254 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



cliickeu. Those vasi territories seem to me fitted only for In- 

 dians and butfaloes, the constant moving creatures, and not to be 

 permanently settled by white men. 



I found Virginia lately profiting on some lands by use of guano 

 and lime— making two bushels of wheat where she made but one. 

 The joint worm is playing havoc with the wheat there. 



Mr. Robinson called on Judge Livingston, the chairman, for 

 some account of his successful grape cultui-e, in and out of 



doors. 



The Chairman made some remarks upon the plan of a cold grape- 

 ry. He said : My rule is to fill my drain under the vine a foot at 

 the bottom with broken stone, brick, &c.; then a foot of good 

 earth; then a foot of compost made of rich soil, ground bone 

 dust and other rich ingredients. I would make a border ten 

 feet wide, and plant my vines one-and-a-half feet apart in the 

 row. It would be an old vine that extended its roots forty feet. 

 I plant all my out-door vines along stone walls. Grapes cannot 

 have too rich a spot for their growth, though if manured care 

 must be taken to use the right sort. Eank manures may injui-e 



the flavor. 



Henry C. Vail— I have just commenced planting a vineyard 

 upon a rough waste piece of land. I dug holes two feet deep and 

 put in bones, waste- wood, &c., and rich earth. I then planted 

 pie-plant between the rows so as to insure a good crop from the 

 land while the vines are coming forward. There are thousands 

 of acres of waste rocky land in the vicinity of New-York that 

 might be producing abundant and profitable crops of grapes. 



A NEW ORNAMENTAL TREE. 



Dr. Watson of Staten Island, spoke about a tree that he calls a 

 hop tree, that grows on Staten Island and bears a small ho||^os- 

 sessing the same qualities as the common hop. The tree pows 

 sixteen to twenty feet high, and only one insect ever troubles it. 

 It is used for ornamental purposes, and is a very pretty tree. He 

 thinks it worthy the attention of those who have lawns or other 

 grounds to plant with trees. 



Paul Stillman spoke of the great distance to which tlie roots of 

 the grape vine run— much greater tliau that of the vine itself. 



Mr. Ganse presented a machine for clearing the weeds from 

 garden vegetables. It is a great improvement upon any hand 

 implements. Two light iron wheels are fixed upon an iron axle 

 that carries two knives which do the work of nice hoeing. It is 



