SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 305 



plum, tlieu the cherry, following with the apple, and closing with the peach 

 from the 10th to the last of September. Tiioiigh much depends upon the 

 season, I have found that early budding generally succeeds the best, but 

 more attention is required to prevent the cutting of the rapidly expanding 

 stock by the band that holds the bud. Peaches budded early last September 

 nearly all succeeded. Of those budded the last of the montli only two- 

 thirds survived. Those budded early in October failed almost entirely. 



"While a certain maturity of bud is desirable, I think tliat immaturity is 

 seldom the cause of failure. Apple buds must be set before they have become 

 very prominent, or the season will bo passed. I have budded t!ie poach suc- 

 cessfully when the buds set could scarcely be discovered with the naked eve. 



•> ■> ^ 



Pear buds are the only ones I recall as having fully matured before setting. I 

 liave inserted buds inverted w'ithout success. Top budding is often practised 

 — the bud is inserted where the head of the tree is desired, and may be accom- 

 plished ill very large stock; say thrifty trees three or four years old. Our 

 cherries budded last season were infested with lice which stopped all growth in 

 the ground shoots. Paris green and water — twelve quarts of one to a tea- 

 spoonful of the other — destroyed the lice, but seemed to injure the leaf some- 

 what. 



TREE AGENTS AGAIX. 



This time the fellow who called to sell us trees had a nice sample of cher- 

 ries, *' a new variety, dark rich color, excellent flavor, good bearer, extremely 

 hardy. The best cherry ever known for canning purposes." That is the way 

 the agent put it to us and we meekly asked to taste the delicious fruit, after 

 which, the following colloquy ensued : 



Tree agent — '^You are interested in fruit matters and can appreciate this 

 new cherry and I have come some distance to show it to you and to have you 

 interest yourself in its dissemination." 



Editor — ''Yes; What name did you give it?" 



Tree Agent — "Miami Transcendent. It is a rare acquisition in the cherry 

 line. We are selling lots of them at §1 a piece, which is very cheap for a new 

 cherry.' ' 



Editor — ''Are you sure that this cherry which I have tasted- is the fruit of 

 the variety which you are selling?" 



Tree Agent — '' t know it; picked the cherries myself, from the original tree 

 that this bud was taken from. There can be no mistake. Aren't they beautiful, 

 and cheap, too? If you want any trees to set out in your own garden I will let 

 you have them at seventy-five cents each. Of course you would be willing to 

 give a little notice of the variety." 



Editor — "Yes, sir ; I will give a notice of the variety with pleasure. I shall 

 write it thus : '^ A tree agent is trying to palm off a new cherry in our State, 

 which he calls Miami Transcendent, at a dollar a tree. There is no such vari- 

 ety grown, and the specimens which he exhibits are fine samples of the old 

 variety known as Black Tartarian, which ean be bought at any of our inter- 

 State nurseries for a quarter of a dollar.' I think that will answer the pur- 

 pose, sir. I make no charges, and as 1 have other matters to attend to, I will 

 excuse you." 



(Exit tree agent.) — Detroit Free Press. 



39 



