, PLUMS. 123 
for natives. I could not get any more for the Japanese. Last year 
I saw bushels of very fine Damsons, for which there was absolutely 
no sale, thrown into the Cedar river, while the natives have always 
sold readily ata fair price. There seems to be a great demand by 
our people for the natives, for the reason, perhaps, that they used to 
be the only kind of plums to be had.” 
In regard to the quality of the natives: I came here with the idea 
that it was much inferior to the European; on closer acquaintance 
with them, their quality pleases me very much. I am sure those of 
us who have eaten the Surprise plum know that no European plum 
surpasses it, and I think if we do away with the skin of our best 
Americana plums, the flesh is actually far superior to that of the 
European plum. We have some Americana plums, the Aitkin for 
example, the skin of which is not thick enough to be objectionable. 
The skin of some of the natives peels off very readily. So I am sure 
that the finer varieties of the Americana plums are not inferior to 
the average European in quality, and perhaps not inferior to the 
best. I speak of the Americana plumsmerely. There are, of course, 
several other native species that are cultivated to some extent in 
Wisconsin and Minnesota, but we shall have to fall back on the 
Americana species. I also think, as far as my experience goes, that 
the finest quality we have comes from this species. 
The Aitkin plum belongs to the so-called Nigra group, which has 
been described as a distinct species. This group is found further 
north than any otherof our native plums; so we have every reason 
to expect that the Aitkin will be entirely hardy. 
I find that, as a rule, the plum growers of the northwest do not 
seem to think it necessary to fightthe curculio. I may be mistaken, 
but from my observations I conclude that the damage caused by 
the curculio is on the increase,and I[ think it will not do much long- 
er to neglect this insect. In the east it is found that plum grow- 
ing iv impossible unless the curculio is vigorously fought. "_ 
I wish to object to the recommendations, that have been so often 
published, to plant the native plums closely together. I do not 
think this is good horticulture. We know that nature plants her 
trees closely together. It will not always do to imitate nature in 
horticulture. Itis certainly not good sense to plant our trees so 
close together that we cannot get between them to spray. I saw the 
Rollingstone plumon Mr. Lord’s place where the top of the tree 
was twenty-five feet in diameter; and where the top of a tree grows 
twenty-five feet in diameter I do not think it is good sense to recom- 
mend to plant the trees twelve feet apart. Those trees that grow so 
large ought to be given room enough. I would not advise planting 
the larger growing varieties less than twenty feet apart nor the rows 
less than twenty-five feet apart. I believe the insects will take care 
of the pollenization. I believe in planting them far enough apart 
so we can get between them. 
In our own case we shall have to do a good deal of fruit thinning 
if we are to succeed in growing good cropscontinuously. There are 
several varieties that will overbearto an extent that will destroy 
the trees in a few years unless the fruit is wellthinned. It has been 
