut woolen rags, which pro- 

 duced great crops and no weeds; because, once exterminated, and 

 no seed sown in the manure, weeds could not grow. 



The next meeting of the Club will take place on the first Tues- 

 day in September. 



Judge Van Wyck remarked that the butter question was one of 

 universally admitted importance. In his late excursion to Dutch- 

 ess county, he had informed himself that a good cow properly 

 treated, there yielded every year about eighty pounds of butter. 



Mr. T. W. Field said that he had visited the scientific farm of 

 Prof. Mapes, at Newark, New Jersey, repeatedly, and was rejoiced 

 to see there proof positive that the terrible foe of farmer and gar- 

 dener, the weeds had been wisely totally expelled by the able 

 Professor. ■ And he also admired the admirable culture of the 

 smaller garden plants, without the hoe entirely; a small mule was 

 trained so as to step carefully in spaces 12 or 15 ins. wide between 

 the drills, and stirring the soil close to the plants. The deep cul- 

 ture of the Professor has, as usual, saved his crops from damage 

 by the recent severe drought, so much so that his farm is conspicu- 

 ous as a green one, among the neighboring dry ones. His nursery 

 of finest pears excels in quantity and character any he ever saw; 

 pear trees not higher than his head are loaded with pears — some 

 bearing 150 fine pears ! 



Adrian Bergen said that he was glad to attend the meetings of 

 the Club and hear sensible men talk freely all about the ways and 



