AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 241 



National Show at Chicago, as has been stated in the newspapers. Mr. 

 Fawkes ref[uested that this statement be made. 



■ GAS LIME. 



Solon Robinson read a letter from Irwin Lanson, of Indianapolis, asking 

 for information about the use of gas lime. 



Prof. Renwick, — Gas lime may be used in the same way as any chalk 

 marl, and will have the same effect and no other. There ^s no danger in 

 using it for any purpose where carbonated lime is used in agriculture. 

 The best thing the gentleman who writes the letter can do is to try some 

 experiments himself, and report them for the benefit of others. 



Solon Robinson. — There is an opinion prevailing that gas lime may be 

 injurious to vegetation. 



The Chairman. — I think that opinion is erroneous. There is no danger. 

 In England, chalk is very beneficial on some soils, and this sort of lime 

 will have the same effect. 



BEAN CAKE FROM CHINA. 



Solon Robinson read to the club a letter from B. Donnelly & Co., No. 3 

 William street, with samples of the Chinese bean cake, of which mention 

 was made at a former meeting. This article is as hard and dry as oil seed 

 cake, and very solid. It is said to be made of cooked beans, and to be 

 very nutritious. It is also used in China as a fertilizer. Samples of 

 Chinese cotton seed cake and oil cake were also exhibited. 



Mr. 'Bruce — It will no doubt be remembered that some time ago Mr. 

 Prince, of Flushing, asserted, at the Farmer's Club, that the birds of Cal- 

 ifornia had no song, and that the flowers were without perfume. Thinking 

 this somewhat strange, the subscriber wrote to his sons in California, where 

 two of them have been for over seven years, with every opportunity of 

 observing, and yesterday I received the following answer to my enquiries : 



" There are a number of singing birds in this State. The mocking bird 

 for one, besides we have the bobolink, the blue bird, the yellow bird of 

 each several varieties, some of them no larger than the humming bird; a 

 sparrow that sings melodiously; the thrush, and a bird the English and 

 Irish people here call the linnet. I have been in places where the singing 

 of the birds in the morning and evening, by far exceeded any thing I ever 

 before heard. We also have the jay, the goldfinch, the magpie ; then 

 there is the rosignol, I think from its note sings very sweetly, at night. 

 The flowers here are in as groat if not greater variety than with you, and 

 the roots fibrous, tuberous and bulbous. The hills and valleys in spring 

 time, surpass anything you can imagine, being a complete bed of most 

 beautiful flowers of every hue." 



Mr. Meigs mentioned the original unpruned Isabella vine, spreading 

 some 30 or 40 feet on the side of a barn, with very large leaves and ber- 

 ries. That on being carried to Germany it was there soon discovered that 

 this vine will not submit to the pruning, as the old European grapes do, 

 but demands exemption from the knife. That some of our large growers 

 [Am. Inst.J 16 



