PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 27 



Mr. Lyon: Japanese plums are promising, a few sorts at least in some 

 localities. 



Mr. Sessions: All such fruited in Oceana county have been unsatisfac- 

 tory and are discarded. To Mr. McClatchie's inquiry as to rot of the 

 plum, Mr. Sessions replied that he could suggest no remedy except 

 spraying. 



Mr. Lyon: It is thought that this disease is started by water retained 

 between the fruits or the fruits and leaves, causing rupture of the fruit 

 and consequent rotting, the spores being rapidly disseminated. 



Mr. Garfield : How long is the plum season here? 



Mr. McClatchie: The first ripen about the middle of August, Duane 

 and Bradshaw at about the same time, and then on till the middle of 

 October. 



Mr. Marsh : I am astonished at the plums here. Can their jjroduction 

 long continue upon such soil? 



Mr. Sessions: Some of our finest plum orchards are upon light soil, 

 but they are the exception. 



Mr. Lyon: I have seen fine plum orchards upon the most porous of 

 soil. 



Mr. Garfield: My plum stocks have not grown, though the scions 

 have grown to good size; and some trees have broken off at the juncture. 



Mr. Ilgenfritz: Several stocks are used in growing plum trees in the 

 nursery, in this case the scion is too thrifty for the stock. A possible 

 remedy would be the heaping up of earth to the stock and the getting of 

 plum roots, but this I have never tried. 



Mr. Warner: I have slit the bark and wood across the juncture and 

 so gotten increased growth. 



Mr. McClatchie: The plum will root wherever it touches the earth. 

 I use peach stocks altogether. The plum roots from the scion would not 

 affect the quality of the fruit. 



A LITTLE GARDEN WELL TILLED. 



This was a subject chosen by Mr. Garfield for a paper, which was half 

 paper half speech : but he said substantially as follows : 



"A little garden well tilled," is one of the requisites of an ideal condi- 

 tion of rural happiness. It is a rarity, however, and this is my excuse for 

 speaking today. The things I shall tell you will not be remarkable for 

 their originality, but rather for the truth about them, that they are among 

 those things which we all know but few of us practice. I know of peach 

 growers who are noted for their success in growing this fruit, who have 

 not a berry plant growing upon their premises. I know of premium berry- 

 growers whose vegetables are limited to potatoes and cabbages, and it is 

 common among my acquaintances to find men who are counted as suc- 

 cessful farmers who consider it more profitable to buy their "garden 

 sauce" than to grow it. I would like all these successful specialists to 

 exchange places with their wives for a little time and understand upon 

 what basis success in good housekeeping stands. I would like them to 

 feel more keenly the torture of the ancient Israelites who were compelled 

 to make bricks without straw. I knew that the success of our specialists 

 in horticulture depends upon the completeness with which they adhere to 

 this maxim " this one thing I do." But I insist that every man to get 

 the highest enjoyment out of this life, must have his hours of recreation; 



