352 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



(P. maritima), and Pacific Coast (P. subcordata). The paper has to do 

 principally with the European and Japanese types. The former are 

 classified loosely into 4 groups — the Damsons, Green Gages, Large Yel- 

 low, and Large Colored plums. The European and Japanese types tire 

 found to be about equally hardy, and both are thought to be self- fertile. 

 The American types are much hardier than either, but are of poorer 

 quality than the European type. The Japanese plums are valuable for 

 their earliness, firm fruit, vigor, and productiveness. They "are less 

 liable to fungus diseases than the European plums. 



The present status and future prospects of plum culture are noted. 

 Soils, stocks, planting and pruning, insect and fungus enemies, and 

 varieties are briefly discussed. 



Varieties of plums in western Neiv York, S. T>. Willard. — This is a 

 report embodying 25 years' experience with varieties of plums grown 

 on a commercial scale. Descriptive notes are given on about 70 varie- 

 ties, a number of which are illustrated. 



Report of the horticultural department, J. Troop (Indiana Sta. 

 Bpt. 1896, pp. i4-48). — Brief notes are given on 19 varieties of cherries 

 and 5 varieties of plums. 



Close root pruning. — Two trees each of standard pear, dwarf pear, 

 cherry, prune, peach, and quince were close pruned, all but an inch or 

 two of the roots and all of the top being removed. Two trees of each 

 were pruned in the ordinary way. The trees were photographed 

 before planting and were taken up and photographed after the season's 

 growth. The author says, "The result of this experiment showed that 

 the peach was capable, after being deprived of all its roots and 

 branches, of producing a magnificent root system and a top to corre- 

 spond. The dwarf pear, the standard pear, German prune, and Early 

 Richmond cherry came next in order, the latter making very little root 

 development on the pruned trees." 



Dendrolene as an insecticide. — Dendrolene is reported as killing peach 

 and apple trees when applied to keep out borers. The trees began 

 dropping their leaves in about 3 months after the application of the 

 Dendrolene. A little later the cambium was found to be killed, and 

 in 5 months from the time the application was made most of the 

 trees were dead. Peach trees were affected worse than apple trees 

 and young trees worse than old ones. 



Bees vs. (/rapes. — A test was made to determine whether honey bees 

 damaged grapes by puncturing the skins and sucking the juice. A 

 colony of bees was placed near a grapevine and both vine and bees 

 covered with mosquito netting so as to allow plenty of room for the 

 bees to fly about. The bees were kept confined for 3 weeks till the 

 grapes became thoroughly ripe. The grapes were uninjured by the 

 bees. On the outside of the netting, however, wasps were observed to 

 cut the skins and suck the juice of the grapes. The experiment was 

 reported previously in American Gardening (E. S. R., 8, p. 601). 



