THE WESTERN NEW YORK FRUIT GROWERS. 



339 



canning plum, and sells well wherever I 

 have put it, and it is the greatest producer 

 in the way of Japan plum. 



Prof. Van Deman — Do canners like Japan 

 plums ? 



Yes, sir. I know of no plum equal to 

 Burbank when canned. 



Mr. Wood^Is the Burbank plum subject 

 to the yellows ? 



Mr. Willard — We have never seen any- 

 thing of it, and we have got probably 1500 

 trees of Burbank. We have them on both 

 peach roots and plum. I would as soon 

 have them on one as the other. Japan 

 plums are not more exempt from curculio 

 than other plums. 



Prof. Van Deman — I think Japan plums 

 will take yellows same as the peach, though 

 not so badly. 



Mr. Pillow — I expect the nurserymen to 

 find fault with me, but speaking from the 

 standpoint of the commercial fruit grower, 

 in nine cases out of ten we don't want the 

 Japan plum, because there are so many 

 others better, like the Damson, German and 

 French prune, and a long list of them, any 

 of which are better than the Japan plum. 

 They are tender and liable to be winter 

 killed. You have got to thin them. We 

 don't want them. 



Mr. J. B. Collamer — I want the Burbank 

 plum. I have a few of them and they have 

 done well. From an acre and a quarter last 

 year I picked and sold 223 bushels at a 

 dollar a bushel. They are profitable enough 

 for me. 



Mr. Bogue — How is the Hudson River 

 Purple doing in western New York ? 



Mr. Willard — It is subject to the black 

 knot. We are grafting ours over. 



WTiat encouragement is there for growing 

 currants ? 



Mr. Geo. T. Powell — I think the currant 

 one of the most valuable small fruits that 

 can be cultivated at the present time. There 

 is only just one drawback to its cultivation. 



Of late years it has been attacked by a 

 number of insects The currant worm I 

 consider the least of the difficulties of cur- 

 rant culture, because that can be easily 

 controlled. But there is an insect that has 

 recently appeared, the tripeta. In some 

 sections the fruit is absolutely worthless 

 from the attacks of this insect. The stock- 

 borer is another, but it can be controlled. 

 There is a demand for currants since the 

 legislation is looking towards the preserva- 

 tion of our pure foods from adulteration. 

 The jellies that have so successfully imitated 

 it are likely to be driven out. There have 

 been years when the crop has not paid the 

 cost of picking and shipping, but with the 

 increased demand, except for the insect 

 attacks recently coming, it stands to-day 

 one of the most profitable for cultivation 



Mr. Willard — I grow a good many cur- 

 rants and concur with Mr. Powell in all that 

 he said in regard to the profitableness of the 

 fruit. I am sorry Mr. Barns is not in the 

 room because he is one of the large currant 

 growers, and I think he has found the busi- 

 ness ver\- satisfactory. My own impression 

 is that a great deal lies in the growing of 

 varieties especially productive and valuable 

 on account of their market qualities. I 

 doubt if some of the old varieties can be 

 grown with a great deal of profit. I have 

 been growing a variety known as the Presi- 

 dent Wilder, which I believe in every respect 

 the most valuable we have ever grown. Its 

 productiveness is double that of Fay's Pro- 

 lific. Children picking by the quart at a 

 cent a quart will double their wages on the 

 President Wilder. Mr. Barns sold his crop 

 in Boston at ten and twelve cents, while 

 ordinary varieties brought five and six. The 

 proof of the pudding is the chewing of the 

 string. 



A Member — What about the W^hite Im- 

 perial ? 



Mr. Willard — We are speaking of com- 

 mercial fruit. In point of quality I under- 



