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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Native Plums 



PROIf. H. L. HUTT^ 0. A. C, GUELPH. 



There are a large number of wild plum trees 

 growing- in waste places in this vicinity which 

 are heavily lauen with fruit almost every year. 

 Pew of them, unfortunately, bring their fruit to 

 perfection. The plums appear to be all right 

 until about the last of July or early in August, 

 when a blight strikes them. The skin of the 

 plum shows spotted, and the plum dries up and 

 becomes useless. As it is very difficult to make 

 a success of growing nursery plum trees, you 

 will confer a great 'benefit if you can give a 

 cause ana a remedy for this blight on the wild 

 plum, as they seem to be much hardier than the 

 cultivated varieties. — (F. A. Kerfoot, Minesing. 

 Ont. 



It is impossible to say definitely what is 

 the trouble with the wild plums in your sec- 

 tion without seeing specimens of the disease. 

 I am inclined to believe that it is the fungus 

 Cladosporium carpophilum, comm nly 

 known as scab, which is peculiar to the wild 

 plums. This disease may no doubt be held 

 in check by thorough spraying with the 

 Bordeaux mixture, but it is doubtful if this 

 would be profitable on the wild varieties. 



The difficulty of growing nursery grown 

 trees is probably due to the fact that you 

 have not secured from the nursery the hardy 

 varieties suitable for your section. Most of 

 the European plums cannot be relied n 

 for any length of time in your section. If 

 you would consult with Mr. G. C. Castoa, 

 of Craighurst, only a few miles from your 

 place, he could no doubt give you some 

 valuable information regarding the kinds he 

 has tried at his experiment station. I be- 

 lieve his experience has been that even the 

 best of the European varieties cannot be re- 

 lied on for any length of time, as they 

 gradually succumb to winter killing. 



There are many improved varieties of the 

 native or wild plums which have been im- 

 proved by cultivation, and are well worth a 

 trial. They are exceedingly hardy, and 

 although not as large as the European varie- 

 ties, they are in some respects superior to 

 them in quality. Mr. W. T. Macoun, of the 

 Central Experimental Farm, at Ottawa, 

 gives the following list as a dozen of the 



best among seventy-six varieties which he 

 has fruited at Ottawa: Aitkin, City, Chee- 

 ney, Silas Wilson, Bixby, Hawkeye, Gay- 

 lord, Wyant, New Ulm, American Eagle, 

 Wolf and Hammer. 



These are given in order of ripening and 

 cover the season from the last of August to 

 the end of September. Some of these ar« 

 not grown by Canadian nurserymen al- 

 though they may be obtained from some of 

 the American nurseries. J. W. Kerr, of 

 Denton, Maryland, has probably given more 

 attention to the propagation of the Ameri- 

 can varieties of plums than any other nur- 

 seryman, and his list contains nearly all 

 the best varieties of this class grown on the 

 continent. 



Undesirable Novelties 



Are the Iceburg blackberry and the Logan berry 

 profitable, marketable and good shipping berries ? — 

 J. B. Bruce, Kanagan Landing, B. C. 



These plants are presumably the stock in 

 trade of an agent who wants to sell, at a 

 high price, some novelties about which no 

 one knows anything. The Iceberg black- 

 berry is interesting as a curiosity, and the 

 Logan berry, because it is a cross between 

 the blackberry and the raspberry ; it is about 

 the size of the former, and unites the flavor 

 of both.— W. 



Robbins Are of Great Value in an or- 

 chard, even if they do eat some fruit. I am 

 something of a taxidermist, and it is my 

 belief that it would be high folly to destroy 

 any species of the small birds, except the 

 English sparrow. In one robin that I 

 opened were several small moths, three or 

 four small black beetles, a few worms and 

 two curculios, thus showing the robin's 

 value as an insect destroyer. They eat 

 considerable fruit, but the good they do 

 overbalances that bad habit. The best 

 remedy is to plant a few more cherry trees 

 so the birds may have a share without cur- 

 tailing the supply of the fruit grower. — 

 (Wm. Idle, Clarksburg, Ont. 



