No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 647 



economy in the parable of the talents. True economy in commer 

 cial fruit growing of any kind implies general investment for the 

 needs of the trees, as discerned by kindly watchfulness, confirmed by 

 good judgment and rendered effective by methodical application. 

 No arbitrary code controls, nor ironclad rule regulates in the essen- 

 tial activities of brain and brawn, to forestall unfavorable weather 

 influence; the intuition growing out of personal interest and ex- 

 perience is the surest reliance. 



The fourth inquiry invites consideration of features, viewed col- 

 lectively, are conspicuous in their instability; because of potent 

 local influences, more especially climate and market. Atmospher- 

 ical extremes as relates to temperature and more pronounced as 

 you recede from large bodies of water ; inland situations while shorn 

 of such ameliorating and softening influences in temperature, on 

 the other hand, by the same conditions are to a larger extent free 

 from excessive humidity — the foster mother of brown rot in the 

 plum. The selection of varieties for a commercial orchard, is much 

 like reading a sign-board that reads difl'erently from different angles. 

 Subsequent to the determination of a selection meeting the climate 

 requirements, is the choosing from such selection, a list strictly 

 in keeping with the demands of the market for which the fruit is 

 intended. The fundamental or primary work in establishing an or- 

 chard is not a whit less important than in other business enter- 

 prises, and is more safely executed under the directions of the trinity 

 of when, why and what, than that of heard, haste and hope. How- 

 ever profound the pomological knowledge of the planter — practical 

 and thorough may be his judgment as to soil — suitableness of va- 

 rieties as to climate and peculiarities of market, it very rarely occurs 

 that a majority of the varieties found in his first orchard will be found 

 in the second; actual test exposes in the most impressive manner 

 a weakness or short coming in some particular that he fails to rem- 

 edy. Experience of this kind in one or two instances does not con- 

 clusively establish that varieties thus condemned and barred by one 

 planter are unprofitable under the managements of others. 



Epitomised — the lentire question as relates to profit, soil, culture, 

 market, and varieties is largely under the effective control of one 

 lever, the man. 



In a review of the several species, or groups of plums as our 

 authorities have classified them, for the purpose of selecting varieties 

 most promising for a commercial orchard, it is wholly useless to 

 include the Nigra group. Not because of any question as to hard- 

 iness of trees in withstanding low temperatures, but the thick, 

 leathery skin of the fruit makes it undesirable in our markets. The 

 same situation exists, to a great extent with the Americana group, 

 though it contains a long list of varieties. For the west and north- 

 west this group affords much greater assurance of crop production 

 than any other, but with the exception of a very few varieties the 

 fruit is met acceptable with Eastern consumers. 



One of the most notable exceptions to this thick skinned feature 

 is found in the variety named Hanson, which is the earliest in sea- 

 son of the kinds constituting this large group. The Stoddard is 

 another variety which shows less of the politician in its skin than 

 the average, and possesses that captivating merit of large size. 



