THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR NATIVE PLUMS. 235 



twelve to sixteen feet apart, or something along that order, and 

 let those plums fertilize each other, which they will do when they 

 come into bearing. You take the whole crop of those plum trees, 

 not a few pits but save the whole crop of pits, and then plant 

 those pits in a suitable way in suitable ground and give them proper 

 care and culture and raise those pits into bearing, and the chances 

 are that you will have many superior plums. This is the best way 

 that I know, that my experience tells me, to get a good, superior 

 native plum. You bring those seedlings into bearing — and, of 

 course, there will be culls in the best pure bred breed of stock, and 

 that is so with all classes of plants and animals that I have had any 

 experience with — they will often produce culls, and you must expect 

 culls — but there will no doubt be many plums that will be worthy 

 of propagation. If there are not' I do not know of any other 

 method by which you can obtain them in the state of Minnesota. 

 I have tried the Japanese for the last four years, I have worked 

 carefully and given them the best care and culture and the very 

 best attention, and thus far all the plums I have raised during that 

 time have been six plums on one tree, and that is the plum I gave 

 Mr. Gardner, -and he calls it the Japanese No. 2. It is a superior 

 plum. It is a perfect freestone, the skin is just as thin as any blue 

 plum I ever saw ; the only thing against it is that it is a little under- 

 sized. That is all I have obtained in the way of Japanese plums, 

 I have tried to satisfy myself along those lines and have given 

 the matter the best of attention my experience was capable of giving 

 it. So, gentlemen, I think some of us old fellows ought to get a 

 move on ourselves and capture that hundred dollar check. (Ap- 

 plause.) 



To Gr.\SS a Terr.'VCE. — For each square rod to be planted take j^ pound 

 of lawn grass seed and mix it thoroughly with 6 cu. ft. of earth and loam. 

 This should be placed in a tub, and liquid manure, diluted with about two- 

 thirds of water, added and well stirred in, so as to bring the whole to a con- 

 sistency of mortar. The slope must be cleaned and made perfectly smooth, 

 and then well watered, after which the paste containing the grass seed should 

 be applied with a trowel and made as even and thin as possible. Should it 

 crack from exposure to the air it must be again watered and smoothed up day 

 by day until the grass makes its appearance, which will be in eight to fourteen 

 days; the whole slope will soon be covered with a velvety coat of green. 

 O. J. Farmer. 



May Day Trek.— The May Day Tree (Prunus Maackii) seems to have 

 been overlooked b}- our planters. At this writing. May 4th, it is the most 

 beautiful thing I have seen this year, and is now in full flower. The foliage 

 is a bright, light green, and the tree is of rather compact habit. The flowers are 

 borne in grape-like clusters, something like those of the choke cherry, but are 

 larger and much more conspicuous and are produced abundantly. The flowers 

 hold on well, even in hard rains. The tree is open to attacks of black knot, 

 the same as the choke cherry, but this is easily kept in check if cut off soon 

 after it appears. This tree may be grown from seed or by budding on the 

 plum and probably on the choke cherry. It is perfectly hardy.— Prof. Samuel 

 B. Green. 



