EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 241 



extreme northern part of the lower peninsula and in portions of the upper 

 peninsula, but even there the failure is due more to soil than climatic con- 

 ditions. "While the same general rules regarding elevation and exposure 

 apply to this fruit as have been given for the peach, they vary in degree, 

 and plums can, owing to the greater hardiness of the fruit-buds as well as of 

 the trees, be grown in locations where the peach will fail. In fact, it is a 

 common practice, when large areas are planted to these fruits upon rolling 

 land, to use the higher portions for peach trees and to set the plums in the 

 depressions, although if the soil is suitable the plums would do better upon 

 the elevated land. 



As a rule, it may be said that plums need a strong and rather heavy 

 soil, but on the contrary the most successful plum orchards in the state 

 are in Oceana county, where the soil is light. The soil there, however, is 

 rich in lime and seems well adapted to the growth of the trees and to the 

 production of large crops of fine fruit. For the best results, the land 

 should be fairly moist, but success can not be obtained if it is not well 

 drained. If moisture is present, with a proper supply of plant food, fair 

 success can be obtained upon almost any soil, although a light sand, muck, 

 or heavy clay should be avoided, with a moderately heavy loam, either 

 sand or clay, as a choice. 



AGE, SIZE, AND CARE OF TREES. 



In a general way, the same rules apply here as were given for the peach. 

 The ordinary planter will, however, find trees that have been grown in the 

 nursery two years from the bud, preferable to one-year trees. 



It may be well to state that plum trees are generally budded upon 

 Myrobalan stocks, (another name for Primus cerasifera, a dwarf Euro- 

 pean plum). The peach is sometimes used as a stock for American varie- 

 ties, and is recommended by some nurserymen as a stock for European 

 sorts on sandy soils. Sometimes St. Julien stocks are used, and others 

 grown from cuttings of the Marianna (a Texas variety with close affini- 

 ties to Prunus cerasifera) are meeting with favor. The first two kinds may 

 be grown from imported seeds, but it is a more comman plan to plant Euro- 

 pean-grown stocks. They are placed about three feet eight inches by 

 six inches, and if strong may, under favorable ccmditions, be budded the 

 same season. If not large enough, budding may be delayed until the fol- 

 lowing year. The season for budding the plum is earlier than for the 

 peach, the operation being performed as a rule either the latter half of 

 July or the first half of August. Other than noted, the care of plums in 

 the nursery is the same as for the peach. 



In heading back the top of the trees at the time of planting, the common 

 practice differs somewhat from the method pursued with the peach. 

 According to the amount of growth and the amount of root area, the 

 branches are cut back from one half to two thirds, and the weaker ones 

 are thinned out so as to leave not over five side shoots in addition to the 

 leader, which should be shortened only about one third. The branches 

 should be distributed upon the different sides of the stem as evenly as pos- 

 sible, taking pains also to secure a vertical distribution. Both extremes 

 should be avoided in fixing the height for the head; three feet from the 

 ground to the lower branches may be taken as an average, although many 

 would have that as the maximum, and under some conditions it would be 

 preferable to a greater height. 

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