126 ANNUAL REPORT. 



Secretary Gibbs. Elislia Hale, of Lausing, Iowa, gives this ac- 

 count of the DeSoto plum. He has handled more of them and 

 seen more of the fruit than any other man — in fact was the first to 

 give it a wide introduction : 



"My experience with it dates back 20 years and over. The tree 

 is perfectly hardy — have never seen a twig killed by frost. The 

 tree is a good grower, a prolific bearer, the fruit large, and of fine 

 quality. Plums H inch in diameter are not uncommon. The only 

 fault I have to find with the tree is an inclination to overbear and 

 break down or else give inferior fruit. The fruit buds and blos- 

 soms are hardy. In 1883 I did not get a crop of plums, but some 

 of my neighbors got a fine crop that year. Trees only 5 or 6 feet 

 in height frequently bear the year they are set out — DeSoto trees 

 bear much earlier than the Miner. As to their bearing eyery year, 

 I can say that the trees frequently bear 3 or 4 years in succession. 

 The trees in my lot in Lansing were planted in the spring of '6i, 

 and have borne about 14 good crops. The DeSoto does not make 

 as large a tree as the Miner, but when full grown covers about 20 

 feet, or 10 feet each way. 



A grafted DeSoto bears quicker than one from a sprout or sucker. 

 But from my experience I prefer this tree on its own roots. But it 

 absolutely will not grow from root cuttings like the Miner. 

 The fruit is destroyed more or less by curculio. But it does 

 not rot from the puncture of the insect like some thin-skinned 

 tame plums. Many will mature and make fine plums, even 

 when cut in several places. The fruit ripens about the last week 

 in August, continuing from first to last about 8 days." 



C Barnard, of Waukon, in the same county, writes to F. K. 

 Phenix: '' The DeSoto plum is the best we have tried. We got it 

 in '66 from the original tree near DeSoto, Wisconsin. We named 

 it, and were the first to graft it. It is fully the size of the Miner 

 or larger, more round in shape; color, yellowish red, good for eat- 

 ing Or cooking. The tree is hardy and productive. 



Mr. Gould's paper on blight being called for was read by the 

 author, and was as follows: 



