THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 129 



the first fruit and cannot be noticed when the fruit is cured, except 

 now and then a jjiece where a hard spot may possibly be noticed. 

 We have not noticed any cases of the brown rot of the prune to 

 which our attention has been called from the southern districts, but 

 something similar in a few trees of young apricots. Such cases 

 should be marked and a spray of Bordeaux mixture applied next 

 spring which will destroy the germs of the rot. 



PLUM-TREE FUNGUS. 



The fungus may be looked for from the time of flowering till the 

 fruit is mature, says Professor Pammel, of the Iowa Agricultural Col- 

 lege. Much may be done by removing the diseased plums from the 

 trees in the autumn. I have made observation on this fungus for a 

 number of years and am certain that it is much more troublesome 

 where mummied plums remain on the tree. Some years ago I observed 

 the fungus upon the flowers. It attacked the petals, stamens, and 

 pistil. Soon the whole branch became affected with this blight. In 

 a few days not a single healthy flower remained on the tree. It was 

 also noticed to start from certain parts of the tree. I soon located 

 the cause in the old monilia-attacked plums which were hanging on 

 the trees. In quite a number of cases the starting-point was thus 

 found to be in these old, diseased plums. The object-lesson is plain : 

 remove all of the diseased plums in the fall. Horticulturists often 

 overlook this important point in the treatment of diseases. Rubbish 

 heaps containing the spores of fungi are too often neglected. They 

 should be burned. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE PLUM. 



POULTRY AND PLUMS. 



A writer in the Poultry Messenger says: "The prairie region of 

 the West seems to be the home of the plum. This fruit is found in 

 a wild state in the greatest abundance along the river bluffs and every 

 place where there is natural timber. And yet the cultivated plums 

 always meet with ready sale in towns and villages. Many of the 

 cultivated varieties are natives, improved, of course, by careful selec- 

 tion and propagation. They are the equal of the best California va- 

 rieties, and, owing to their greater freshness when placed on the 

 market, are generally preferred to them by consumers. They are the 

 easiest to grow of all the tree fruits in this section of the country. 

 And they do best when grown in the midst of the runs given to the 

 poultry. The insects which war against the fruit are choice delicacies 

 for the fowls, and but few of the most destructive of these insects 

 will escape their sharp eyes when they have constant access to the 

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