SUMMER MEETING. 99 



Japanese Plums. 



The discussion on the value of Japanese plums was free, and 

 apparently exhaustive. That this class of plums is of the greatest 

 promise can no longer be questioned. S. D. Willard, although not yet 

 ready to recommend general wholesale planting, says Japanese plums 

 <;an be grown with profit in New York state. Burbank is better than 

 other Botans, and Yellow Japan still better than Burbank. Trees of 

 these plums do not seem to be as liable to be troubled with black knot 

 as ordinary plums. The fruit is thin-skinned and good enough in 

 quality. The Botans bloom early, and therefore are liable to be hurt 

 by late frosts. C. M. Hooker says this is also his experience. Neither 

 are they curculio proof ; trees are hardy. Sweet Botan (Abundance) 

 is as good as Lombard ; a good keeper and shipper. It has healthy 

 foliage and is free from disease. 



Ogon is a yellow plum, the poorest in quality of all. It looks nice 

 and is early. Henry Lutz calls it the best canning plum. It sells well, 

 remaining in good condition for several weeks. Burbank and Sweet 

 Japan, in Niagara county, ripen in August. The fruit can be picked 

 green and shipped. It will ripen well and be of good flavor. Willard 

 (Botan 26), the earliest of all, ripens in July. Prof. Bailey thinks it 

 will be the coming early market plum. Satsuma is a good late sort' 

 purple all the way through, but not yet tested enough. Prof. Bailey 

 calls the Burbank better in quality than the Lombard, and Sweet Botan 

 (Abundance) as good. These Japanese plums, he says, are the coming 

 fruit. They have fruited in Iowa after being exposed to a winter tem- 

 perature of 26 degrees below zero. J. H. Hale says that for profita- 

 ble market plums the Japanese varieties hold out the best prospects. 

 They are better keepers and shippers than European plums. Prof. 

 Craig, of the Experimental farm at Ottawa, Canada, says he has tried 

 all Japanese sorts, but only one, an early Botan, outlived a winter tem- 

 perature of 32 below zero. He is now trying them top-worked on 

 native plums. — American Gardening. 



JAPANESE PLUMS IN AMERICA. 



It is now about 25 years since a Mr. Hough, of Vacaville, Califor- 

 nia, secured, through one of our consuls, a variety of plum from Japan, 

 which has been the forerunner of a race which is destined to be a 

 great blessing to this country. This is now called Kelsey, but an intelli- 



