"dont's" for beginners. 335 



sure. But the'good wife, as luck will have it, always conies to the 

 aid of her stupid better half when some deep problem is to be 

 solved. She tells you if you had read the horticultural reports as 

 closely as she had, you would have known just what to do when 

 trees acted in that way. She says that she has read an article in one 

 of the reports written by one of the wise ones on tree culture, who 

 lives up north somewhere, that, when trees were doingf well and 

 g-rowing too much to wood and not forming- fruit buds, the thing to 

 do in order to make the fruit buds start at once, even in winter, 

 would be for you to take your buck saw, or any other kind of saw. 

 and go prancing around your trees while you saw a spiral column 

 around the tree from the ground up the tree as far as you want buds 

 to grow. He says, if you treat your trees to a dose of buck saw- 

 about the middle of June, that you will be sure to have plenty of 

 fruit the following year, provided the trees live through the opera- 

 tion. I would say to those who have nice growing orchards, 

 "don't" be discouraged if your trees are growing nicely, even if 

 they don't bear as soon as you would like. 



"Don't" you believe all that agents tell you regarding the wond- 

 erful and superior fruits that they have to sell. 



I learn through the papers that already Queen Lill and Grover 

 Cleveland have formed a co-partnership and intend going into the 

 nursery business on a large scale, with a view to monopolize the 

 trade; will probably flood the country with their agents, selling all 

 kinds of tropical fruits; will no doubt make some believe that the 

 orange and banana can stand our Minnesota winters just as well as 

 a Soulard crab. Now, I say "don't" buy of those fellows as you 

 often do. But you go to the nearest nursery for your trees, wherever 

 you live, if such kinds as you want can be had there. 



"Don't" go growling and faultfinding among your neighbors, 

 telling them that a certain nurseryman failed to do as he agreed 

 before the time agreed upon had expired for him to make good his 

 agreement, especially those that never buy trees of any nursery. 

 There is no nurseryman so stupid but what knows that his success 

 in business depends on fair dealing. If you have any fault to find, 

 present your case to the nurseryman of whom you got your stock. 

 He will be glad to right all wrongs as far as it is possible for him 

 to do. 



Legal Small Fruit Packages.— A new law prescribing dimen- 

 sions has been placed on the statute books in N. Y. This provide* 

 that the standard of measurement for buying and selling strawber- 

 ries and other small fruits shall be the quart, to contain when even 

 full 67 cu. in; the pint 33>^, and the half-pint 16^4 cu. in. All manu- 

 facturers of small fruit packages less than the capacity indicated 

 must plainly mark upon each one the word " short." Infractions of 

 the law requiring the observance of these specifications to be sub- 

 ject to a fine of $5 to $25. The new law takes effect January 1, 1900. 



