REPORT OF THE EORTICUTURIST 33 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



killing of the fruit buds appears to bo due more to dryness of atmosphere with cold 

 weather than low temperatures, merely, the European varieties which will not fruit at 

 Ottawa being grown very successfully along the lower St. Lawrence where the river is 

 open during the winter. The Miner plums are also too tender in the fruit bud at 

 Ottawa. Some of the hybrids between Japaneses and Americana varieties are promis- 

 ing, but for eastern and north central Ontario and the great part of the province of 

 Quebec, the main reliance must be on the Americana and Nigra varieties. 



Americana and Nigra plums. — The Americana and "Nigi'a plums are improved 

 forms of the wild species of the northern parts of the United States and of Canada. 

 It is only about 50 years since the Americana plums were thought worthy of culti- 

 vation and improvement, and it is only during quite recent years that many varieties 

 have been propagated and named. The size, appearance and quality have already been 

 much improved and the pos.sibility for future improvement is great. The appearance 

 of the plums is all that could be desired, and the best varieties are almost large enough 

 but there is great room for improvement in the character of the skin and the flavour 

 of the fruit, although the latter is good. The skin of the Nigra plums, derived from 

 the Canadian species, is thinner than that of the Americana and breaks up easier 

 when cooked. 



VARIETIES OF PLUMS RECOMMENDED FOR THE PROnNCES OF ONTARIO AND QUEBEC. 



While the experience at Ottawa would not be a guide as to the varieties of plums 

 most suited to the warmer parts of Ontario, the writer has had a good opportunity to 

 learn by correspondence and by visiting the orchards of plum growers which are the 

 best kinds to plant. The following list is very similar to that published in Bulletin 

 No. 43, on Plum Culture, by the writer. 



Americana and Nigra. — Aitkin, Bixby, Mankato, Cheney, WoK, Hawkeye, Stod- 

 dard. Other promising kinds are Admiral Schley, Bomberger, Smith, Lottie, U.S., 

 Terry, Atkins, Bouncer. 



European. — Bradshaw, Imperial Gage, Gueii, Shippers' Pride, Lombard, Quack- 

 enboss, Yellow Egg, Grand Duke, Golden Drop, Bavay (Reine Claude). The Shrop- 

 shire Damson is one of the best of the Damsons. 



Japanese. — Eed June, Abundance, Burbank, Chabot. The Satsuma is a red- 

 fleshed variety desirable for canning. 



Hardiest varieties of European plums. — Early Red (Russian), Mount Royal, 

 Raynes, Richland, Glass, Montmorency, Perdrigon, Ungarish. 



Canning and Preserving Plums. — As the Americana and Nigra plums vary much 

 in quality, experiments have been conducted to determine which kinds were best when 

 preserved. The result of these tests were published in the bulletin on Plum Culture in 

 which are also given recipes. 



Sand Cherry as a Stock for Plums. — Experiments have been conducted with dif- 

 ferent stocks for grafting plums. The most interesting stock has proven to be the sand 

 clierry. Trees of Americana plums grafted 13 years ago are still in good condition and 

 bearing well. The trees are considerably dwarfed by this stock. The sand cherry may 

 prove useful where close planting is adopted, as many more trees could be planted on 

 an acre when dwarfed by this stock. Trees grafted on this stock are not, however, as 

 firm in the ground as they might be, as the Sand Cherry has not many root fibres. This 

 m.'iy be a disadvantage as the trees get older, as winds may loosen them too much. 



