Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., March 20, 1897. 



Honorable Commissioner of Agriculture, Albany. 



Sir: — This paper completes our survey of the stone-fruit 

 industries of western New York, and it is submitted as a bulletin 

 under the Experiment Station Extension Law. It is unnecessary 

 to make any extended discussion of the methods of the tilling and 

 fertilizing of plum orchards, for these general subjects have been 

 fully gone over in previous bulletins upon fruit-growing. For 

 three years the writer has been studying the plum industry of 

 w^estern New York, and he has also had the advantage of two or 

 three crops upon the young orchard of the Experiment Station. 

 The chief value of the bulletin, however, lies in the account of 

 varieties which has been contributed by S. D. Willard, of Geneva ; 

 and Mr. Willard has also been most generous of suggestions 

 upon plum-growing in general, and upon many other subjects, for 

 several years. In fact, there is no one fruit-grower in the state 

 from whom the writer has learned so much as he has from Mr. 

 Willard ; and it is therefore a satisfaction to be able to put on 

 record some of the results of his long and profitable experience in 

 the growing of plums for market. 



L,. H. Bailey. 



The pictures of plums in this bulletin are all life size, unless 

 otherwise stated in the legend. 



