AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



347 



Dr. Stark, of Brooklyn, a grandson-in-law of Henry Meigs, 

 presented the orange melon raised by him from seed obtained 

 from Mr. Peabody, of Columbus, Georgia. These water melons 

 attain about ten or twelve inches length. The rind peels off 

 readily, leaving the segments containing the tlesh and seeds, 

 looking like so many honey combs. This new and singular 

 melon has a most delicate structure and delicious taste. 



Mr. H. H. Randall, of Morrisania, presented some of his culti- 

 vated ground cherries. This delicate little fruit is extremely like 

 a potato-apple, and is about the size of a middle sized gooseberry; 

 each fruit is wrapped in a delicate husk. Its seeds are like those 

 of tomatoes. The taste is sweetish, and is much admired by some 

 persons, both raw and cooked in pies. Some call it Indian apple, 

 others call it lady's tomato. It is a physalis; it is of the potato 

 family— the solanum; it is most near the lycopersicum— love 

 apple; or, finally, it is a tomato, and the ladies should adopt it. 

 The Secretary has saved some seeds for farther trials. 



POTATOES GONE. 



Mr. Adrian Bergen, of Greenfield, on Long Island, (near Coney 

 Island,) stated that two of his neighbors— the brothers Cowen- 

 hoven— have lost almost entirely twenty to twenty-five acres of 

 potatoes, which would have yielded nearly 4,0U0 bushels. They 

 have plowed up the ground, picking up what sound ones re- 

 mained, as they did not consider the crop worth digging with a 

 hoe. They were planted in April, on loamy soil. The rot pre- 

 vails considerably in that vicinity. 



WHEAT SOWING. 



The regular subject being called for, Mr. Bergen stated that on 

 the potato ground above alluded to, they remove the potatoes and 

 let the ground lie, (if it is strong enough, if not they add manure,) 

 and sow the latter part of September and first of October. He 

 had never tried subsoiling. He sows timothy seed in the fall, 

 and sometimes clover in the spring; prefers timothy to lover if 

 but one is used. Usually does not prepare the seed. Has tried 

 brine, but found no benefit. He sows early to avoid " the fly." 

 He tried Soule's wheat, obtained from Western New-York, but 

 found it very uncertain, as sometimes 90 per cent of the crop was 

 lost. He now raises the Mediterranean, and finds it reliable. 



Dr. Underbill suggested that eating down the wheat in the 

 fall would destroy the insect. The insects destroy more than the 

 dogs, and that is saying a great deal. 



