The Canadian Horticultuiist. 



12 



PLUMS. 



Bv Geo. W. Ci.ink, Winona, J'kksidkst Gkimshv Fidn Growers' Association. 



TI I \i planting and growing of 

 plums seems to be in the 

 minds of a great many fruit growers 

 at the present time, all anxious to 

 know the best kinds to plant for pro- 

 fit, the best mode of cultivation and 

 manures to use. I will try and give 

 you this in as few words as possible. 

 The Soil, best adapted for plums 

 is a clay loam or an alluvial soil, but 

 plums will do fairl}- well on a heavy 

 clay by first-class cultivation. On a 

 sandy soil they are not likel}- to do 

 well without a clay subsoil (]uite 

 near the top ; besides the curculio is 

 very much worse in a sandy soil 

 because it is much easier for tliem to 

 burrow in it and hide themselves. 

 A plum orchard should have the best 

 of cultivation, especially as soon as 

 the trees commence to bear crops, 

 because this is very exhausting on 

 the soil of moisture, while cultivation 

 and manure help to bring the fruit to 

 perfection. Of course all soils should 

 be well drained, either naturally or 

 by tile drains before planting, as the 

 plum tree will not stand and thrive 

 in wet ground. The manures best 

 adapted to the plum are those with 

 a great amount of potash and phos- 

 phoric acid, together with an oc- 

 casional light coating of barnyard 

 manure and a light dressing of salt. 

 I have also found that sulphate of 

 iron is a good manure, giving the 

 leaves a very dark and glossy appear- 

 ance and the fruit a verv high color. 

 Cultivation is very necessar}' in pre- 

 serving the crop in time of drought 

 as the plum tree at that time is very 



apt to drop its leaves, and the crop 

 to wither and come to nothing. Cul- 

 tivation will also help to drive away 

 the curculio, as the little Turk does 

 not like to be disturbed as he bur- 

 rows in the ground in the day time, 

 but it should not be forgotten that 

 cultivation should not be deep, in- 

 deed all cultivation in our orchards 

 and vineyards should be shallow, 

 not over three inches deep. As to 



KINDS OF PLU.MS 



for planting the list may be long or 

 short, just as the planter likes. The 

 varieties are numerous that are pro- 

 fitable for tliis section, but the follow- 

 ing list is long enough and good 

 enough for anyone, and the trees can 

 be easily and cheaply purchased, 

 viz : — For Early : Imperial Gage, 

 Smith's Orleans, Washington, Niag- 

 ara and Bradshaw. Medium : Lom- 

 bard, Gen. Hand, Pond's Seedling, 

 and Yellow Egg. Late : Quackenbos, 

 German Prune, Reine Claude de 

 Bavay, and Coe's Golden Drop. 

 There are others I would add but 

 the}- are not so easily got, such as 

 \'ictoria, Columbia, Lawson's Golden 

 Gage, Duanes' Purple, Glass' Seed- 

 ling, Munroe, and several others, 

 but we have here plent}- from which 

 to select and it is very doubtful if we 

 ever will get any addition to these 

 that will be any more productive or 

 any more profitable for the grower. 

 In spraying, I watch very closely 

 for the curculios about the time the 

 blossom drops, and have found that 

 it does not always pay to wait to 



