THE SECBETAEY'S POKTFOLIO. 215 



year : stable manure, wood ashes, salt, or other fertilizers being used in rota- 

 tion. 



Old stunted trees will derive much benefit by a cutting back of the old limbs 

 to within a reasonable distance of the trunk. 



Thinning out is invariably necessary to insure fine fruits. In this the culti- 

 vator is assisted by the much dreaded curculio, which, however, under the jar- 

 ring process adopted by plum culturists of late years, has ceased to prove a 

 hindrance to the successful raising and maturing of the crop. The curculio 

 question has been so fully discussed, and its nature is so well understood, that 

 we deem it unnecessary to particularize further. 



These few facts borne in mind, there is no reason why plum culture should 

 not prove as successful in this country as that of the apple and pear. We have 

 no doubt that as soon as its importance is fully realized it will become a leading 

 feature of fruit culture. 



From our own orchard, which has been in bearing for the past thirty years, 

 and contains one of the most complete collections in this country, we select the 

 following list as the best, in our opinion, for general cultivation : 



Although we have divided them in several classes, viz. : For desert, cooking, 

 market, and drying, — almost any are suitable for cooking purposes. Fellem- 

 berg, Coe's Golden Drop, Peter's Yellow Gage, and Reine Claude de Bavay are 

 among the best for canning. 



Of the prunes, the Fellemberg and German prune are doubtless the most 

 valuable in this climate for drying, the former being the largest and richest, 

 and the latter the most prolific. The Prune d'Agen is in great repute in 

 France, and is also excellent in this country. 



The Wangenheim is very rich and fine. 



For description of varieties, we refer to the Pomological works and leading 

 nursery catalogues. 



For Dessert. — Royal Hative, Royal de Tours, Bleeker's Gage, Coe's Golden 

 Drop, Green Gage, Imperial Gage, Jefferson, Lawrence's Gage, McLaughlin, 

 Peters Yellow Gage, Reine Claude de Bavay, Washington, Yellow Gage, Prince 

 Eno-lebert. 



For Cooking. — Goliath, Lombard, Magnum Bonum Yellow, Victoria, Pond's 

 Seedling, Shropshire Damson. 



For Drying. — Fellemberg, German Prune, Prune d'Agen, Wangenheim. 



Most Profitable for Market. — Bradshaw, Coe's Golden Drop, Fellemberg, 

 Lombard, Magnum Bonum Yellow, McLaughlin, Peter's Yellow Gage, Reine 

 Claude de Bavay, Shropshire Damson, Victoria. 



THE LILAC FOR ORNAMENT. 



The committee on ornamental trees and plants, through their chairman, Mr. 

 George Ellwanger, reported as follows : 



Among the hardy, large growing ornamental shrubs, the Lilac justly occupies 

 a prominent place, — indeed we consider it second only to the Magnolia as an 

 ornamental flowering shrub. 



It is a universal favorite, and fully merits London's encomium, "Beautiful 

 in leaf, and preeminently so when in flower." 



The common purple and white varieties, like the red Pjeonia and Snowball, 

 are familiar to all. They may be seen in almost every farmer's garden, regal- 

 ing the passer-by in their flowering season with their delicious perfume. 



Their swelling buds and pale green leaves are the first of advancing vegeta- 



