l62 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The butcher bird is well known throughout the north as one of 

 our feathered friends that stays with us all the year round, although 

 it is only seen occasionally about our dwellings. This is the bird 

 that sticks the beetles, mice and sometimes very small birds on to 

 the thorns of trees such as the hawthorn and the plum. If you see 

 one around and want to witness the process of it, hang a limp white 

 cotton rag about a foot long and an inch wide on to a plum tree. The 

 chances are that he will take it, muss it up into a wad and impale it 

 on a thorn as he would a mouse or beetle if he had one. The books 

 limit the number of eggs in the butcher bird's nest to six as a max- 

 imum. In the case I am writing about it will be seen that there were 

 seven, which may or may not be unusual. I do not know. 



CHOP TALK ON HORTICULTURE. 



WYMAN EIvLIOT, MINNEAPOLIS. 



This, in cattle phraseology, would be called a horticultural round- 

 up. There are mutton chops, veal chop,s, pork chops and now, ac- 

 cording to the program, I am to give you a horticultural chop. All 

 the above need much seasoning to make them palatable. 



What I shall give you, if not very meaty, is in the line of horti- 

 cultural hash, which, by the way, reminds me of the story of a 

 schoolma'am and her class of small boys. Trying to teach them prac- 

 tical arithmetical division, she chose a piece of beefsteak for an illus- 

 tration and asked "If I cut it in two pieces what would each repre- 

 sent?" Several promptly repUed, "Halves." 'Tf divided again what 

 would each piece be ?" "Quarters." "Divide it again?" "Eighths." 

 "And again divide it?" "Sixteenths." "Now divide it onpe-more?" 

 There was a pause, when one little fellow shouted "Hash." So my 

 paper may prove somewhat on the hash order ; it will surely be con- 

 siderably disjointed. 



It has been suggested by that veteran nurseryman and horticul- 

 turist, F. K. Phoenix, that as a society we are doing too little to en- 

 courage the production of seedling apples, more especially long 

 keeping winter varieties. For information on this subject, will all 

 who are planting seed for the purpose of producing the apple we 

 so much desire raise their hands until counted? I wish to urge the 

 necessity of using seed, for this purpose, from long keeping varieties 

 noted for hardiness, productiveness, high color and good quality, if 

 possible. Plant each variety by itself that you may know the par- 

 entage of any that should prove worthy of propagation. 



