PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 121 



know that pure grape jnice, if the grapes are ripe and properly manufac- 

 tui'ed, makes better wine without than with sugar. Let us do our duty 

 and state the truth upon all occasions, without fearing that it may oifend 

 those who make a profit by dissolving cane sugar in water and fruit juice, 

 .and selling it as wine. 



Currants upon Single Canes. 



Mr. Geo. H. Hite, of Morrisania, made a fine exhibition of currants, prin- 

 cipally red and white Dutch, grown by his plan of pruning to single canes, 

 and training to a trellis like grape vines. These canes are six or seven 

 feet long, and are covered with fruit from top to bottom. In contrast are 

 some bushes of the same variety, grown by Michael Simmons, of New 

 Jersey, in the old style, with branching limbs well loaded with fruit, but 

 nothing like those of Mr. Hite, nor could an acre produce as great a 

 quantity — probably not more than one-half. 



Mr. Hite also shows some remarkably good gooseberries, grown by a 

 system of open culture; that is, keeping the bushes pruned so as to allow 

 a free circulation of air through the heads. 



Mr. John G. Bergen. — 1 have some very fine currants growing upon bushes 

 not pruned to single canes; yet I believe the system a good one, and I 

 believe that the old red Dutch variety, well cultivated, is equally produc- 

 tive as the cherry currant, and of better quality in my sandy soil. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I have grown several varieties of currants for 

 the past few years. The white grape currant I find very fine^ also the 

 white Provence is a very large and superior currant, and I remark that 

 the difference between the Cherry currant and the Versailles is so slight 

 that it is not worth while for any person who has the one to get the other. 



Mr. Carpenter, from the committee appointed to examine the digging or 

 spading machine of Mr. C. Comstock, made the following report: 



Your committee visited the farm of Mr. Vanderveer, at Flatbush, L. I., 

 July lUh, and witnessed the performance of the machine. It has 'long- 

 been acknowledged that soils after being thoroughly spaded, or forked, 

 were in better tilth than when simply plowed, the disintegration being 

 more thorough, and the admixture of the parts more complete. The aim 

 of the present machine is to retain all the advantages consequent upon 

 hand forking, combined with the superior strength of horse power, pro- 

 ducing more perfect work, and to a greater depth than by hand power, 

 and with an increase of speed and consequent lessening of expense. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINE. 



Two plates are attached to the two ends of a shaft, circular in form, and 

 containing twelve slats, entering from their periphery, for the reception of 

 twelve rods, armed with seven spades or fork blades each. The rods and 

 spades have an independent and automatic action; so that, by the assist- 

 ance of a cam and friction rollers, they alternate the position of the spades 

 in such a manner as to permit each line of spades to travel in the form of 

 a cj'cloid, entering the soil in front to the depth of eight inches, each line 

 of spades entering progressively in advance six inches of each other, and, 

 after entering, the peculiar form of the comb, the rollers change the line of 



