AMERICAN INSTITUTE. '403 



The Couch grass, called also Phin grass after Phineas Virgen, 

 on whose land, near Concord, New-Hampshire, it was first culti- 

 vated, is a strong, hardy, sweet plant, and when properly cut 

 commands a higher price than timothy, where it is known. 



It is propagated from the root as well as the seed, on side and 

 poor soil, wet or dry. When once in the soil it is unconquerable 

 by plow, harrow or hoe; it is there for a lifetime. And when 

 established it wants only top dressing for five and twenty years. 

 Easily renewed by heavy harrowing and sowing its seed. 



Fifty years ago it was considered a curse by farmers and gar- 

 deners. 



JVote by H. Meigs. — I have labored to exterminate it from my 

 garden longer time ago than that; its vitality is extraordinary. 

 It was called sixty years ago by gardeners Twitch grass. I always 

 supposed it was so called because we had to gather its roots scat- 

 tering and twitch them out of the ground. I think it is the same 

 thing nearly as the Crab grass of Bermuda, which is a sweet 

 relishing plant to stock, but grows very close to the ground. It 

 grows in Alabama and in Georgia. 



How strange are the mutations of taste. In 1795, by advice 

 of a French physician of St. Domingo, I and my father first 

 planted tomato. Always before that deemed a poisonous and 

 disgusting plant, its leaves having the smell of bedbugs. 



The Frenchman gathered some from a love apple plant, in a 

 neglected corner of the garden, and cut them in slices, adding 

 salt, pepper and vinegar on a plate, on our tea-table, and insisted 

 on our tasting it. Setting the example by eating freely and with 

 apparent relish. But we all voted them bedbuggy. He under- 

 took to explain their virtue. He said that they had no acid as 

 other vegetables have, that therefore they never caused acidity 

 of stomach, but that they acted like calomel on the liver, purify- 

 ing it, without any of the evil effects of calomel, but with much 

 of its virtue. 



TRANSPLANTING OF LARGE TREES. 



A large tree fit for transplanting must be an isolated one. 



Prince Puckler-Muskau transplanted successfully trees about 

 eighty feet high, but he advises not to transplant one above 35 

 feet, or 70 feet high. Mr. Jseger advises that in clearing away 

 the earth from a tree to be transplanted, no spade or hoe or any 

 such tool be used, because they cut the roots, but forks only. 

 That when the roots have been rendered naked, if the work must 



