258 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



you by express a bos of sweet corn, introduced in tliis neighborhood by 

 Mr. Thomas Hill, said to be of Spanish origin. I hope it will be as widely 

 disseminated as possible, both this year and the next. 1 have no doubt 

 lovers of green corn will find it a treasure." 



Mr. Solon Robinson. — This corn will be distributed' by the Secretary in 

 small parcels. Has anybody else got some more they would like to dis- 

 tribute in the same way? 



Value of Leached Ashes for Manure. 



Mr. Willard Griffin, West Granby, Ct., gives the following information 

 why leached ashes are valuable for manure. He says: " Some one of your 

 correspondents several months since inquired if there was saltpeter in 

 leached ashes. There is not. Saltpeter is nitrate of potash. Nitric acid 

 is obtained from a substance that wood does not furnish. If leached ashes 

 are deposited near the house, where soap suds, urine and other slops con- 

 taining animal matter are thrown upon them, they will after a while con- 

 tain saltpeter, and from such it ma}' have been extracted. Wood ashes 

 contain potash, soda, magnesia and lime, beside sulphur, phosphorus, car- 

 bon and common salt; about one-half of ashes is lime. Leaching extracts 

 the potash and soda'mostly, and but little of other matters; but as potash 

 and soda are only a small proportion of ashes, they are nearly as good for 

 manure after leaching as before. I have seen plum trees growing near a 

 House where leached ashes were thrown around them every year, that re- 

 ^tained a vigorous condition and were loaded with fruit. for several years, 

 while other trees in the neighborhood were subject to the ravages of the 

 curculio and black knot." 



Adjourned. John W. Chambers, Secretary. 



February 28, 1865. 

 Mr. Nathan C. Ely in the chair. 



Varieties of the Oak. 



Prof. David Christy, of this city, exhibited to the Club to-day a fine col- 

 lection embracing nearly all of the oak leaves of the country, in different 

 stages of their growth, very varied in shape, size and color. Each kind 

 was neatly arranged upon a card, with its common and botanical name and 

 number, to compare with the number upon acorns of each sort. Professor 

 C. spoke particularly of the leaves of Quercua Leeana, which for a time 

 was supposed to be a newly discovered species, but the botanists pro- 

 nounced it a hybrid of the common black oak and laurel oak. The leaves 

 from a tree grown from the acorns of Leeana now show almost identical 

 with the leaves of black oak. It is eai-nestly recommended to ladies in the 

 country who have leisure, to make collections of various kinds of forest 

 leaves, placed in neat portfolios, which be ornaments for their own center 

 tables, or very acceptable presents to city friends. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I have been highly delighted by this exhibition 

 of the trees of our country; this exhibition does great credit to the labors 



