130 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



knot on one Maj- Duke elierry tree, and have been obliged to cut down 

 one or two every jeav in consequence of the enormous amount of black 

 knot. It finally kills the tree, although it is one of the best dessert cher- 

 ries we can grow. That is an objection. Whether it is our locality or a 

 peculiarity of that variety, I don't know. That is the reason I wished to 

 call Mr. Cook's attention to the matter. I don't know of anv remedv. If 

 there is any jjreventive or remedy, our professors here can probably 

 give us some information. 



Mr. Cook: A\'as there any plum tree that stood near this tree? 



A. Some of the trees are close to plum trees and others are away off — 

 twenty-five or thirty rods — and there seems to be no difference in regard 

 to black knot. That is, those that stand away from the plum trees havti 

 even more than those nearer. 



Q. You have kept black knot down on your plums? 



A. Yes, and I have tried on the cherries, but it outgrows my capacity. 

 It is worse on cherry than on plum trees. 



Mr. Hess: With me. May Duke seems to be failing at fifteen years old. 

 They are not so healthy as the other varieties. English Morello, with me, 

 was a failure. My experience is similar to Mr. Cook's. They do not seem 

 to grow and do well. 



Mr. Cook: That is the first intimation I ever heard of black knot on 

 May Duke trees. I have seen May Duke over twentj^ years. Where did 

 your trees come from? 



Mr. Smith: They were there when I got the place. It must be some- 

 thing peculiar to the trees. I have raised trees and set them out. and 

 have never seen a particle of black knot. I had heard that in the interior 

 of the state there was some black knot on trees that had stood in the 

 neighborhood of plum trees, but I did not know that there was any black 

 knot here, on the cherry trees. 



Mr. Morrill: There was one cjuestion asked, and I would ask Prof. 

 Taft, Mr. Hamilton, and Mr. Cook to answer it as briefiy as possible. Of 

 the three stocks, pin-cherry, Mazzard, and Mahaleb, which would you 

 advise? 



Each answered, Mahaleb. 



Mr. Morrill : Then the inference would be. with three authorities favor- 

 ing Mahaleb, that if we get cherry trees we should ask for Mahaleb stock. 



Mr. Merry: I have some cherry trees. Is there any way of knowing on 

 what they are budded? If I wanted to ijurchase, how would. I know 

 whether they were budded on Mahaleb? 



Mr. Cook : The men who take care of them ought to know. The nur- 

 seryman who buds his own stock can tell you. No one can make a 

 mistake when he sees the tree. The Mahaleb stock has a large root. 

 Mazzard has a little tap-root with a few little rootlets, while Mahaleb has 

 a large root, two or three times the size of the root of Mazzard. 



