040 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OfiE. Doc. 



tal process will any other rational conclusion appear in the lime 

 light of common sense, other than ihat lor market purposes, the 

 plum can be successfully grown in almost every county in this 

 state, regardless of the variability of concomitant circumstances, as 

 relates to soil and atmosphere? Comparatively, jilums are little if 

 any more perishable as a nmrket commodity than peachee, though 

 the general family consumption is more restricted, whkh is but a 

 natural result of circumstances. That all of our smaller cities and 

 larger towns oflt'er profitable markets for much larger quantities 

 of the f4'uit, than are now supplied, is neither fanaticism or soph- 

 istry, but an every day fact. Keferring to the second query, soils 

 as relates to their adaptation for especially desired purposes, are 

 largely controllable by and amendable to intelligeut ambition and 

 the demands of necessity ; for in many instances tine fruits are pro- 

 duced now, on soils which but a score of years back, a seriously ex- 

 pressed intention of their utilization for such purposes would have 

 been ruled out by the admonition of prudence and the promptings 

 of sound judgment; because of the apparent violation of the accept- 

 ed teachings of nature. Nature itself, however, is not infallible. It 

 is none the less a fact, that the nauseating stench of the sweat-shops 

 stamps its deathly pallor on their inmates with no more certainty, 

 than do the untreated and neglected conditions of unsuitable soils on 

 tree and plant life. The exercising of good horse sense would 

 promptly find a remedy in either case, the best soils in an agricul- 

 tural sense are largely artificial, the degree of fertility and adaptive- 

 ness to profitable production in special lines, simply portrays in a 

 broad sense, the intelligence and business qualities of the owner. 

 Not every one distinguished by the honorable title of farmer, is 

 an expert in soil renovation and improvement; neither is every one 

 who plants an orchard expert in soil analysis. The common school 

 of nature does in such cases accurately and distinctly blaze the trail 

 for mlling eyes to follow to needed improvement. Generous addi- 

 tion and discreet subtraction will with mathematical precision pro- 

 vide a balanced ration for the soil, and thus assure to it, both ability 

 and inclination for liberal and kindly response to the wishes of its 

 quarter master, who happily treading in wisdom's ways, has learned 

 that tillage is more closely akin to irrigation than to manure, and 

 that effective drainage is a "plumb" necessity. 



Query number three if technically construed might imply that 

 some special or unusual process, different in mode and measure 

 from culture given to other fruits is essential with the plum, but 

 the experience every where of successful growers thoroughly estab- 

 lishes the opposite; the practical sanity of profitable plum growing, 

 while tolerant and forbearing, discloses a somewhat unyielding con- 

 viction, favorable to frequent surface stirring with such implements 

 as are adapted to the character of the land. That is to say, often 

 enough to protect it against waste either by useless weed growth or 

 in moisture. The means employed to prevent the one, promotes 

 the other. Present day fruit growing operations of the commer- 

 cial class are notable for deeply interested vigilance and searching 

 economy. Not the kind of economy that restricts needed cultural 

 expenditure, anl loses ten fold in the quality and qauntity of the 

 orchard products; the Book of Books warns against this type of 



