EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 413 



rem and it is not a question of ttie use of any of one mettiod of spraying to keep 

 it under control, but the various preventive measures should also be used. While 

 the curculio stung a largo number of plums, the crop was so heavy that the 

 damage was very slight, and thinning was absolutely necessary with a large 

 number of varieties, in order to save the trees from breaking down. 



THINNING. 



Tests of thinning to varying degrees was again practiced and the results were 

 practically the same as obtained in 1902. The fruit was much larger and sold for 

 a much higher price, and the thinning is one of the preventive measures in 

 helping to control the rot. One of the points observed this season was to see if 

 thinning would induce annual crops and from a theoretical standpoint it would 

 seem practical, but it did not prove so with the varieties Burbank and Abundance, 

 which set a heavy crop in 1902, when one tree of each variety was thinned when 

 the fruit was about the size of a hickory nut, leaving them about two inches 

 apart. The trees thinned in 1902 showed no more blooms and set no more fruit 

 this season than the trees left unthinned. However, the commercial results ob- 

 tained prove the practice of thinning to be a profitable one. 



MARKETING. 



In marketing the plums, the large fancy kinds sell best in four-basket tomato 

 crates, using the one-fifth bushel baslvet for the smaller kinds and the sixteen- 

 quart crate for the small Blue Damsons. This of course applies to the Chicago 

 market. For canning factories the smaller varieties are desirable as the bulk of 

 their products is used by hotels and restaurants by whom large numbers in a 

 can rather than large size is preferred. For this class of trade there would be 

 but little gain in thinning 



Notes on Varieties. — European. 



Agen Prune — An old French variety of good quality. Bore a full crop this 

 season. Has been only moderately productive in the past and the fruit is too 

 small to make it a first-class market variety. Ripe September 1st. 



Arch Duke — Gave a heavy yield this season. Fruit large, oval, black, with thick 

 bloom; fiesh rather firm, greenish-yellow, quality good. Ripens in advance of 

 Grand Duke but is not quite so productive as that variety. Ripe August 25th. 



Arctic — Tree vigorous, moderately productive in the past, and gave a good 

 yield this season. Fruit small, dark blue, quality fair. Not valuable. Ripe 

 August 11th. 



Aubert — Resembles Yellow Egg. Tree upright, vigorous, moderately productive; 

 gave a very heavy crop this year. Ripe August 28th. 



Bavay — An old, well-known variety, very productive and of fine quality; valu- 

 able for either home or market. Ripe September 10th. 



Clyman — A new variety received in 1895. Originated on the farm of Mrs. 

 Clyman in the Napa valley, California. Tree upright, vigorous. Fruit roundish- 

 oblong, suture well marked; stem one-half to three-fourths inches, medium stout, 

 set in a narrow, rather deep cavity; color dark purple with bluish bloom; flesh 

 yellow, firm, juicy, free from pit; flavor sprightly, almost sweet; quality good 

 to very good. Ripe July 27th. Fruited for the first time last year and bore a 

 partial crop this season. Should it prove productive it will be valuable as an 

 early market sort. 



Columbia — Late in coming into bearing. Tree vigorous, upright, spreading; 

 bore a full crop this year. Fruit large to very large, nearly round; color purple 

 with bluish bloom; quality fine. Ripe August 24th. Of some merit for home 

 and market. 



Czar — A medium-sized, blue plum of excellent quality but lacks in pi'oductive- 

 ness. 



Black Diamond — Ripens with and is practically identical with Kingston. Tree 

 vigorous and productive. Fruit large, blue black, handsome. One of the most 

 profitable varieties on trial. 



Dr. Uff — A prune of Hungarian origin. Received in 1893 from Division of 

 Pomology. Two lots of scions were received, supposed to be the same variety. 

 Taut they prove to be different. The first variety to ripen was medium to large; 



