APPENDIX 



The Plural — As an orchard fruit the Plum stands on the same 

 level as the Apple and the Pear, and in certain districts in favour- 

 able seasons it is often more profitable than either. In the Vale 

 of Evesham and other parts of Worcestershire and the neighbour- 

 ing counties the Plum thrives and is profitable ; and in some parts 

 of Cambridgeshire the orchards of Greengages are quite a spectacle 

 in spring and summer. A limestone soil is the most suitable ; and 

 the site of the orchard should be a sheltered one, for the blossoms 

 of the Plimi tree are fragile and easily destroyed by spring frosts. 

 For a new plantation trench up the land 2 feet deep early in 

 autumn, and plant standard trees 15 feet apart as soon as the 

 land settles. Have the trees planted before Cliristmas if possible. 

 Stake them, miilch over the roots with manure, and guard the 

 stems from rabbits as soon as they are planted. The Plum as an 

 orchard tree requires but little pruning. The long branches should 

 be shortened back the spring following the planting to five or six 

 buds, to induce shoots enough to break away to lay the foundation 

 for a good evenly-balanced head ; and in after years the branches 

 wUl require a little thinning to let in the air and sunshine, and 

 perhaps in twenty years or so, if one need look so far ahead, saw- 

 ing back some of the main branches to cause a new growth to 

 break out will give a new impulse to the tree's life. This is 

 especially true with respect to Damsons, the Orleans, and some of 

 the small very fertile varieties. 



Plums on Walls. — In well-ordered gardens it is a common 

 practice to assign certain walls to particular fruits, and Plums in 

 this arrangement are generally planted on those walls having an 

 eastern or western aspect. And so far jis regards the best dessert 



^ In collecting the articles forming this book, the above, through inad- 

 vertence, was overlooked, till too late for its appearance in its proper 

 place. 



