

±^liin^s arid (^l]erries. 



PLUMS AND CHERRIES. 



JOS. WOOD, WINDOM, MINX. 



The past season has been a fair one for plums. I have a good 

 many varieties, but have not fruited all yet, and the trees that have 

 fruited were small and under-sized. It was mj' fault in spraj^ing 

 the trees with a mixture of paris green, as strong as is made to kill 

 potato bugs, to kill the web caterpillar; I did kill the caterpillar, 

 plums, and almost the trees, too. 



About cherries, I have little to say. I have about six varieties, 

 but would not recommend any; they are not worth the place they 

 grow on. The tree is hardy but does not fruit. I also have the Utha 

 cherry and Dakota sand cherry; they are not productive enough to 

 pay for the ground they grow on. I have been growing the Utha 

 cherry for twelve j'ears, and have not had more than a dozen cherries 

 each year. This cherrj" is as large again as the Dakota sand cherry 

 that I grow. I should strongly recommend the wild black timber 

 cherrj', not alone for the fruit, but also for the timber. The tree at 

 my place grows as fast as the box elder, and it will bear fruit the 

 fourth year from seed. A Mr. Knudson of Springfield tells me 

 he has a kind of choke cherry that is almost as large as the tame 

 cherry and hardly chokes anj^ I think such would be the kind to 

 plant and to improve. 



He also sent me sotne samples of plums, and I must saj' that one 

 that he calls the Knudson's Peach -was fine; it would peel like a 

 peach, was good to eat from hand and A No. 1 canned. I also re- 

 ceived a sample from Mr. H. J. Ludlow, of Worthington, of the 

 Ocheeda plum, and I should call that one of the best to eat from 

 the hand. Both Knudson's Peach and the Ocheeda I should recom- 

 mend for general planting. In regard to the Russian plums, I know 

 little. I have but two kinds, and they have not fruited jet, and 

 are not hardy; and, also, with the tame bUie it is the same. I have 

 seen some of the fruit of the Russian at Mr. Martin Cook's; it was 

 larger than our natives, but the quality was not so good, and thej^ 

 are not long-lived trees. I should not recommend them for general 

 planting. 



VARIETIES BEARING. 



