WHY NOT HAVE A PLUM ORCHARD? 355 



Rollingstone and Cottrell cover a good loag period, but don't miss 

 the Cheney, because it is the earliest, nor the De Soto, for it is the 

 latest of those mentioned. Of course, of the many varieties men- 

 tioned these don't comprise by any means all the good ones and, 

 possibly, not the best. The Aitken and Surprise are probably 

 among the very best, but are comparatively new, consequently not 

 generally propagated and high in price. Some good reasons why 

 one should plant several kinds are, first, if planted near together 

 it may help in fertilization of blossoms of some that may not be 

 perfectly bisexual. Again, some varieties seem to require just cer- 

 tain conditions of soil and location to do their best; while some, 

 like the De Soto, seem alwaj's willing to do their level best in all 

 soils and on all locations. 



Now, as to location. Select, if you can, a good airy location, on 

 high ground, so that the blossoms may not be inj ured by late frosts. 

 Plant and care for as well as you would your corn for a few years. 

 Later yoa can mulch with good straw or strawy manure, and if in a 

 convenient locality build your hen yard around them, that the hens 

 may scratch and eat up the wortns and larvae that may infest them. 

 They will stand a good deal of feeding, as they grow rapidly, and 

 when young it is well to stake them up, as their foliage is so thick 

 that they catch a good deal of wind and are thus easily broken. It 

 is well €ach spring to trim them in, until they are well grown. 



Some think that it is no use to set apple trees, that they can't 

 expect to eat any apples from them; but who does not expect to live 

 two years, and by that time you can begin to eat the plums, if you 

 give them good care and nourishment? In 1896, I picked many 

 plums from Cheney, Forfest Garden and De Soto set in 1894. In 

 1897, I picked as many as six quarts per tree from Cheney and Rock- 

 ford set in spring of 1895, and from the De Sotos set in 1894 I picked 

 over one-half bushel per tree, from several of them. Don't let this 

 year pass without setting a few. 



Half Shade and Vegetation.— B. D. Halstead reports a number 

 of experiments in shading various truck crops with frames of lath 

 upon supporting stakes; the spaces between the lath equaling their 

 width, so that half the direct rays are intercepted. In general the 

 shade retarded the germination of lima beans iii the first crop, but 

 the opposite was the case with the second or midsummer planting. 

 All root crops, such as turnips, carrots and potatoes, had a larger 

 leaf surface in the shade, but the roots were much smaller. The 

 shade improved the growth of salad crops, such as lettuce, spinach, 

 Swiss chard, etc., and celery was improved most of all. The time of 

 blooming was greatly retarded and the period of fruitfulness 

 materially prolonged by shading beans, peas, egg plants, tomatoes, 

 cucumbers and the like. Leaves grown in the shade are usually of 

 a deeper green color and thinner than those grown in full exposure. 

 These results will be carefully noted by market gardeners and veg- 

 etable growers. — O. J. Farmer. 



