“- My graft of a cherry slip on an apricot tree really didn't take.... strange, ... after all, I followed exactly the instructions in the 'Manual of Useful Knowledge,'” plate 7 from Pastorales 1845

“ - My graft of a cherry slip on an apricot tree really didn't take.... strange, ... after all, I followed exactly the instructions in the 'Manual of Useful Knowledge,'” is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier from his series Pastorales, created in 1845. The lithograph depicts a man, with his back turned to the viewer, inspecting a small sapling as his wife stands behind him, reading from a book. The scene is a humorous commentary on the absurdity of following instructions without understanding the underlying principles, a common theme in Daumier's work, which often satirized the follies of everyday life. The lithograph's detailed lines and subtle shading give it a realistic quality, while the humor of the situation makes it both engaging and thought-provoking.