1240 Rural School Leaflet 



is well drained and the trees are mature when dug at the nursery. Both 

 one- and two-years-old trees are used, although most of them are of the 

 latter age. 



The distance of planting will vary somewhat with the varieties and 

 with the richness of the soil. The trees should not be much closer than 

 twenty feet. The grower is more likely to set them too close than too 

 far apart. Pruning the first year will consist of removing all but three 

 or four branches that are so distributed as to make a well-balanced top. 

 These branches will later become the framework of the head of the tree. 

 The plum does not require as much pruning as do some of our other fruits, 

 nevertheless attention should be paid to this factor each year. If done 

 properly and if the branches are taken out when they are small, little 

 pruning will be necessary when the tree reaches maturity. The land 

 should be worked with a plow or a harrow in the same manner as it is 

 worked for other orchard fruits. 



Most of the plums bear fruit on wood that is over one year of age, 

 usually on two-years wood or older. Fruit buds are formed on dwarf 

 branches, known as fruit spurs. The Japanese varieties, however, and 

 to a certain extent some of the other varieties, bear fruit from buds on 

 one-year wood. It is usually well to thin the fruit, as the plum is likely 

 to over-bear. 



The most serious pest of the plum is the curculio, which stings the 

 fruit, causing it to drop to the ground. This may be partially controlled 

 by deep cultivation in July and August, which helps to destroy the insect 

 while it is passing part of its life in the ground; but a better means is 

 to thoroughly spray with arsenate of lead, six pounds to one hundred 

 gallons of water, just as the shucks, or withered blossom parts, are falling 

 from the fruit. 



The average life of the plum tree is in the neighborhood of twenty-five 

 to thirty years, although it will live longer if grown under conditions 

 that are especially suited to it. There are many varieties of plums 

 that succeed in New York State, but it is always best to plant the varie- 

 ties that are known to succeed well under the local conditions. Among 

 the most popular and satisfactory varieties are: Bradshaw, Reine Claude, 

 Italian Prune (or Fellenburg), Duane, Lombard, Shropshire Damson, and 

 Grand Duke. The Damson plums are used for preserves and the like. 

 Two of the most widely grown Japanese plums are Abundance and 

 Burbank. The Abundance is preferable for the home garden, but neither 

 of these varieties is entirely hardy in the colder sections of the State. 



Some variety of plum can be grown in nearly every part of New York 

 State. The essential factor to be kept in mind is to choose the varieties 

 best adapted to the conditions under which they are to be grown. It is 



