380 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Mr. Cotheal, to wliom we have been frequently obliged for 

 valuable seeds imported from foreign countries by him, for gifts 

 to agriculturists, presents a package ot the seed of a grass grow- 

 ing at Mozambique, on the southeasterly side of Africa, about 

 opposite to the island of Madagascar. It has been grown here 

 in 1856, and attains the great height of fifteen feet. It is of the 

 species Fundi or Fundungi, of the west coast of Africa, about 

 Sierra-Leone, but three times taller. It is the Paspalum exile 

 of Lindley, and in Abyssinia there are other species of it, as the 

 teflf and tocusso — Abyssinian corn plants- The teff' is the Poa- 

 Abyssinica ; the latter is the Eleusine tocusso — both noted by 

 Linnaeus. 



Hon. Horace Greeley spoke of a letter he had just received 

 from Mr. Wray of France, who has had large experience in Africa, 

 in the cultivation of the variety of Sorgho known under the name 

 of Impkee, and who intends to visit this country this spring, to 

 try to introduce it to more extended cultivation. 



I have tried the white pine, and I think it is easily grown from 

 the seed, and that we too much neglect this tree. I planted last 

 spring, but only a few seeds came up ; my opinion is that pine 

 seeds should be planted in the fall. Seeds have bc^en planted on 

 Nantucket to save the land from drifting. No farmer should 

 ever allow cattle to run in the forest — fence it off and keep all 

 cattle out. If this was done our sparse wooded lots would soon 

 ^row up with valuable trees. 



SORGHUM. 



Judge Meigs, Secretary, read the translations of some notices 

 of this new sugar plant in France, and among other things no 

 ticed the quantity of wax upon the stalks. It is stated that the 

 violet-colored common sugarcane will yield 1,000 pounds of wax 

 to the acre, and that the Sorghum plants give a larger amount. 



Dr. Edgar S. Peck of Brooklyn, made interesting remarks on 

 the forests of Long Island — its great fruitfuluess in trees — its con- 

 stant loss by cutting for fuel for this city and elsewhere — the 

 thick contiguous growth of forest trees — the stinted oaks touching 

 each other over great spaces, covered thick with acorns, once a 

 favorite of the bears, from whom it is called bear's oak — the valu- 

 able character of this dwarf tree for burning, &c., — the splendid 

 growth of pines, oaks, locusts, kc. on the island — the richntss of 

 the _yellow soil on whicli those timbers thrive — grapes especially 

 excellent on it. 



Hon. Horace Greeley rose to say that he cordially joined in the 

 wise and good policy of planting in good time all our useful and 



