SECRETARY'S CORNER. 259 



Death of D. D. Mekkill.— Mr. Merrill was an old settler of St 

 Paul and well known as the head of a large book and stationery 

 house there. His death occured May IJIst, after a short illness. Mr. 

 Merrill has been an interested member of this society for a number 

 of years, his name appearing- on the roll first in I88.1, though as far 

 as known to the writer he did not attend the meeting.-* of the society. 



No Iowa Reports Free.— Iowa State Horticultural Societj* has 

 adopted the policy of sending its annual report only to members, 

 or those who send the amount of the annual fee $1.(J<), though re- 

 ports of previous years are sent prepaid at fiftj' cents each, or when 

 four or more are taken at twenty-live cents each by e.xpress at the 

 expense of the purchaser. They advertise "No reports for free dis- 

 tribution." This plan has much to commend it. 



Decease of Andrew S. Fuller. — This celebrated horticultural 

 writer passed peacefully away at his home in Ridgewood, N. Y., 

 on the morning of Monday, May -tth, last, at the age of 67 years. 

 Probably no writer on the subject of fruit culture is so well known 

 in this country as he, as his books, "Small Fruit Culturist," "Grape 

 Culturist" and others of equal merit are universally owned and 

 consulted by fruit growers. Mr. Fuller was no theorist but ac- 

 quired his knowledge in the greenhouse, nursery and garden be- 

 fore occuping the editorial chair. His work will certainly "live 

 after him." 



Another Method of Budding.— A new method of budding trees 

 and cutting during the winter, when the sap is dormant, has been 

 reported upon by the Texas station. A slice of bark was cut down 

 the stock and left attached at the lower end. Part of the top of the 

 loose slip was cut off and the bud fitted over the cut place and 

 bound firmly on with a piece of raffia. The stocks were kept in 

 sphagnum moss till spring, when all but one of the .■% young peach 

 trees used in the experiment were found to be heavily "knit" and 

 made strong shoots in the growing season. 



The Fruit Grower.s Orga.xize. At a meeting of prominent fruit 

 growers from all parts of the country held in Chicago, Maj- 21, it 

 was decided to form an organization to be called the American 

 Fruit Growers' Union. A plan of association was drawn up, which 

 includes the various state unions, each of which will send repre- 

 sentatives to the national body. The officers elected for the first 

 year are: John D. Cunningham, president: Willis Brown, secretary. 

 The object is to combine the fruit growers of the whole countrj' 

 into an organization in which they may co-operate in shipping and 

 selling, to their mutual advantage and profit 



The Canadia Horticulturist (Grimsby, Ontario.)— The May 

 Xo. of this monthly contains an account of a competitive trial of 

 eleven different makes of spraying pumps with a statement of their 

 comparative merits. This is followed \)y a general paper bj* the 

 editor on the subject of spraying. Much attention is evidently 

 paid to this subject in Canada, and iis importance well understood 

 This magazine is issued by the Ontario Fruit Growers' Associa- 



