366 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



begins to show, or may be left on the tree until almost fully colored 

 and still go the long route and arrive in perfect condition. With the 

 long list of varieties now grown in this state it would be useless to even 

 attempt to try to describe each. 



Plums are usually packed in five-pound baskets, four baskets to a 

 crate. The smaller varieties are usually packed in three layers 4x5 

 or 5x5, and in some instances with the very early ones as small as 

 5x6. The larger varieties are usually packed 4x5 and 4x4, and in 

 some cases 3x4. In the extremely large sizes they are frequently 

 wrapped in individual papers instead of being placed in layers between 

 long strips of paper, as is the case with the smaller sizes. 



The packing should be done in such manner that every plum is 

 keyed secure in place, but not bruised, and nothing but perfect fruit 

 packed. 



The cover must not press fruit sufficiently to bruise same, but must 

 bear firmly enough to hold fruit from being displaced by rough bumps 

 by the train en route. 



For lack of time I am compelled to omit such important features as 

 fertilization, spraying and insect pests, and will give some time that 

 might have been devoted to those subjects to the subject of varieties, 

 which is one of the most important features of the plum business at 

 the present time. 



The man in business tries to follow the lines of least competition. 

 So with the plum grower. During the last few years so much advance 

 has been made in the creation of new and improved varieties that it 

 has stimulated the grower's desire to get his plums in the market 

 when it is as bare of fruits as possible. Under existing conditions this 

 is secured by being the first on the market. Many standard varieties 

 now considered comparatively old will always command a place in any 

 market, such as Tragedy, Burbank, Wickson, Climax, Hungarian, 

 Grand Duke, Giant and Diamond. But many new and valuable 

 varieties are now competing for first place on the list of good shippers. 

 Prominent among these are the Beauty, Formosa, California Blue or 

 Vacaville, the Gaviota and many others, some yet unnamed, which T 

 am not at liberty to discuss. One very promising new variety originated 

 by my neighbor, Mr. Burton, which he has called the Earlianna, was 

 entirely harvested by the first of June. It is a good sized plum of 

 splendid color and shape and an excellent plum for tbe table, a good 

 bearer and the best all round early blue plum. In conversation with 

 a neighbor recently who is growing over one hundred difi^erent varieties, 

 he remarked that he would confine his energies to but few, such as 

 Beauty, Formosa and perhaps one or two others, and after inspecting 

 his orchard his judgment seemed to me to be wise. 



From our experience in the past we feel that the possibilities for 

 improved varieties are almost unlimited. As we are now growing 

 many times as many varieties as are needed, and so many as to keep 

 the ijuyers at sea as to what is being offered them, I think it wise to 

 eliminate all of the second and third rate varieties, except where 

 absolutely necessary to retain them for polleuizing better ones. On 

 account of the great variation in the time of blossoming in different 

 seasons, varieties requiring special poUenization are rather unsat- 

 isfactory. 



