100 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The Desota is a yellow plum and takes the eye on account of its 
large size, and it is splendid for canning. The Weaver is a large red 
plum, and nearly a freestone; the trees will always be overloaded 
with fruit and break down. The Forest Garden is a red plum not so 
large as the Weaver and is an abundant bearer. I would also seta 
few novelties. I have on my grounds the Abundance, Shipper’s 
Pride, Wild Goose and Marianna. The Shipper’s Pride isthe only 
one that has proved to be of any value. Itis avery large blue plum 
and very hardy. 
The Marianna I like for the splendid appearance of the tree. It 
would make a fine tree for a city lawn. These trees must be root- 
grafted, because the cion will grow faster than the stock. 
The Desota, Weaver and Forest Garden will make fine trees if 
grafted into the wild plum trees at any height, but if two cions are 
put in the same cleft and both grow,one must be cut out. They will 
never unite and at last will crowd each other and split the stock. 
Grafting plums must be done before the last of March. 
Cultivation.—Now, you will think that I have a job cultivating 
trees in the barnyard and in sucha shape asI have them. But Ido 
not cultivate plum trees, as all the roots that are either bruised or 
broken will send up a lot of sprouts, and they are nothing but a nuis- 
ance. I scatter some manure around the tree and then let out the 
hens, and they will do the work to the best satisfaction, and when 
tired they will stand in the inviting shade of the plum trees. And 
in the balmy mornings of the spring with pail in hand walking 
through the groves to the yard to strip the cows, you will stop and 
look at the pretty white blossoms, and while estimating the plum 
crop, you will hear a sweet voice from the house, “Oh, Gust, when 
you come back break off a few limbs with those pretty white blos- 
soms, please, that I can put in these vases that have stood with that 
dry grass all winter.” 
After the blossoms have fallen and the plum has attained the size 
of common white beans, you will see the mark of the curculio. It 
resembles the last quarter of the moon,and it is,also,the last quarter 
with a good many of the plums. The trees should now be sprayed. 
Use a level teaspoonful of Paris green toa bucket of water. It 
should be repeated oncea week for three weeks. It has saved a good 
many plums for me. Apple trees must not be sprayed before the 
apples are nearly the size of walnuts, as there are more worms enter 
the apples after that than before. 
The best curculio destroyer is a litter of small pigs. If allowed to 
run among the trees they will eat plum pits, curculio and all. 
Chickens also are good among the plum trees, but they have to wait 
for the curculio to come out, and then he is likely to escape. 
Plum pods are a fungus caused by warm and rainy weather after 
the fruit have set. 
Plums when nice and ripe are good fruit to eat out of hand. The 
Desota when canned make excellent sauce. Thered kinds make fine 
jelly. The most of our ladies know how to make plum butter; it 
will often take the place of dairy butter when scarce and high- 
priced, and there is no doubt but it is more healthy than oleo- 
margarine. 
