PROCEEDINGS OP THE WINTER MEETING. 35 



able and best adapted to all commercial purposes, considering hardiness, 

 productiveness, and general market demands. 



POINTS AS TO PLUMS. 



The growing interest that has shown itself during the past twenty-five 

 years in iDlum culture, has led to the introduction of many sorts of the 

 Jj^uropean type, which in some regards have been a decided improvement 

 upon many of the older varieties. The first consideration has been hard- 

 iness in wood and fruit-bud, and then productiveness, style, good handling 

 qualities for market, and lastly quality. Most markets prefer high-colored 

 fruit. The Bradshaw has long been a standard as a large, early ripening 

 fruit, of fine style, but Schoharie county. New York, has given us the Field, 

 of equal size and style; wood more hardy, and ripening ten days earlier. 

 Maryland lias given us the Prince of Wales, some two weeks later, which 

 is also very hardy, exceedingly productive, and for style all that could be 

 desired. England has also given us the Diamond, for mid-season, and the 

 ■Grand Duke, Archduke, and Monarch for late^ipening sorts, all of which, 

 it would seem, will come to be regarded as great acquisitions to the com- 

 mercial plum-grower; while to France we are indebted for the French 

 Damson, in every respect the best of all the Damson family ; and the Beine 

 Claude de Bavay, the choicest of the Green Gage family, but rather too 

 tender for many locations. 



America has given us Peters' Yellow Gage, the best of all yellow plums, 

 <jombining in an eminent degree all that is required in a first-class light- 

 colored jjlum, to meet the wants of the most fastidious in taste; while 

 from the same source come a host of others of value, whose period of 

 ripening, however, is not in all instances exactly what we require. The 

 introduction of a little foreign blood in the vegetable, as well as the animal, 

 kingdom seems to be desirable in order to produce the best results. 



While engaged in our experimental work, we may well investigate the 

 new Japan plums, which certainly possess some characteristics that may 

 be of great value to some sections of our country. Like the Japanese 

 pears, they have a foliage unsurpassed in quantity and ruggedness which 

 is carried through the season and would indicate a wood sufficiently hardy 

 to fit them for the climate of New York or Michigan. 



One very marked characteristic in all of these Japan plums, is their very 

 strong and rugged foliage, which does not so far seem to be affected by any 

 of the insect life or diseases that prey upon many of our choice European 

 fiorts, and sometimes weaken them to such an extent as to unfit them to 

 withstand the severity of a hard winter following a heavy cropping. 



Of these, there have been quite a large number of varieties introduced 

 into this country, among which are several under the name Botan; and 

 from information derived from the head of the department of agriculture 

 at Washington, this appears to be the name of a family. One of this 

 family has already been renamed Abundance. 



In order to avoid confusion we have numbered the best two of this 

 family as No. 6 and No. 26. The latter. No. 26, is of very good quality, 

 productive, and markets well and ripens two to three weeks in advance of 

 any plum we have. In 1891 it ripened July 18. Another, and so far as 

 we can judge the best of all so far tested, is Burbank's Japan. This vari- 

 ety seems to combine hardiness, good (juality, and good productiveness in 

 an eminent degree, and may be styled a late ripening sort. In 1891 it 



