The morning call., 1891-03-26
It Was Sent to China by the
Washington Legation.
Secretary Blaine Says the Ex-senator Will
Accept the Mission.
Experiments With the Peach Tree Diseases
That Will Prove Of Interest to
California 0rehaTdlStg.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

WASHINGTON, March 25.-It will be re-
membered that a day or two after Senator
Blair had been nominated to be Minister to
China it was published that his record had
been cabled at length to China by the Lega-
tion here. This statement has been met
by the usual denial; but it can be stated
positively that the information was abso-
lutely correct, except that the matter was
mailed instead of cabled. 1t is now ad-
mtted at the Chinese Legation that no tele-
grams were sent 10 the Home Government
except the bare announcement Of the n0mi-
nation; but Blair's record followed very
soon afterward in bulky package. In an
interview in New York paper Blair now
says tina. if he accepts the position lie will
sail in the early part of May. 1t is believed
here that he has named this somewhat dis
tant period of departure so that he will have
an opportunity to hear whether China Will
receive him before he starts on his journey.
Secretary Blaine said this afternoon that
the Senator will go. He was asked whether
or not letter of instructions had been is
sued, and he replied: L have nothing to
say about the letters of instructions. All
liids L Cdll shy Is lLdJ Dlull W III 80 W
PEACH TREE DISEASES.
Professor Irwin F. Smith, special agent
Of the Department OF Agriculture i'll the
division of vegetable pathology, is conduct
ing al interesting experiment Of great in
terest to California fruit-growers, bearing
upon the propagation of the destructive
disease of the peach tree knoa II as :" the
yellows." He has already found by expert
ment that binds affected by this disease.
when grated on healthy stocks, will in
variable produce stunted trees, similarly
affected, and like result has been
obtained when buds, apparently healthy,
were taken from a diseased branch. The
object Of the experiment now in progress is
to determine whether the disease is not COM
nunicable even under conditions which
would seem TO be much more favorable to
the production of sOurd trees. The buds
used in this experiment have been obtained
partly from the healthieSt portions of trees
not largely affected 10y the disease and
partly from trees in which no indications OF
the disease had yet appeared, but which are
growing in infected orchards. In order
to eliminate, as far as POSSIBLE, all
occasion for doubt AS to the disease.
in case it shall appear in trees
produced from these buds. having originated
in the buds and not In the stocks, the latter
were produced from seeds obtained from
districts in Tennessee, Lower Maryland and
Lower Delaware, which have so far been
entirely free from the "yellOws." The
practical object of the experiment is to de-
termine the degree OF care on the part OF
nurserymen and peach~groweis which it is
necessary to use i'll order to guard against
the transmission OF the disease in the pro-
cess Of budding.
DECISION AFFIRMED.
In the case of Ovid a. Dyer, concerning
the homestead application made for lands
under pending contest, involving land in
the Seattle Land District, the decision OF
the Commissioners is affirmed.
POSTAL AFFAIRS.
The following POstmasters were COM
misSiOntd to-day: John c. Charles, Long
Beach, and Orrin Howell, Sunol: Samuel
Hadiock, Hadlock, Washington. L. B. Sal
sig was appointed Postmaster at Cleone,
Mendocino County, Cal, and }. o. Hanaker
at Bonanza, Klameth County. Oregon.
CALIFORNIA PENSIONS.
Original, Edward Watkins; Navy-John
II. Kane, James K. Duncan; original,
widows-Harriet E., widow of Charles Ii.
Smith; Mary j., widow of Francis Rass-
levin.