New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-12
PUBLIC MEETINGS.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE FARMERS CLUB.

TrrspAr. March ll-RoBERr l.. PELL, President
Of the Institute, in the Chair. The attendance was
large, including several ladies.
Judge MslGs Secretary read the report Of the Com
ni,tee on John Blancs mode Of preparing fbrous
plants giving detailed history OF the plans that have
been adopted for this purpose in different ages ot ths
wcrd OF bis plan for rOtting the wood SO az 70 De
easily separated from the fiber, the Committee speak
favotGby.
The following is his process; He cats the pants
while in full v;g0r and sets them IN slalo" pt per-
perdicuarly and the sides with leaves and
adds dirt til all is covered but the tops. Thus the gas
is evolved slowly ana carried off by the opeUiug The
stack remains in this position ten or htesn days. and
is then spread out TO dry, and the stalks are then
passed through rollers, or broken in any other way
Some plants may require slight water-rotting after
being taken from the stacks. It l. thought that this
plan of rotine fax hemp and other hbFous plants Is
WORTHY of tie attention of farmer. The Committee
do rot recommend substituting common hbrous weeds
in a country where fax end hemp can be grown 40
sbundantly as n most parts Of the United States. it
is thought however, that the fiber OF cotton stalks
may be proftably used for ropes and sacking. The
report i. .'gned by VIM. Lawton, +. W. Geisenham-
mer and Go. l.. Wanng, jr.
GEORGE +. WARISa said b. thought the plan Of
Nj Banc was not an original idea, but simply an im-
troveuent upon what is known rs the " India plan'
Pyepdration for SDriNg TOrl-Nr WARISG
smoke uron this subject at some length To at atten-
tive audience. Among other things he said that one
Of the guiding principles OF farmer should be so 10
prepare MS lGnn tnHl no rdlnNttct
the surface. The idea conveyed is that all land should
be go prepared by understanding that the water would
leak through tie soil and be carried OF by the drains
HereCoumended draIDs to be placed 90 feet apart, ,
feet deep. Then the land should be powed one foot
Ceep al least In such land plants never suffer from
droutb Ii. shallow plowed land in a dry time Indian
com leaves seen to curl and twist up 81 az TO en-
tiIey stop the growth.
The Clinese Ydm.-This subject having been again
Introduced and remarks made by several gentlemen,
tie following letter from L. {. Goodrich OF Utica,
was read by SoLoS RoDrSsoS:
UREA, Friday March 7, 1856.
Having noticed in TIE TRIBUNE Feb. % couimeBds-
tory notices the Chinese Potato and Of its adaptation TO this
the Chre,e permit cite historical facts the
latter point show that the writer in your paper poeasS
have before me work Chin, entitled The Middle
M saho We Well. % Wis1 went out to Ghus 's'; IS
missionary printer about l2 lie engaged for many
iii 80 eatoyed He has svesd somewhat extensively IN
the Fast having once inside an overland journey home ITO
doIe fey in bis recent visit TO Japan The history Of M,
1t very largely and minutely aO the botany, dstes
habit. and domestic manners OF the Chinese few quotations
bis work will the subject OF The ersrnt the Of nc
Chinese Potato a article et diet at roL
Several species OF the arodes cultivated for food
The tuberOus the
snens also much farnscous matter and
much esteemed oE food The roots Of these plants aud OF the
chestnut manufactured into powder resembling
srrowroot much In request among the people VOL Ns
quA1esa of food well native
TR. ef Dr. W.a is explicit on point in
question could be desired IL Pontedy denies tn
OF the article o. Diet of course fs erfeasrs e
The .ems group In usae TO which tho VAN belong, fur
nhes the apple Of the introduced
China from abroad. The pant4n, said stand next
TO The as producing the sreates amount of whole
foo PROPORTION 10 its sire does not furnish the Chinese
rortion Of food does the Arch
PelssO S sout Ameres though it is the common Summer
Rice let and whea, furnish most OF the cereal food The
first the stat Of life and considered indspens,
HE all the country Maize, buckwhest oats Aad
harley ground but the grain cooked IN various
CABBAGE broccoli kse cauihower aud eOewert
ns se % Se a,s Os sB,o M OF S a s
Legymnous 'nd cTucron. plsns the largest part Of
Carrots gourd: squshs, eucumbers w.termelons toms-
nrnps radshes brDja pumpkns and okras among
the last vegetables il the streets of Canton
Nest the etabes raised inferior the articles in
the markets OF western cities where science has improved their
ard favor. The sweet potato the most common
although the Irish potato has been cultivated sbout
common vegetable among the people, r. ~
Thus thsn would seem that the yam though he sga',te1 M
hand the wes. poaS rec the s S aud efa
The chapters Of this work-sth aid 3thaTe both wei
worth reading On this subject 49,,
te.peratnre Of Winter q and the maximum Of Sum
mer ltCo. Ice is uncommon" tvol l. p 46
cssr to ar f The Wnsr .nts 1 ice @ nd %
Summers like those Of Washington and Naples the temper
lhe is the peas:nte Of the The air then
These remarks will be made Of the climate Of the
north OF LLiDs Pekin beng in latitude 4os North.
The average temperature OF the whole empire lower than
thnt any other the latitude and the subject
70 the same eIuemes as that OF the Atlantic States IN AmeneT
all this it will also appear that the yam, however
,usble in an sPPro rate climate not probably adapted 70
Ly all Chin. where the yam asserted to be cultivated
freely, Is south Of that point
Mr.. RoBISsos fully concurred in this opinion. He
thought 1t might be valuable plant for Florida, but
not for New-York.
Nee Plan Of Feneing.-D. r. PRIsDLE of Gene.
int. Of plan Of
fencing, made by mailing boards upon posts that are
set the top of the ground and two panels connected
together by wire pins, 80 to set the panels at an
angle to each other-whch makes q much cheaper
ftDce than where the posts set in the ground 1t
is more durable and economical, he contends, than
any other fence.
Nr. LAwToS inquired as to what was the economy
Of this kind of fence. He stated that the New Haven
Railroad fence cost only 81 rod
Mr.. PRISDLE stated that one point was that IL could
be made OF timber that would not be durable If set IN
the ground. Another thing was ia portableness.
The panels can be easily taken apart, and moved, and
put up again. The posts cut upon certain angle,
that they bind when the panels are set up in place,
and thus tue " bole stands firm. The same plan can
be applied to mortised posts and rails as wen as TO
boards nailed on. The cost ne stated at 62i cents
rod. The great advantage of this kind Of fence
is that il be made in the Winter, under
cover; and it can be used in one place one
year and the next year in another place.
He thinks the time has when strict economy and
improvement in fencing should interest our entire COM
mupy. The cost of fencing in the United States 10
yaIiouiy estimated at from s4O0 900 900 to 5000 00o
ooc-the fences OF Pennsylvania alone having been
estimated few years since by Mr.. Bddle, before tho
Philadelphia Agricultural Society, at 500 600 900, o.
100000 annually 1t is said that in many instances
the fences alone have cost than the lands taey
ncOse are worth. II is this enormous fence tax thse
keeps down the agricultural interests Of our country
his is perfect hurdle fence, being construc.eoH ~
separate panels lengths, and can be removed con-
venently from place place. The fencing OF stacks,