34 Bulletin 62. 



as a remedy for the rot. Notwithstanding failures in general this 

 year, I have begun shipping Chickasavvs, of which I have a good 

 crop." These plums are evidently not more subject to rot than 

 many varieties of Domesticas, however, and I doubt if they are 

 so much injured, as a rule, as the lyombard. 



It has been said that these plums, or some of them, are curcu- 

 lio proof; but this is an error. Yet they often appear to escape 

 much of the excessive injury which falls to the Domestica varie- 

 ties. The following note from the Rural New- Yorker bears upon 

 this point. I saw the tree here described, upon the editor's 

 grounds, just before the fruit was ripe, and it appeared to be free 

 from curculio injury : 



" The Abundance plum (August 4) at the Rural grounds is a 

 sight to behold. The branches are wreaths of fruit, and they, as 

 well as the tree itself, are held up by props and ropes. Some of 

 the plums are beginning to color ; all are of good size, and, though 

 the old marks of the curculio sting are engraved upon most of 

 them, no injury seems as yet to have resulted. For twent}^ years, 

 off and on, the Rural New- Yorker has tried so-called curculio 

 proof plums. We have never used insecticides nor jarred the 

 trees to destroy them, and we have never before had a crop of 

 plums. Plums are not raised in the vicinit}" simply because the 

 people are not willing to put themselves to the trouble of jarring 

 the trees, and they know from experience that they cannot raise 

 plums without doing so. Xow here we have the Abundance 

 loaded down with beautiful fruit, while not a precaution has been 

 taken to destroy the curculio. Blessed be the Abundance ! It is 

 well named." 



So far as I have been able to learn, none of the varieties are ser- 

 iously attacked by black-knot, although the disease occurs on 

 them. This circumstance, however, should not be dwelt upon too 

 strongly, for it is possible that the exemption is largely accidental. 

 Yet I have seen perfectly healthy trees on the Hudson River where 

 all the common plums in the neighborhood were seriously injured. 

 The varieties appear to be nearly exempt from leaf-blight, also. 



The Japanese plums are commonly budded upon the peach, and 

 so far very few complaints have reached me from failure of the 

 union ; but I shall be .surprised if as strong and permanent results 



