Summer Meet in":. 23 



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For more than half a century the growing of the finer plums has 

 iDeen, to a great extent, a succession of failures. I have traveled con- 

 siderable in my time, yet have never seen more than three grand crops 

 of this fruit. One was in Lebanon, Pa., in the yard of a man who had 

 it paved with flag stones. His trees were loaded, so that the branches 

 Tiad to be propped. Every morning the yard was swept and the dropped 

 plums were thrown into a slop bucket. He had, perhaps, 20 varieties. 



Another crop was at Camp Hill, Cumberland county, Pa. There 

 were, perhaps, 20 trees enclosed by a high wall, and within the enclosure 

 poultry were kept. Not a blade of grass or weed was to be seen. These 

 plum trees were the Richland, somewhat similar in character to the 

 common damson, but twice as large and less acid. I never saw a finer 

 crop. That was just 20 years ago. A letter of inquiry has been sent 

 •asking whether this plum orchard is still successful. 



The third plum crop was in Duncannon, Perry county. Pa. A trip 

 of 16 miles was taken to visit this. The man showed me his plum patch, 

 in which were many of the most improved varieties, some just getting 

 ripe. These were also propped to keep the limbs from breaking. The 

 idea of thinning out fruit was not to be thought of. 



But what is the matter with 3'our trees ? was asked the owner, as they 

 were bruised from near the ground up to the first limbs, so that there 

 was hardly a patch of sound bark three inches square to be seen, and 

 the gum was hardened on the trunks in lumps. The answer was that 

 lie had heard that if the trees were well hammered that the plums would 

 stick. He certainly carried it out. Every morning he went along with 

 a club and gave all the trees a severe pounding. By this means he gave 

 the curculio a poor chance. 



Last season there was a splendid crop of Burbanks in my yard, where 

 the ground is bare. I think I sent the editor of the Rural World some. 



Just now, Alay 24, I have the Ogon, Burbank, No. 2, Hale, Gold, 

 Abundance, Quackenboss, Deep Creek, Hawkeye and some others still 

 ^ound. I gave one jarring and caught some curculios. The other treat- 

 ment was dusting with Hammond's slung shot in the morning when the 

 dew was on, and one spraying with the same in solution. Time will 

 show how this will come out. 



For years my ifiterest in the plum was so deep that all the new 

 ones were sought after and planted. I had perhaps 40 varieties. Eighty 

 per cent, of them are not worth growing, even if Ave could get crops. 

 AVild Goose plums were grown by the bushel, nearly all of which rotted 

 Tuider the trees. At one time a railroad contractor who boarded with 

 xis, and who filled himself whenever he had time, asked me why I did 

 not ship them to market. He was told that my time was too valuable 



