STATE HOBTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 81 



Varieties. — Perhaps the first of the hardj- varieties that was brought to notice is 

 the Miner or Hinckley. It originated near Galena, 111., and is reported as being a 

 perfect success there and in some portions of Iowa, bearing hundreds of bushels of 

 beautiful fruit, but with us and in many otlier places they will not bear. The tree 

 is vigorous and healthy and they are the mo.st profuse bloomers I ever saw, but the 

 blossoms perish and we seldom get a crop. The tree makes an excellent one to top- 

 work, and we were about to convert all of ours to this use, but the past season they 

 bore several bushels of most beautiful and delicious plums, and we shall await 

 further developments before changing the rest of the trees into other varieties. The 

 fruit is verv large, of a purplish red, flesh firm and bears handling well; quality ex- 

 cellent. 



For an early plum 1 know of nothing better than the Forest Garden. It originated 

 on the Cedar River, near Cedar Hapids, Iowa. It is perfectly hardy, bears profusely, 

 ripens from the 1st to the 25th ot August, size large, being one to one and a half 

 inches in diameter. Oblong round, color mottled red and yellow, skin thin and 

 juicy, very sweet and rich. The ''Weaver," also a variety originated in Iowa, is a 

 remarkable departure from the other varieties. It ripens two or three weeks later 

 than the Forest Garden, and their peculiar shape and blotched appearance will make 

 you think that they are a worthless thing, until they are moi"e fully developed, 

 ■when they graduall}'^ assume a gorgeous appearance, and I can liardlj' conceive of a 

 inore beautiful show of fruit than the trees present as it becomes full}' ripe. Its 

 most remarkable feature is that it is a perfect free-stone and the flesh is as tirm as a 

 peach. Perhaps these two varieties I have just mentioned are worthy of a place at 

 the head of our list of plums, but the DeSoto, Brainard, Harrison Peach, Hoag, 

 Elliotts Egg, and others are all worthy a trial. 



Marketing. — Of course, in seasons where there is an abundance of wild plumsi 

 there is not so good a demand in markets for an ordinary fruit, but any one that wil^ 

 put into market in neat clean crates, any of the improved sorts will always com- 

 mand a ready sale and good price, some having reported as high as .$6 a boshel for 

 twenty-five bushels. 



New Varieties. — Like every other variety of fruit known to horticulture, new 

 varieties are rapidly springing up to demand public favor and it is the duty of this 

 •society to chronicle the origin and particular merits of each, as they are cert<\in in 

 th6 near future, to occupy a prominent place among the fruits of our State. 



J. M. Underwood. 



DISCUSSION OF ME. UNDEEWOOD'S PAPEE. 



Mv. Dart said that all plum trees grown from the root are much 

 better than the same variety grafted, as in this case he could propagate 

 from the suckers, and know just what you were getting. 



Mr. Underwood said it was impracticable; that we could not propa- 

 gate a valuable root fast enough in this way. Mr. Jordan agreed with 

 Mr. Dart except as to rapid propagation. He had secured a lot of 

 Miner plum sprouts from Mr. Grimes, and at the same time he had set 

 a lot of top worked young trees from different sources. The former 

 are all doing well, while the latter killed back badly. 

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