8 THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 



the peach and the pear, as, from their somewhat cloying and flatulent 

 nature, unless when very perfectly ripe, they are more likely to disa- 

 gree with weak stomachs. For the kitchen, the plum is also very 

 highly esteemed, being prized for tarts, pies, canning, sweetmeats, etc. 

 In the south of France an excellent spirit is made from this fruit fer- 

 mented with honey. In the western part of New York, where they 

 are very abundant, they are halved, stoned and dried in the sun or 

 ovens in large quantities, and are then excellent for winter use. For 

 eating, the plum should be allowed to hang on the tree till perfectly 

 ripe, and the fruit will always be finer in proportion as the tree has a 

 more sunny exposure. The size and quality of th^ fruit is always 

 greatly improved by thinning the fruit when it is half grown. Indeed, 

 to prevent rotting, and to have this fruit in its highest perfection, no 

 two plums should be allowed to touch each other while growing, and 

 those who thus thin them are amply repaid by the superior quality 

 of the fruit. 



One of the most important forms of the plum in common is that of 

 prunes, as they are exported from France to every part of the world. 

 We quote the following interesting account of the best mode of pre- 

 paring prunes from the Arboretum Britannicum : 



The best prunes are made near Tours, of the St. Catherine plum 

 and the Prune d'Agen ; and the best French plums (so called in Eng- 

 land) are made in Provence, of the Perdrigon Blanc, the Brignole, and 

 the Prune d'Ast ; the Provence plums being the most fleshy and hav- 

 ing always most bloom. Both kinds are, however, made of these and 

 other kinds of plums in various parts of France. The plums are 

 gathered when just ripe enough to fall from the trees on their being 

 slightly shaken. They are then laid separately on forms or sieves 

 made of wickerwork or latti, and exposed for several days to the sun, 

 till they become as soft as ripe medlars. When this is the case they 

 are put into a spent oven, shut quite close, and left there for twenty- 

 four hours; they are then taken out and, the oven being slightly 

 reheated, they are again put in when it is rather Warmer than it was be- 

 fore. The next day they are taken out and turned by slightly shaking 

 the sieves. The oven is again heated, and they are put in a third 

 time when the oven is one-fourth degree hotter than it was the second 

 time. After remaining twenty-four hours they are taken out and left 

 to get quite cold. They are then rounded, an operation which is per- 

 formed by turning the stone in the plum without breaking the skin 

 and pressing the two ends together between the thumb and finger. 

 They are again put upon the sieves, which are placed in an oven from 

 which the bread has just been drawn. The doors of the oven are 

 closed, and crevices are stopped around it with clay or dry grass. An 



