276 State Horticultural Society. 



making- is- a different topic, which also must be learned, to do it well, 

 so there is only one way left for many, to dispose of the culls of grapes 

 to the winemaker for the price he is willing- to pay, and also I have 

 come to the end of my sketch about the art of profitable vineyarding. 

 Thanks for your kind attention. 



"MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH PLUMS— MOS^TLY 

 OF THE NATIVE VARIETIES." 



(J. H. Karnes, St. Joseph, ^Fo.) 



Mr. Chairman and Ladies and Gentlemen : 



In this brief paper I shall give only my personal experience and 

 observation in the growing of plums. There are so manv ^ arieties 

 of all groups that it would be sheer folly (as well as a waste of time 

 and money) for anyone to attempt to grow but a few varieties for 

 profit. I have already tried more than were profitable. But the tempta- 

 tion to test some new variety is one that I seldom try to resis^. So for 

 fourteen years I have been testing some varieties of plums — native, Euro- 

 pean and Japanese. My residence and location is a few miles northeast of 

 St. Joseph in the northern part of Buchanan county. Missouri. ^\y soil is 

 mostly a sandy loam and rolling enough to drain well. I liave planted on 

 lowland near a ravine and on the high ridge land, but the trees on the high 

 land have usually borne the best crops and more frequently than those on 

 the lowland. Therefore, I have concluded that it is more profitable to 

 plant on high ground than on the lowland near the ravines. I have 

 always cultivated my plum orchard, especially until it comes intc"> 

 fruiting and then at least every other year; and always keep the 

 weeds and grasses mown down so as to give a good circulation of 

 air. Such varieties as Wildgoose, Forest Rose, Bradshaw and some 

 others must be headed back almost every year until they come into 

 bearing-; Wildgoose more than any other variety unless it be Bur- 

 bank. The Burbank is such a rampant grower and of such a spread- 

 ing habit that I find I can make a much better tree and one that 

 bears better fruit by cuting back severely almost every year. Now 

 a few words about varieties and then I will close. There is a well 

 authenticated theory that plum trees of different varieties must be 

 planted togxther in order to insure perfect cross pollination. So in 

 my orchard I have a number of varieties all mixed up together and 

 have had but few failures of crops in that orchard. However, Wildgoose 

 is the variety which is the surest cropper of anything I have, never 



