WMJ,(,iipi^i-,,lif5BUiPiB.ipJiip!JU_Jll,ui,!L,i Jil 



1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



236 



formed the posts, whose united branches were out- 

 spread into a ro*»f; and then a lateral branch from 

 each trunk was spread and trained to make the 

 leaves of the half open doors. We came to a way- 

 side tea-house, famous for a notable Wistaria (Gly- 

 cine Chinensis.) And this Wistaria deserves fame, 

 for it is seven feet in circumference, and its thrifty 

 branches, supported on a trellis, covered an area 

 of 50 feet by 100 ! It was such a roof of green as 

 one may not see twice in a lifetime. This tree, for 

 it seems a misnomer to call it a vine, was said to 

 be 600 years old. 



"9- 



The Early Richmond Cherry. 



The Rural reader will remember the article on 

 the question of the nomenclature of this cherry, 

 which appeared in the Rural of November 23, 

 wherein the writer insisted that the Early Rich- 

 mond is not the Early May cherry ; and that the 

 hardy, productive and early bearing cherry, culti- 

 vated by James Wakeman and others, is the Early 

 Richmond, and not in anywise related to the Early 

 May. 



It will also be remembered that we were contro- 

 verting the position of the Hon. M. L. Dunlap, 

 who has for years insisted upon calling it the May 

 Cherry or Early May. 



This whole question was brought before the Illi- 

 nois State Horticultural Society at its recent 

 meeting, by Mr Dunlap, for adjustment. The 

 article in the Rural of November 23d, was read, 

 and Mr. D.'s appended reply (prepared for the 

 press) in an elaborate paper, was also read. 



Mr. D., in this paper, insisted that this cherry 

 was, early in the history in this State, known as 

 the May cherry ; that it had been sent here from 

 Cincinnati as the Early May ; that it is distinct 

 and entirely unlike the Early Richmond of the 

 East, as sent hither by some Eastern nurseryman ; 

 but he concedes that it is not the Early May of 

 Downing, Elliott, etc. The writer asked " Whose 

 Early May is it, then?" A voice — "Dunlap's Early 

 May." Dunlap—" The Early May of the West." 

 Mr. Overman had long known it as Early May. It 

 was so known in Indiana and Ohio, and so intro- 

 duced here from those States. Mr. Edwards had 

 known it in Cincinnati. It was there called the 

 Early Richmond, or Early May. The two cherries 

 were regarded identical then ; or at least the names, 

 as used, were synonymous. But the cherry, as he 

 has it and knows it, answers the description given 

 of the Early Richmond by Elliott and Downing, 

 and it has none of the characteristics of the Early 

 May as described by these authors. Mr. Ellsworth 

 had received this cherry as the Early Richmond 

 from some of the Eastern nurseries — identical 

 with the Early Richmond of Wakeman. Other 

 gentlemen gave similar testimony, all agreeing that 

 the cherry is not the Early May of the books, and 

 that it is important the question be settled. Ac- 

 cordingly, a committee was appointed to investi- 

 gate and report upon the matter. F. K. Phoenix, 

 C. R. Overman, M. L. Dunlap, Samuel Edwards, 

 (Chairman,) and James Wakeman composed the 

 committee. Said committee, the next day, reported 

 in substance, that the cherry in question is not the 

 Early May of the books ; and thut it is, and should 

 be, hereafter called in the reports of the Society 

 the Early Richmodd. 



It is but just to say that Mr. Dunlap protested 



against being placed on and did not act with the 

 committee. But I do not think he will dissent 

 from its action. — Rural New Yorker. 



Truth, it is said, will prevail at last, but it has 

 been a long time in sifting the error in regard to 

 the nomenclature of this fruit. There has been 

 some very selfish or some very stupid nonsense in 

 regard to it, but none so blind as those who will 

 not see, is the old adage. At last we have, the 

 announcement for which we have contended, that 

 the May or Early May of New York and the Early 

 Richmond of some of the new York nurseries, are 

 not the Early Richmond or May Cherry of the 

 West — that is the point. 



We have shown how this Cherry came West by 

 the Way of Virginia and Kentucky, where it is so 

 popular, tracing it through Indiana to Lockporti 

 in our State, wherever it was obtained by Mr, 

 Wakeman. 



That spurious Early Richmond or May Cherry, 

 (Kentish of Downing) will continue to be dissemi- 

 nated we are quite sure, for two reasons. 1. That 

 some nurseries contain the spurious, and people 

 will purchase them without knowing the difference. 

 2. The supply is not equal to the demand, and 

 tree peddlers will sell some other Cherry for it. 

 Within the past two years we know of hundreds 

 of spurious trees to have been sold for this variety, 

 and many of them within six or seven miles of us. 

 The May Cherry is rather drooping in its habit, 

 and hence when a straight, upright, free growing 

 tree is offered you may be sure that it is not true, 

 for the true kind is never an upright grower. 



The name by which this Cherry shall be known 

 is not as yet settled, but is in the hands of a Com- 

 mittee to report, of which Dr. Warder is Chair- 

 man. The name Kentish, by which Downing calls 

 it, is rather a sole family of the Cherry rather than 

 the name of an individual, and it will be proposed 

 to call it Early Richmond or some other well 

 known name. Ed. 



Mustard. 



The Sacramento (Cal.) Bee says : — " There were 

 shipped from San Francisco, last week, 234 bags 

 of mustard for New York. It is known that the 

 wild mustard, or the mustard that grows wild on 

 hundreds of thousands of acres in Southern Cali- 

 fornia, counting from Santa Clara down, is superior 

 to the English imported mustard. This home 

 mustard is in general use in this State, and for ma- 

 ny years it has been gathered by parties and ship- 

 ped abroad. The supply is almost endless, and 

 the business of gathering it ought to be, and will 

 yet be, when labor becomes cheaper, a leading one 

 in the commercial interests of the State. 



2uiM 



