62 . ANNUAL REPORT. 
and many for large size and fine flavor. I also got sibel ‘feom the culti. 
vated native trees in my neighborhood, which I thought valuable. In this 
way I started my plum orchaid, which I hope to improve by obtaining 
choice varieties from the fruit growers of our State. ns 
sets 
Cultivation. } bpepenane 
As to cultivation, plums seem to do tolerable well with or without it on 
most soils. I think they prefer a rich soil and high culture. A neighbor 
of mine has a fine plum tree which bears a fine crop of fruit only when he 
digs aboat it and manures it the precediug spring. I know plum orchards 
however, sodded over with grass and uncared for which do quite well. 
Planting. 
Plum trees may be planted quite close, or as fur apartas youlike. Ihave 
a small orchard planted in the spring of 1871, in rows 12 feet apart, the 
trees 6 feet apart in the rows. I intended it for a wind break as well as 
for fruit. I cultivated well and they have done well, and already begin to 
crowd one another in the rows. I shall remove half of the trees and plant 
the best of them elsewhere, leaving the remaining trees 12 by 12. I have 
taken bearing plum trees from the woods, with trunks two inches in diam- 
eter and covered with rough bark and moss, cut off the tops close, scraped 
off the moss and planted them early in the spring, and they soon made fine 
symmetrical tops and have borne fruit abandantly. 
Propagation. 
Choice kinds of native plums may be propagated rapidly as follows: 
Take up roots in the fall the size of a man’s finger, greater ur less, pack 
them in dry sand and keep them in the cellar till spring, then cut them in 
pieces three or four inches long, and plant them three or four inches deep. 
The roots may also be taken up early in the spring and planted immediate- 
ly. If the soil is light and dry press it well and mulch. I have not yet 
grafted any plums myself. 
Improvement. 
For the improvement of our native plums, I propose that we allow no 
plum trees bearing poor fruit to grow in or near our orchards. Let them 
be destroyed utterly. Then let us plant the seeds of our best plums, aim- 
ing at largeness of size and sweetness of flavor, and aiming to get rid of 
that harshness, astringency, or ‘‘ pucker” that nearly all native plums 
have, in a slight degree at least, when cooked. 
Black Knot. 
Now let me tell you what I know about ‘‘black knot.” WellI don’t know 
anything about it, except that it is hereditary and incurable by any means 
known to me, but not at all contagious. I could give my reasons for this 
belief, but I fear the length of my paper is already greater than its im- 
portance. 
