Winter Meeting. 319 



"AIR KARXES ON THE PLUM." 



I am going to say something about the varieties of plums that are 

 profitable to grow, and I will say to begin with, that there is only one 

 kind of plum that is safe to plant for money in this western coun- 

 try, and that is the true American plum. Any man that goes to fool- 

 ing with Japanese or European varieties, unless he happens to catch 

 an extraordinary dry season, like this one is, will have his pains for 

 his trouble only, for I don't think there is any profit in them. Of 

 course, there are some specimens that have grown to be very fine, but 

 they are exceptions however. 



The most profitable varieties I have ever grown has been the 

 Wild Goose, supposed to have originated in Tennessee a little over 

 fifty years ago, and like the Ben Davis apple, it has been the standard 

 plum aimost everywhere it has been planted. It commences to ripen 

 from the first of June, and by the first of July you begin to pick Wild 

 Goose, and it lasts for just about one month. It will come as near 

 ripening every plum that sets as any plum in existence. I have 

 known as many as eighteen perfect plums of the Wild Goose variety 

 to ripen upon a single stem. After the Wild Goose, for succession of 

 plums, there are two varieties that with me have been of equal value. 

 One I have condemned until this year. I condemned it on its size and 

 on its quality, but this year the exceptionably dry weather seems to 

 have been the making of it, and that is the Pottawatomie. Previous 

 to that I have always had for my second choice the Wolf Plum, but it 

 has some drawbacks to it. It is better in quality than the Wild Goose, 

 not as heavy a bearer, and the worst fault it has, it won't stand ship- 

 ping. It will rot over one night. It is subject to the rot any way, but 

 I find the Pottawatomie this year is exceptionally fine. I never saw 

 them so large before, and never saw them of such good quality. They 

 are a plum that will stand shipping .^s far as you want to ship them. I 

 have shipped the Wild Goose and Pottawatomie over three hundred 

 miles, and they arrived in good shape. 



For succession after the Pottawatomie there are two other varie- 

 ties that are of about equal value for late plums. They are the Minor 

 and the Forest Rose. I think I like the Forest Rose a little better 

 than I do the Minor. Either one of them are excellent fertilizers for 

 the Wild Goose. It must be borne in mind, that the Wild Goose is not 

 a self-fertile plum, but must be planted in connection with some other 

 varieties. The Forest Rose and the Minor are both large and of good 



