272 Plums and Plum Culture 



Professor F. S. Earle says: "In Alabama plums 

 demand precisely the same treatment as peaches." 



Irrigation. — In some of the states this side of the 

 Rocky mountains, and in most of those on the other 

 side of the divide, irrigation is common in orchards. 

 It is not possible to discuss here all the principles and 

 practices of irrigation; but we may take note that irri- 

 gation in the plum orchard is much the same as in the 

 apple orchard or among any other growing trees. Irri- 

 gation is practiced during the early part of the season 

 and remitted after midsummer, just as cultivation is. 

 Irrigation serves the same purpose as cultivation. It 

 is intended to furnish water to the growing plant and 

 to aid in the solution of plant food. 



The commonest method of applying water to 

 orchard trees is by the furrow system. A clean, even 

 furrow is run on either side of a row of fruit trees, fol- 

 lowing the slope of the land, and the water is turned 

 into these furrows. Often the tree rows are planted 

 following the general slope in order to facilitate this 

 work. After the water is turned off, and as soon as 

 it has been sufficiently absorbed, cultivation is given. 

 Special care is taken to cover in the furrows which 

 have been lately soaked with water. This is to pre- 

 vent the formation of a hard surface crust and the 

 consequent rapid evaporation of the moisture. Irri- 

 gation, however, is a complicated matter; and persons 

 who are new to it would better consult some special 

 work on the subject. 



Pruning. — Plum trees do not generally require so 

 much pruning as apple trees. Most of the varieties 

 of the^Domestica race make fairly good heads of their 

 own accord, and these need only to have occasional 

 branches removed to keep the tops from getting too 

 thick. The native sorts, like Wildgoose, Marianna 

 and most of the Americanas, naturally make very 



