AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 195 



Wm. R. Prince. — I fully corroborate that opinion. The practice origi- 

 nated in the damp soil and climate of England, where it was necessary to 

 lift the plants above the level. 



The President remarked that it was the same kind of implements ia 

 general use in Flan'iers. 



Mr. Meigs had long ago remarked the beautiful arrangement in very 

 large corn stalks, to throw out two or three rows -of braces from jftints 

 nearest the ground, each brace having a spongy point always wet, and as 

 it nears the earth drops water on the spot it wishes to penetrate, in order 

 to soften it and so facilitate its penetration, which it soon does, and be- 

 comes nearly as strong as rattan ; bears a great strain. When the surface 

 is level the hold of it is great. Not so, ■of course, in a hill. I used to 

 Jnake the hills for planting dishing^ so that when hoed the land would 

 become level, , 



A letter of inquiry as to the proper name of th^e plant called " Dielitra 

 Spe tab ills," 



Wm. 11. Prince. — The name of Dielitra is an terror — it is Di-cly-tra, but 

 the proper name for the plant is Dicentra. 



What constitutes a good cow ? R. S. Sampson, of L«roy, N. Y., under 

 date June 15, makes the following answer: '* 



Within the last seven days I have milked from an ordinary sised cow 

 •430 pounds of good rich milk, averaging over 61 pounds per day. The 

 most given in any one day was 67^ poundis. If any one can beat this, I 

 would like to know it. 



An improved milkpan, called Pratt's Patent Self-ventilating Pan, was 

 shown- It has a cover, with wire-gauze covered holes to ventila,te the milk, 

 and, at the same time, keep out the insects. 



Mr. Arthur, of Philadelphia, exhibited this new milk pan, and stated 

 that by means of the circulation of air through the minute seive-holee, 

 there was considerably more cream made. That, as it was a new thing, 

 he would supply all who wished to try it with pans, and ask for their opin- 

 ion after full trial. Meat, butter, &c., keep well in the pans. 



CORN AND COB MEAL. 



Solon Robinson read a letter from L. B. Gould, of Jersey City, which, 

 after speaking of the information he derived from the discussions of the 

 Club, asks the opinion of its members in regard to cob meal. He says : 

 " Is there nutriment enough in a whole cart-load of corn cobs to put one 

 pound of pork upon a fattening hog ? " For one, said Mr. R., I answer — 

 not because I know, for who knows — but because I guess that the nutri- 

 ment of corn cobs is about equal to the nutriment of rye straw, and that 

 is not a profitable food for swine, and I don't believe it is nutricious enough 

 for any animal to pay for grinding the cobs. 



THE GINSENG TRADE. 



A letter from D. P. Phelps, of Toledo, Ohio, giving some account of 

 the extent of the ginseng trade in Wisconsin, says it is the most lively of 



