534 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



farmer, and his true dignity as an almoner of God's bounty to a 

 world which must starve without him ! 



Dr. Wellington — The potato is one of the subjects for this day • 

 We have not had time to touch it. It is a very important ques- 

 tion. What can be the cause so wide spread and now of some 

 years duration, of the universal falling off of the quantity of the 

 crop, as well as of its malady. We formerly manured and culti- 

 vated well, and had commonly several hundred bushels per acre. 

 I recollect when I was a boy, on my father's farm, to have dug 

 two bushels and a half of them from twenty hills only. Was our 

 land then more rich in starch than it is now ? 



Subjects — " Gardens for farmers," and " the potato." 



President Pell furnished many grafts from his finest apple 

 trees on his Pelham farm. 



Dr. Underbill grafts of fine plums. 

 . Mr. T. W. Fields, pear grafts; and the valuable seeds sent by 

 the Hon. Charles Mason, Commissioner of the Patent Office, and 

 some contributed by members, were distributed among the mem- 

 bers, who all showed pleasure in receiving them, to add new 

 plants to our general stock. 



The club then adjourned to next Tuesday at noon, viz : Aprli 

 30th, at noon. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



April 29th, 1856. 



Present — Messrs. Bruce of Canada, Doughty of Jersey, Jud^e 

 Livingston, Judge Scoville, Solon Robinson, Anderson, Dr. Smith, 

 Dr. Waterbury, Child and others, 34 members in all. 



Judge Scoville in the chair. 



Henry Meigs Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following papers translated and selected 

 by him : 



[Journal de la Societe Imperiale et Centrale D'Horticulture. Napoleon 3d Protectenr.] 



Sitting of January 24th, 1850, at 2 o'clock p. m. 



Mons. Morel in the Cliair. 



On the table — An invention of M. Tardiff, glass painter at 

 Vernon, Depart. Eure, a specimen of his pliant bell glass as for 

 plants. They are referred to the committee on industry for ex- 

 amination. Plates of glass of any required dimensions are 

 united by India rubber cloth so that they may be folded up and 

 are realily transported. They cost but little. 



