20 



hut because of inadequate returns they have not come to be used generally. Farm- 

 yard manure is most used and even with this the other fruits seem to have the 

 preference and if any is left the plums may get it. A light application, eight 

 or ten tons once every two years is the exception rather than the rule. A few 

 apply light dressings annually, and the returns seem to warrant the expenditure; 

 but these are only the few, and the best, but it indicates that plums under skilful 

 management are a paying crop. 



Two serious objections might be raised to the foregoing statements re culti- 

 vation and cover crops. The extreme of cultivation produces heavy tender growth, 

 but thorough spring, not late cultivation, only is advocated. And covercrops tend 

 to harbor curculio and rot. This is the sound objecHon in som.e instances, but 

 where the best pruning and spraying methods are followed the danger of infection 

 is reduced to a minimum. 



Picking and Packing. 



Is there anything to be said about the picking of plums? Very little, I am 

 afraid, except to repeat the oft-quoted rules with regard to other fruits. 



Because of the lack of confidence in the plum trade, and prices generally, the 

 fruit is often picked roughly — "shelled" so to speak in baskets without any par- 

 ticular care being exercised. This applies more particularly to such varieties as 

 Burbank and Lombard. Baskets containing plums of various sizes in various 

 degrees of maturity, sometimes also some leaves, can be purchased on the large 

 markets during the rush of the season. To some extent at least this is the cause 

 of low prices. The grower has had a large quantity and received a medium price 

 which has paid him well enough, but it has hurt the sale of plums as a whole. 



A single decayed plum in a basket soon plays havoc with the fruit nearest it, 

 and the infection soon spreads. Much care should be exercised to prevent such 

 waste. The writer has seen baskets of plums — and other fruits also — spoiling 

 on the hands of the retailer. This may seem to be far from the producer, but 

 when the loss from decay is heavy the good fruit must be sold at a correspondingly 

 high price to protect the retailer from financial loss. This is one of the reasons 

 of high cost to the consumer that the producer does not always consider. A large 

 share of the apparently large retail price is due to loss caused by careless picking 

 and packing methods. 



At no time should plums be placed in baskets when they are at all damp. 

 This only hastens the decay. All plums are not ripe when they begin to turn 

 blue; German Prunes, for instance, are not ripe till many days later and should 

 be left till in a better state for shipment. They are better picked a little green 

 than over-ripe though, especially for long-distance shipment. Most of the early 

 Japanese varieties should be picked a little green as they quickly "go down" 

 if over-ripe. The above are the conditions generally. A few men are more 

 careful, and are paving the way. Their plums are graded into " extra fancy," 

 "fancy," "medium," and "Lombard" grades, and as such their fruit is known 

 to the trade. Their baskets of plums carry the same guarantee as their baskets 

 of other fruits and the returns are commensurate with the extra trouble and 

 expense of picking and packing. Wet or damp weather conditions during the 

 ripening and picking season are in some measure responsible for heavy loss from 

 decay in transit and when in the hands of the retailer. Loss at this time can not 

 be avoided except by careful pruning to admit an abundance of air and sunlight 

 into the tree and by the use of fungicides to prevent scab development. 



