THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 59 



The sour cherries should be budded on Mahaleb seedlings. The Hearts and 

 other rank-growing kinds of the sweet class should be worked on Mazzard stocks. 

 This is necessary because of the diverse natures of the two classes. The stock 

 and scion or bud must be reasonably congenial if the best results are to follow. — 

 ProfesHor Van Deuian, in Rural New Yorker. 



ANOTHER PROFITABLE PLUM ORCHARD. 



While living in the village I planted some seventy-five plum trees on a portion 

 of my lot, built a fence around them and kept hens among the trees. Most of 

 the trees were Lombards, and by close pruning and thinning of the fruit I got 

 very good results. Many of the trees commenced to bear the second season after 

 planting. I remember one tree in particular that gave me a half bushel of beau- 

 tiful plums the next season after it was set out. It was a Geuii, but it nearly 

 killed the tree. Another tree (a Lombard) produced four bushels of plums. At 

 four years old I got four dollars a bushel for my plums, so it will be seen that 

 there was money in plums. The last season I lived on the place I got about sev- 

 enty-five bushels of plums from the seventy-five trees and several of the trees 

 were not old enough to bear. The next season it was estimated that there was 

 100 bushels, and now after six years the orchard, owing to neglect of its present 

 owner, is well covered with black knot, and worthless. This orchard, if properly 

 cared for, would have given an annual income of at least ten per cent, on the 

 money paid me for the place, and three days' work each year, aside from picking, 

 would have been all the time required to have kept the trees in first-class shape. 



On my present place I have 200 plum trees that have been bearing one to six 

 years, and this spring [1900] I will set out 300 more trees. — A. A. H., in Green\s 

 Fruit Grower. 



HAS ABSOLUTE FAITH IN JAPAN VARIETIES. 



A large number of my plum trees are of the Japan varieties, such as Abun- 

 dance, Burbank, and a few each of Wickson, Red June, Hale, Chabot, and Sat- 

 suma (the latter is worthless here), and my this spring's order will call for 

 Lombard, Red June, Wickson, Abundance, and Chabot (Yellow Japan). This 

 will give me an orchard of 500 plum trees, which, of course, is not a large one, as 

 compared with some of the large commercial orchards of the country, but if 

 rightly cared for should give quite a lot of plums after three or four years. 



I have great faith in the varieties of Japans named in this list, and would not 

 hesitate to plant large orchards of them. I also have great expectations for the 

 newer varieties of Mr. Burbank's creations, samples of which he sent me last sea- 

 son. Climax is especially fine; also x\merica, Chalco, and Apple. I also have 

 Giant Prune top-grafted, which produced beautiful fruit the second year from the 

 graft. 



Of the older varieties of plums Lombard stands at the head of the list here. 

 We already have quite a large per cent, of this variety, and shall plant 100 more 

 this spring. When we first commenced planting trees on this place we put red 

 raspberries in between the rows of trees on a part of the lot, but I would not do 

 it again, or advise any one else to do so. Trees planted the next spring with no 

 raspberries among them are certainly twice as large, and have given me ten times 

 more fruit than those where there were berry bushes. 



We ran the cultivatpr in them as long as we could, and have manured the 

 land well, yet the bushes seem to get the best of it. We will root out the rasp- 

 berries after this season and give the land up to the trees and hens. I believe it 

 is better to get one good crop of fruit from the laud than two poor ones, although 

 we should not complain much, for we have got each year a fine crop of berries 

 that have brought good jjrices. 



