98 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This paper of Prof. Taft, the reading of which was received with warm 

 applause, was followed by one by Benton Gephart of Hart, president of 

 the Oceana County Horticultural society, uj^on 



PLUM GROWING IN OCEANA COUNTY. 



"The first thing necessary and of much importance in plum culture is 

 to have or procure suitable land on which to plant the trees. By this 

 I mean a good, heavy, sandy loam, and still better if mixed with clay, and 

 not the white drifting sand among the pine stumps on our lake shore. 

 Prepare the land just as you would for any other large fruits for planting. 

 Pulverize the soil thoroughly and keep it in a good state of fertility. 

 Plant the trees from eighteen to twenty feet apart, and give them a good 

 and thorough cultivation each season. In bearing orchards, plow the 

 ground in the fall or spring each season, being careful not to break any 

 large roots. Cultivate with a spring-tooth ciTltivator or harrow, early in 

 the season, as then is the time that plum growth is made. A bearing- 

 orchard requires more cultivation in a dry season than a young one. As 

 to suitable varieties for orchard planting, I would say that there are a 

 great many varieties of plum growing in our section of country — perhaps 

 fifty or more different varieties in all. Many of these varieties are in 

 bearing, for which the growers have no correct name, and quite a number 

 of these unknown varieties are large, fine, and beautiful plums to grow 

 for market. To select a standard list for orchard planting I should choose 

 the following varieties, named in the order of ripening: Washington, 

 Bradshaw, Duane's Purple, Prince Englebert, Union Purple, Lombard, 

 Genii, Quackenbos, Purple Egg, Coe's Golden Drop, Reine Claude, 

 Shropshire. 



"Of new varieties the Genii and Shipper's Pride appear to be promising, 

 being both medium to large, fruit a dark purple with heavy bloom, having 

 excellent shipping qualities, and are immensely productive. Also the 

 Field for early and Stanton for late are prolific and very promising new 

 l^lums. The Japanese plums are also on trial, and have fruited some. 

 The Botan seems to be the most promising. This is quite hardy, a very 

 early bearer, and seems to be productive with the exception of wet or cold 

 seasons. During these unfavorable seasons the blossoms seem to blast, or 

 else do not fertilize properly, as it does not bear much fruit in such 

 seasons. The fruit is early, large, of beautiful color, and of a fine flavor. 

 There are also many other new varieties on trial which have not fruited as 

 yet, such as Moore's Arctic, Naples, Mariana, Victoria, Hudson Egg, 

 Niagara, etc. 



HISTORY OF PLUM CULTURE IN OCEANA. 



"The history of plum culture in Oceana county is really more than I 

 am able to give, not being an old pioneer of this coiinty, especially in plum- 

 growing. I do not doubt in the least there are plum trees in Oceana 

 county which are 30 or 35 years old, and which produced twenty good 

 paying crops during this time. But this the writer knows to be a fact, 

 that we have trees that are 20 and 24 years of age which have produced 

 fifteen big paying crops of fruit, and the trees are healthy and in full vigor 

 yet, some trees yielding as high as six bushels per year. Plum culture in 

 Oceana county is a small item in comparison to other fruits, both in the 



