PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMEBS' CLUB. 27 



mitrititius, and favorite articles of food. Tlic jdaiit is said to lie found in 

 Bonic of tlio mountains around San Francisco, and is well known to every 

 (\ilifornian boy and Indian. In the soutlieni counties tliey Idonni every 

 three or four years, and then die; but in tlie cohl hititude of the bay it is 

 }>robabh' tliey are more tardy in tioweriii.u- ajid seediiif^. Tliey are thi' very 

 home of rattU'snakes, and tlie road-runner birds or correo del caiiiino, and 

 the huminiiij^ bird and little native canary of the country tiiid al)iindaiice of 

 insect food in its bell llowerw. Nothing can surpass the evident sense of 

 lite and enjoyment of these feathery admirers of the Ma^jjuey blossoms, aa 

 they dart in and out of each snow-white habitation of their musketo prey. 

 The plant is called stackay by the indians around San IJuenaventura and 

 Santa Barbara; and akol by those of St. Diego, in wiiich last locality it is 

 very ab»indant." 



How TO Seed Michigan Marshes. 



Mr. J^. M. Kose, Amboy, Hillsdale County, Mich., g-ives the following- 

 directions; 



•' I have liad some experience during the last five 3'ears in reclaiming 

 Michigan marsh land — on a small scale — and am willing that others should 

 be benetited by my experience. I have tried a variety of experiments and 

 have now good timothy growing on muck five feet thick, where five years 

 ago nothing grew but the rankest, coarsest kind of sickle grass. The sub- 

 soil is clay. A part of it has been mowed two years, yielding a very heavy 

 crop of the very best kind of hay. If farmers will exercise a little common 

 sense, and a great deal of perseverance, I think they will succeed. If I 

 ha«l another marsh to subdue I should proceed as follows : First: Draw 

 ofl' the surface water but nothing more. Deep draining leaves the land 

 t«io dry. Second: If it could be plowed I should mow it in August, take 

 off the grass and then turn it over with a sharp plow; harrow well and 

 put on the seed — pure timothy. If it could not be plowed, or if I had not 

 time to do it I would sow any kind of grass seed that I could get most 

 easily, caeh spring and fall mowing and removing the grass anil weeds 

 each year until I got something better than sickle grass. Stock of all 



kinds should be kept off." Adjourne<l. 



John W. Chamhers, Scvrdary. 



May 10, 1SC4. 

 Mr. Nathan C. Ely, in the chair. 



i*EAR Tree Blight. 



.\. W . Whrat, Oberlin, Ohio, writes that a great many pear trees in that 

 vicinity are affected with blight, and wants to know if the Club can give 

 the cause and cure. 



Dr. Trimble said it was remarkable that the disease was unknown in 

 N'ew-Jrrsf'y. 



Mr. Win. W. I'rincc said that he had never had any pear trees affected, 

 except the St. Michael, at Flushing. His father thought that it was occas- 

 ioned by the sap becoming overheated upon the south side of the tree. 

 His remedy is to saw off the affected limb as soon as the blight is discov- 

 ered. 



