STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 49 



several sorts that have so little acidity as to make a very palatable 

 plum butter with but a moderate amount of sugar, and these are 

 nearly all freestones; but the best plum yet tested for canning; is the 

 large wild Damson spoken of in last report. I found this year scores 

 of young trees of this variety scattered all about my woods, in bearing, 

 identical in every way with the parent tree, showing that it repro- 

 duces itself exactly from seed, although surrounded everywhere with 

 bloom of other sorts. The best plum to eat out of hand is a small, 

 cherry-red freestone, bearing enormously and medium late, and hold- 

 ing on well against the wind. This is a cross trom older trees stand- 

 ing near — one sort a big, dark red, perfectly sweet and solid-meated 

 cling, and the other a large, light red cling, of good sub acid quality. 

 This tree has borne heavily for two years in succession. The best 

 plum for all purposes is the one 1 mentioned last winter for its re- 

 markable beauty of color and finish. I speak of this now in order to 

 mention a singular fact. It is the only plum on my grounds that is 

 seriously interfered with by the birds, although my woods are full of 

 all the birds of the North. They puncture every plum of this 

 variety as soou as it is ripe. Is it because of its striking beauty? 

 Certainly there are other plums in the vicinity at the same season of 

 ripening good enough in quality. Next year I must cover at least 

 one tree of this sort or lay and watch to discover what bird does the 

 mischief. I shall not pass sentence of death in advance, like Jeptha 

 of old, for it may be some favorite songster. I suspect the turtle- 

 dove, and might find it the sly brown thrush, a bird I love and for 

 which I would plant a plum orchard if he could not live with me 

 without, in memory of one little pet of this species that summered 

 and wintered with me at Lake City with the freedom of the premises, 

 coming to the window to be fed and to his perch in the house at 

 nightfall — bathing in the snow winters, and in the chicken drinking- 

 pan summers— boss of the poultry yard, keeping the fowls ofi" the 

 house porch, and companion of my garden work in quest of all worms 

 turned up — victim at last to the marauding cat of a neighbor. 



If I am too prolix, cut me down; but I am reminded here of many 

 little things of interest to me — possibly to others. My best bird fruit 

 is the choke cherry. They take every one — bushels and bushels in 

 all, but what a scattering they make of the pits, and what myriads of 

 young trees coming up everywhere outside the cultivated fields. I am 

 obliged to make war on the choke cherry trees in some of my gulches 

 to keep down the black knot and prevent its spreading to the plum 

 trees; but for all that, it is a lovely tree, either in blossom or fruit,. 

 4 



