16 TRANSACTIONS OF THE TIJJNOIS 



Mr. Hammond (of Hancock county) — I can assure you that the trees 

 spoken of by Messrs. Walker and Johnson are the true Richmond cherry. 

 It ripens two weeks earlier than the Kentish. I can tell you how the 

 tree was originally put on its own roots : It was done by layering the 

 branches of the tree for several generations of trees. I make this state- 

 ment in answer to the President's question, as to whether this cherry in 

 Hancock county is the true Richmond. 



Mr. Wier (of Marshall county) — There are two Kentish cherries — 

 the Early and the Late. " Early Richmond " is only a local name for 

 the early variety. 



While I am up, I wish to take exceptions to the remarks of my friend 

 Burroughs — that "There is not an apple tree, more than one year old, 

 that is sound and merchantable, in the northern half of Illinois." 



Winters that do not kill the peach buds, ought not certainly to 

 utterly ruin the wood of our apple trees. True, many apple trees were 

 more or less injured in the winter of 1873-4; but many trees in our nur- 

 series have since overcome this injury, and are thrifty and salable to-day. 

 I do not know what is the condition of Mr. Burroughs' trees, but I know 

 the trees are not all dead in other nurseries. The statement of Mr. Bur- 

 roughs will do injustice to our nursery-men and, if believed, will be an 

 injury to those who ought to plant trees. 



Mr. BvRROUghs — Perhaps I should have excepted the Ben Davis 

 and Duchess of Oldenburg. If it be a fact that our nursery stock is un- 

 sound, let us have the courage to say it. 



The Secretary (McLean county) — I can not indorse Mr. Burroughs' 

 statement that our nursery apple trees are all unsound, and hence not fit 

 to be put upon the market. You will not find two nurseries alike ; but 

 will find all grades of damage in the nursery. While some trees are vir- 

 tually dead, other trees have received but slight injury, and are capable 

 of bearing crops of apples for fifty years ; and to say that these trees are 

 not merchantable is saying too much. I am not speaking as a nursery- 

 man, for I have no trees to sell. I was this summer in a nursery where I 

 saw trees that ought not to be sold ; and I said to the proprietor, " These 

 trees should not go out ; they are considerably damaged, and very many 

 of them will fail to grow and do well ; I advise you to dig them up and 

 burn them." But in this same nursery I saw another block'of trees that 

 were in good condition to sell and bear fruit. I think the declaration is 

 too sweeping to say there are no sound apple trees in our nurseries, and 

 that it is calculated to deceive and do harm. 



