94 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



such wine at a dollar a gallon, and we must take care how we encoTirag'C 

 the production of stuff that is unworthy of the name of wine, and much 

 more unworthy to receive the gold medal of .the Institute. With proper 

 encouragement to grape growers, this will yet become a wine country, at 

 least all south of latitude forty degrees. Let us look onward and upward. 



Dr. Trimble, of New Jersey. — I concur entirely in these views. Let us 

 offer prizes for none but the best. Get that, and cheapness will follow. 



Prof Mapes.— We have a great deal of pure wine imported into this cit}', 

 and sold at less than $1 a gallon. This is true of claret and the light wines 

 from the Rhine. No doubt exists in my mind that good wine will be made 

 in this country at less than $1 a gallon, but I do not wish to see a prize 

 offered by us that will allow of anything being offered but pure grape juice. 

 Let the prize be for the best wine. 



Wm. R. Prince. — I believe pure grape wines are sold in Cincinnati at 

 less than $1 a gallon, but I would offer the prize for the best at any price. 



The prize for the mill was objected to by Prof. Mapes, because we have 

 now an abundance of handmills, and because grain never can be econon)ically 

 ground by hand-power. We do not believe this prize worth competing for. 



The prizes for essays on fruit culture were objected to by Mr. Fuller, 

 because not required to be original matter, and because the last one awarded 

 for the culture of aj^ples was to a man that does not pretend to know an 

 apple tree from a pear tree. He objects to giving prizes for bold plagi- 

 arism. For one, he would not employ a jeweler to write an essay upon 

 pork-packing. He wanted practical articles from practical men. 



Prof. jNIapes. — I would give the prize for the best essay, no matter who 

 produces it, nor whether original or selected, if well done, and of practical 

 value to the world. 



Comstock's Rotary Spader and Digger. 



Prof Mapes. — Mr. Comstock, of Milwaukee, Wis., who has invented a 

 new instrument for disintegrating the soil, is present, and I would ask Mr, 

 Comstock to explain the machine to the Club. 



Mr. Comstock.- — The machine alluded to by Prof. Mapes has been recently 

 invented and patented by me. It is capable of doing bj- horse power what 

 a man can do with a good spading fork. Two horses are required, and 

 they can fork up from four to six acres a day eight or nine inches deep, 

 leaving it all in a finely divided condition, exactly resembling hand-work. 

 Twelve shafts, each armed with several tines, like those of a garden fork, 

 are placed around a pair of wheels two feet in diameter, and will cut a 

 furrow two and a half feet Avide; and the shafts are so arranged, that as 

 they lift the earth, it is violently shaken so as to disintegrate all lumps.. 

 This is done by a cam motion, working very easily, and the whole opera- 

 tion only requires just the power that it would for a man to work a fork 

 two and a half feet wide, except that the rapid motion, moving in a rotary 

 manner, requires less power than it would to do straight spading-. 



Prof Mapes moved that a committee be appointed to examine the machine 

 in motion and report, which was carried, and Messrs. Carpenter, J. G. Ber- 

 gen, Trimble and Fuller appointed the committee. 



