294 TRANSACTIONS Or THE 



Pear Ti^es, Market Gardening, Milk, Eutter and Cheese. 

 Adopted. 



T. B. Thorpe, Esq., of No. 87 Pineapple street, Brooklyn, pre- 

 sented a sample of the soil from " The great WestP It resem- 

 bles cannon powder in its granular structure and blackness. 



Prof. Mapes, to a query replied, that he practiced the pump- 

 ing up of the drainage from his manure heaps, on to the tops 

 frequently, and thus improved their quality very much. 



Mr. Pardee spoke of the power of charcoal applied to barrels 

 of rusty, bad smelling barrel pork in grocers' cellars. One peck 

 of pulverized charcoal to each barrel made all sweet and salea- 

 ble. Its power in this respect is extraordinary. 



Several members concurred in the sterling power of charcoal 

 dust in rendering meats that have become tainted sweet and good. 



Dr. Field moved that when the Club adjourns that it be to 

 Tuesday next. Carried. 



The Club then adjourned. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



June, 26th, 1855. 



Present — Messrs. Prof. Mapes, Judd, Waring, Lowe, Backus, 

 Solon Robinson, Van Wyck, Goodsell, of Oswego, Dr. Waterbury, 

 Mr. Seba Smith, Dr. Gardner, Dr. Ross, Wm. B. Leonard, John 

 W. Chambers, George B. Rapelye, Mr. Stacey, Paul Stillman of 

 the Novelty Works, Hon. Mr. Bergen, of Gowanus, John Ran- 

 del, Jr., Dr. Watson, of Staten Island, Mr. Sewall Short, of New 

 London, Colonel John Travers, and others— fifty-five members in 

 all. Hon. John G. Bergen, of Gowanus, in the chair. 



Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following extracts made by him : 



PARAGUAY TEA. 



Lieut. Page, of the U. S. ship Waterwitch, now exploring the 

 sources of the La Plata, has obtained the tree which yields it. 

 It is a highly ornamental tree, and thrives wlierever our magno- 

 lia grandiflora flomishes The Paraguayans attribute to it fabu- 

 lous virtue. It is aperient, opiate, and diuretic. Universally 

 drank (the infusion) in Paraguay, Uruguay, the Argentine Re- 

 pubhc, Peru, Chili, and Ecuador. They drink it from the spout 

 of the tea pot, having put into it burnt sugar, cinnamon or lemon 



