100 FRUIT BOOK, 



THE PLUM. 



The native country of the plum is supposed to be 

 Asia. The majority of our finest varieties have been 

 introduced from France. Of sixty-four sorts, de- 

 scribed by Professor Bradley, not one has other than 

 a French name. Since his time, however, a great 

 variety have been produced in England and in this 

 country, and new sorts are constantly being pro- 

 duced. Corse, of Montreal, has brought forward 

 many fine plums. Among those kinds which have 

 originated from seed in our country, the Washing- 

 ton, Imperial, Bleeker's, Cooper's, Roe's Autumn, 

 Cruger's Scarlet, Pond's Seedling, and Corse's varie- 

 ties, are among our best native plums. The plum 

 tree flourishes best in a rich sandy loam, neither too 

 dry nor too moist ; a cold, wet, clayey soil, or dry 

 sandy situation, is not so favorable. They appear to 

 thrive best in our neighborhood, near the borders of 

 the sea ; which we think is owing to their being in 

 such situations not so subject to the insect called 

 curculio, which perforates the fruit. We have since 

 1841 applied annually, in the spring, coarse salt 

 around these trees, with good effect, spreading upon 

 the top of the ground, as far as the branches extend, 

 about one inch in depth, and in the course of a 

 fortnight after its application, turning it under the 

 surface nearly the depth of a spade. In 1843 we 

 fruited thirty varieties, all ripened, with the excep- 

 tion of Coe's Late Red. The following, from a 



