PLUMS IN LAKE COUNTY, S. D. 41 L 



PLUMS IN LAKE COUNTY, S. D. 



A. NORBY, MADISON, S. D. 



(Dakota Farmer.) 



I planted the first plume here in 1886, De Soto and Forest Garden. 

 The next season the Wolf, Early Red (Russian) and some seedlings 

 were added. Every year since other kinds have been planted in my 

 experimental orchard, so I now have, or have had, on trial thirty- 

 eight named varieties besides a number of seedlings. The plum 

 has been my best paying fruit, the only failure being in 1895, when 

 the small plums which had already formed were destroyed by an 

 exceptionally late frost. The season of 1896 was also, generally 

 speaking, an "off" year for plums in the northwest. A very hard, 

 hot, south wind prevailed during the entire blossoming period, and 

 all varieties, late and early, were forced to bloom at nearly the same 

 time. The result was a large crop of plum pockets, but the cur- 

 culio and plum gouger scarcely made their appearance, and some 

 varieties, like the Wolf, Wyant, New Ulm and Rockford, matured a 

 good crop. Some of our most productive plums set more fruit than 

 they can mature ; this is especially the case with the De Soto and 

 Rockford. Severe thinning will remedy this. Not neglecting this 

 and keeping up thorough shallow cultivation on rich ground in- 

 sures good sized fruit of good quality. 



The web worm (Lyda spoliana) has done more damage to plum 

 trees in this section than any other insect. It is, however, easily 

 controlled by hand picking as soon as the webs appear. Our plums 

 if grafted must be on native plum stock (Prunus Americana). The 

 sand cherry may also be all right as a stock on which to propagate 

 our hardy plums, but the trees grown on myrobolan or peach roots, 

 which are often imported from the south or east, are worthless for 

 this part of the state, at least. I have had some experience in this 

 line. Plums and all our fruit trees should be headed low, so that 

 the tree will better resist hard winds and the branches and foliage 

 shade the body of the tree. 



The extra early varieties have more than once escaped damage 

 from hail, which sometimes occurs here the latter part of August. 

 Below I give my experience with the different varieties. 



Seedling No. 1. — Originated from seed of the Iowa, hardy, vigor- 

 ous, spreading grower, moderately productive. Fruit about one 

 inch in diameter, round, red, quality fair ; ripe from the fifth to the 

 middle of August, the earliest plum yet fruited here. 



Iowa. — Brought from Allamakee county, Iowa ; yellowish red, 

 oblong, size large, not a reliable bearer, ripens about five days later 

 than Seedling No. 1. 



Odegaard. — Originated in Brookings county from pits sent from 

 Minnesota. A remarkable variation in tree and fruit from the com- 

 mon type of Prunus Americana to which it belongs. Tree hardy, a 

 vigorous, spreading grower; buds and foliage very large. Fruit, 

 oblong, large to very large. The best specimens measured this last 

 season one and three-eighths by one and five-eighths inches through. 

 Color, dark red when fully ripe; quality, very good for cooking or 

 canning, being nearly free from the acid taste so objectionable in 



