THE JUNE MEETING. 281 



down, but it blossomed before anything else. I concluded there was nothing 

 to fructify them, but I could find no blossom to fructify them at the right 

 time. It is a wild grape I got up at Minneapolis. 



Judge Wells inquired as to destroying the curculio by using Paris Green. 



Mr. Knapp.— Just as the trees were getting off the blossoms and setting the 

 ft'uit, I applied it diluted in water, same as on potatoes. It seemed effective. 



WASHTENAW COUNTY. 



Senator Childs. — Raspberries are injured. Currants and gooseberries some 

 injured. Peaches generally killed, sprouting out a little, but tops killed. As 

 far as grapes are concerned, I think they are injured to a considerable extent. 

 Apples will be a large crop. I have Baldwins with a heavy show of fruit. 

 Also the Golden Eusset and Northern Spy, not as heavily laden, but trees are 

 healthy; I have seven. No apple trees killed by the winter. The cherries are 

 small. The sour cherries turned out finely. Of sweet cherries I have not suc- 

 ceeded in raising a pint in twenty years. Cherries will not be a full crop. 



BARK BOUND CHERRY TREES. 



A. T. Linderman. — I desire to add a supplement to Mr. Clubb's article on 

 Cherries. The bark runs around the tree, and it is necessary to slit up the 

 bark to prevent its exuding gum. By cutting the bark lengthwise it would 

 relieve the tree. In slitting bark I haye seen it in five minutes open one- 

 fourth to one-half an inch. 



Mr. T. T. Lyon. — It seems to me we ought to be careful in a statement 

 before we allow it to go to the public. I have tried the slitting process. If 

 the inner bark becomes ruptured there will be an injury that will cause the 

 gum to start. Sometimes it leads to the splitting of the tree. We all observe 

 the tendency to open when slit to get a more rapid growth. Some idea pre- 

 vailed that the tree was bark bound. I never knew a tree but ruptured its 

 own bark when necessary. Artificial slitting often results in exuding gum. 

 The tree is sure to go by the board when it begins exuding gum. The root 

 underneath becomes dead. 



Mr. Linderman. — I intended that the slitting should only be through the 

 outer ligament. The trees I have seen it tried on were six. or eight inches 

 through. 



Mr. Lyon. — I never knew trees but would sooner or later slit the outside 

 bark. 



MONROE COUNTY. 



The Rev. Dr. Mattoon. — The apple, the pear, the grape, and the quince are 

 the staple fruits of Monroe county. We do not pretend to raise peaches. We 

 buy them from St. Joseph at $7.00 a bushel. The grapes we grow are the Con- 

 cord. This is the money grape, and the people's grape. It is a good big grape. 

 We have two hundred acres in vineyards. Our Concord grapes are not injured. 

 You find more fancy grapes on walls for families, but our grape is the Concord. 

 It never looked so promising. Some of the hybrids are good. Monroe ought 

 to raise pears. A pear tree stuck down anywhere will grow like a willow. It 

 is naturally a pear country. Peach trees generally killed. Cherries are badly 

 injured. Even many of the Duke cherries are injured, fnow allude to the 

 late Duke. The Morrello cherries are bearing a full crop. Particularly the 

 Early Richmond is in full perfection with us. The Donna Maria cherry 

 obtained from Mr. Hathaway, thought to be a seedling of the Early Richmond, 

 is doing well. I was down in Alabama, and they were talking about some nice 

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