PROCEEDINGS OP THE FARMERS' CLUB. 235 



of the delicious blackberries peering out fioui your hedge and saying, 

 'come eat me.' " 



White Acacia Seed. 



Mr. A. R. Bradford, Enou Valley, Lawrence county, Penn., writes as fol- 

 lows: " Enclosed you will find some seeds of the White Acacia which I 

 found growing on the island of Kulung-Su, opposite the city of Amoy, 

 China. The Yellow Acacia grows there, too, in great luxuriance, and it 

 forms so beautiful a hedge, that I brouglit with me a half bushel of the 

 pods, which I picked with my own hands. In my anxiety, however, to 

 preserve their vitality during the voyage from the effects of sea damp, I 

 exposed them when crossing the equator to the rays of the sun, till I fear 

 the germs were injured. The enclosed, however, were recently sent me by 

 a gentleman in China, and are to all appearances entirely sound, They are 

 the seeds of the White Acacia. In China I saw the most beautiful and 

 perfect hedges of this plant, growing in the poorest soil in the world. As 

 it is found all over that country an I Japan, it occurred to me that if it 

 would bear our climate and soil it would be invaluable, especially in the 

 West, for fencing. It is very tenacious of life, is satisfied with a ver}' poor 

 soil and dry weather, and forms a perfect hedge. The Chinese plant it 

 around their dwellings to protect them against the thieves, and from its 

 umbrageous character it is altogether superior to the Osage orange. As 

 materials for fencing are becoming scarce and expensive, I send you the 

 enclosed, with a request to put them into the hajids of some practical man 

 who will plant the seeds, and ascertain whether the plant will thrive in our 

 climate. I have no hesitation in saying that if it will do as well here as it 

 does in China, it would be worth untold millions to our prairie farmers." 



Muck for Manure. 



Mr. X. E. Newton, Sussex county, New Jersej', saj's: "Muck I have 

 tried on slate land here in Sussex county, and it is certainly equal to good 

 barn yard manure; rye and clover growing full as good as where manure 

 ■was used. Each one separate was the wa}' I tried their qualities." 



Flo'v^er Culture. 



AVe make a few extracts from the many letters received by the Secre- 

 tary from women who write for flower seeds. Mrs. Fry speaks highly of 

 "the beautiful employment of flower culture." It seems that if the men 

 realized how much good it did their wives and daughters to spend a por- 

 tion (if their time in the open air instead of steaming over a hot stove, em- 

 broidering or crocheting, they would encourage them in it, and offer at 

 times a helping hand. Who doubts but what flowers grew in the garden 

 of Eden? For what purpose were flowers made if not for enjoyment? 

 When wearied with household duties, instead of throwing one's self upon 

 a bed, or lounge, confined from the fresh air, to snooze away, would it not 

 be more exhilerating to take a short walk among flowers, and rest our- 

 selves, not on our feet, but upon a stool made for the purpose, and without 

 fingers, if nothing better, pull out the weeds that are depriving the beauti- 

 ful flowers of the nourishment they require? Besides, it imparts a look of 



