600 Transactions of the American Institute. 



tliat body not to meddle with the bill the grape growing society of 

 the Lake Shore have presented. It was degrading to the horticultu- 

 rists, and more money would be spent in getting out patents than 

 there was any necessity for. 



Mr. Greeley was glad to hear that a bill was presented upon the 

 subject, that they might know what it was they wanted. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller said he was the father of it. About a year ago 

 a gentleman connected with the press came to him and he (Mr. F.) 

 said to him that there ought to be some head-quarters where they 

 could file their plants. Upon this he and the other wrote a couple 

 of articles, and hence the present agitation. The question about the 

 patents was the whole thing. His idea was to have a horticultural 

 garden so that they might have their fi'uits described therein and 

 recorded. Often old fruits came up as new. He thought they ought 

 to have a botanical garden at "Washington. The matter then dropped, 

 and the chairman read a letter describing a piece of Sea Island 

 cotton which was grown near Galvaston, Texas. It was from Mr. 

 Wm. J. Jones, Professor of Applied Chemistry. 



Mr. Carpenter offered the following resolution : 



Whereas, By the death of Professor Mapes a vacancy has occurred 

 in the Professorship of Applied Chemistry in the American Institute, 

 and the Farmers' Club has been deprived of the advantages of such 

 a professor ; and whereas James A. Whitney has shown a great 

 interest in the agricultural department of the institute by skiUful and 

 valuable analyses ; therefore 



Mesolved, That the Farmers' Club do earnestly recommend that 

 the American Institute, at its next meeting, fill the aforesaid vacancy 

 by the appointment of Mr. Whitney as the Professor of Applied 

 Chemistry, in the American Institute. 



Carried unanimously. 



Adjourned. 



March 9, 1869. 



Mr. Nathan C. Ely in the chair ; Mr. John "VV. Chambers,' Secretary. 



Crude Potash as a Manure. 



Mr. H. E. Smith, Charles county, Md. — The winter, lie writes, 

 tas been so mild and open that they have not made any wood ashes 

 worth mentioning, and in making up his compost heap he proposes 

 to use potash. 



