MICHIGAN EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 161 



fallen. With the change to dryer weather new foliage was rapidly pro- 

 duced; and the trees, in nearly all cases, have nearly or quite resumed their 

 pristine vigor; though with the total loss of the season's crop of fruit. The 

 bloom and the leaf glands, however, have jointly, served to determine with 

 tolerable certainty, the genuineness of the varieties; or rather their cor- 

 rectness to name, in all cases in which these particulars are known. 



No other fungous diseases of this class of trees have been observed, 

 except in the case of a serrate-leaved variety, received from Allegan county, 

 named Champion; which was attacked by the fungus peculiar to serrate- 

 leaved trees, and which was so severe as to almost wholly prevent the 

 growth of both wood and foliage. 



With the loss of the crop of fruit, the necessity to jar or spray for the 

 curculio ceased. The only other insect that has proved troublesome is the 

 borer {^^qeria exitiosa), to remove which the trees were "wormed," in 

 the spring, and again in September, finding only an occasional larva. 



The trees have held their foliage, this fall, with unusual persistence; 

 still the season has been favorable for maturing the young wood; and both 

 wood and fruit buds are apparently in well ripened condition. 



Although a tabulation would give the characters of foliage and blossoms 

 in convenient form for consultation, this would not prove an aid in deter- 

 mining the character of the fruit, or the value of the variety; it is there- 

 fore deemed preferable to delay their presentation till they shall occur in 

 connection with notices of the fruits. 



PLUMS.- Pntims. 



With those planted the past spring, there are now growing upon the 

 station grounds, eighty-four varieties of plum; nineteen of which are of 

 the present year's planting. 



Forty of these have shown more or less bloom the present season; which, 

 however, was rendered abortive by the same cause which has proved fatal 

 to nearly all tree fruits of this locality. A tree of Cheney plum {Avneri- 

 cana) began to develop a few fruits; which, however, developed the fungus 

 known as Plum Pockets ( Taphrina priini), leaving none to mature. Other 

 than this, no important indications of fungous disease have been observed. 



Among insects the rose chafer (Macrodactyliis suhspinosiis) made its 

 appearance as usual, though in somewhat diminished numbers. Several 

 applications of insecticides proved but slightly effective, and were followed 

 up by hand picking, until the enemy was subdued, or perchance merely 

 vacated for the season. 



The shig {Eriocanq^a cernsi) has again proved troublesome; continu- 

 ing its attacks to a later date than heretofore, owing very possibly to 

 longer continued mild weather. 



The recently introduced Japan plums, for a time, received the specific 

 designation orienfalis with apparent propriety; but, more recently the 

 name Hattan has taken 'precedence; and has now been adopted in the 

 revised list of the American Pomological Society. 



With a wider acqaintance with the native varieties of the plum, there 

 appears to be a conviction, in certain botanical quarters, that there may be 

 occasion for further subdivisions of the specific classes of the plum, 

 known as Americana and chicasa- a conviction to which the diverse char- 



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