288 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



plant an orchard, the first thing to consider is the preparation of the 

 land, not only to make it rich and drain properly, which are very im- 

 portant matters and highly necessary; but above all, and certainly be- 

 fore planting the trees, have the ground most thoroughly and very 

 deeply plowed, not only in tree-rows, but the entire orchard. Very 

 many persons think it sufficient to make a hole in the hard earth just 

 big enough to hide the roots of the tree. This gives rise to all the 

 trouble set forth, as before mentioned, sun-scald, etc. Thrifty young 

 trees carefully planted in well-prepared land, whether given a long or 

 short body, will not be troubled with sun-scald or slow growth, but 

 will live long and be profitable. Owners of such orchards will be pro- 

 gressive and public benefactors. 



The Best Plums, and Why. 



BY JACOB FAITH. 



Our worthy Secretary assigned to me for this meeting the subject 

 " The Best Plums, and Why." This paper I feel more able to write,. 

 and state the value of plums in an apple orchard. My experience in 

 testing new varieties of plums and seedlings was unprofitable. I be- 

 lieve more failures are made planting plum-trees than any other tree, 

 by not knowing what variety to set for our latitude, and how to fer- 

 tilize. 



Varieties. — Catto Chief is the first to ripen, but late frost often 

 kills them, and they are too small for market. Three weeks later the 

 Wild Goose ripens, which is more profitable with me. Miner and 

 Weaver are much like the Wild Goose. Fourteen days later Crimson 

 Beauty ripens. It is a good bearer, smaller than the above, but better 

 for preserves. About the same time the Brown's Late ripens, a shy 

 bearer. Golden Beauty is one of the latest to ripen. In color it is a 

 greenish yellow. It is less subiect to curculio than any I know of, but 

 it is subject to over-bearing, and thus the fruit is small, It is also 

 subject to cracking or bursting, like the Rawles Geniting apple, after 

 a dry spell when fall rains come. Blue Damson is a very shy bearer. 

 Mariana failed in what was expected of it. Abundance, with me, has 

 not borne yet, but from what I have seen and learned, I believe it will 

 be a profitable plum for Southwest Missouri. Other varieties were 

 tested on my place, but failed to yield satisfactory crops. With all 

 my study and experience, I do not understand how to plant to give 

 the best results in fertilizing each other. I am convinced that plums 

 should be planted of alternate varieties. Some varieties are poor 



