AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 265 



to distinguish the rows, so that I can cut up weeds v. itliout hurt 

 to the carrots. To moisten the carrot seeds I have put them in 

 a cloth bag, and buried the bag in moist light soil until the seeds 

 were sufficiently damp. I doubt the utility of rubbing the seeds 

 to separate them. I mix sand with my seeds, ten parts of sand 

 to one part of seed. By pulling up the radishes for market, the 

 carrots are left in good condition, on account of the space left by 

 the radishes in the soil. I find that this plan leaves me about 

 the right quantity of carrots in a row. On my carrot field I 

 never use long manure. I sow the artificial manures broadcast. 

 One-half the quantity for one acre at planting, and the remaining 

 one-half when I cultivate the field. Some plant oats with car- 

 rots in the rows. The Germans sometimes plant flax seed with 

 their carrot seeds. I get about 1,000 bushels of carrots per acre. 



Solon Robinson — As to the protein described by Dr. Water- 

 bury, wliether in the carrot or in the luscious blackberry of the 

 Chairman, (Mr. Lawton,) I suppose that the more refined chem- 

 istry of our animal organization decides the value of the protein 

 vastly better than all our analysers. 



I propose for a subject — Insects in Wheat. 



Dr. Field proposed as a subject — Summer pruning and treat- 

 ment of Fruit Trees. 



Henry C. Vail read a letter from Germantown, Pa., which 

 spoke highly of the use of carrots for horse feed. The writer 

 feeds half a peck a day, deducting the same amount from the 

 usual quantity of oats. 



Prof. Mapes — I have received a long letter from Levi Durand, 

 of Derby, Coim., who claims to be the " inventor'' of the gee- 

 about system of plowing, and is sadly grieved that the Club have 

 not given him the credit and honor of the invention. Unfortu- 

 nately for the claim of originality, the gee-about system is not new 

 either with Mr. Durand or anybody else in this generation. 



Solon Robinson — I received a long letter, written in quail 

 tracks, that I had no time to decipher, farther than to learn it 

 was a complaint upon the same subject from Mr. Diu'and, but as 

 I was aware that the idea of his being the first man that ever 

 practiced geeing about in plowing was preposterous, I threw the 

 letter aside. 



• Geo. E. Waring — It is curious to observe the crude remarks 

 that the mention made here about geeing about has occasioned. 

 One writer says that we advocate a system of plowing that would 

 make a hill in every field by continually turning tlie furrows to 



