376 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Prof. Mapes and Dr. Jackson interchanged remarks. The 

 former suggesting that althongh the flame will not pass through 

 the gauze, yet the explosive mixture would. 



Dr. Jackson was satisfied that in these lamps the explosive gas 

 cannot be formed. 



Dr. Smith pronounced the invention good, yet not perfect. 

 Mr. Field — Yet there must be care in this thing. 



The Chairman called up the questions of the day — " Making 

 and treatment of hot beds," "fences," "cold frames for plants." 



Mr. Meigs stated his experience with hot beds, which he had used 

 for half a century. In 1825 he had some of the first seeds of the 

 dahlia. They had been grown first in Spain, next in France, and 

 then in England. He planted them in a hot bed in February, 

 carefully attended to the lifting (whenever weather was suitable) 

 the glass frames to admit air. When the plants had become about 

 ten inches high, he neglected one cloudy morning to lift the frames, 

 the sun came out strong and large drops of water in the inside of 

 the glass had become lenses and ruined the greater i3art of the 

 plants by burning them. 



Prof Mapes illustrated upon the black board and explained 

 fully his successful hot and cold frames — the latter being most 

 profitable by far. Cabbai'e plants were sold for four times as 

 much as the common plant — they were very hardy. The cold 

 frame was covered only by boards which were carelully at proper 

 times opened to admit air. Here the young j^lants pricked in an 

 inch apart became frozen of course, but sudden thawing was pre- 

 vented by the covering. He has thirty beds in one, and most of 

 them have lasted ten 3 ears. The Professor illustrated his success- 

 ful practice with Lima beans. He places in a suitable box a sod 

 upside down, cuts incisions across it at right angles, puts a bean 

 eye side down into the intersections. Here they have all those 

 advantages required. They come up easy — no turning over to 

 the injury of the plant. They are right and when the weather 

 is safe these are placed in tlie open air and duly poled, and as 

 they reach some five feet high the stems are shortened so as to 

 throw the growth into a larger stalk and branches, to the great 

 increase of the crop. 



Mr. Pardee thought well of this box plan, and that the boxes 

 might as well be larger, say two feet square. 



The Professor spoke of the club foot in cabbage as a consequence 

 of the use of hog manure, from which soil containing ^/je// is nev- 

 ertheless free. 



