PEACH. 183 



planting of self-sterile kinds singly, as, notably, the Wild Goose. 

 It can be laid down as a general rule, and it will apply espe- 

 cially to the native kinds, that varieties of the same time of 

 flowering should be mixed in orchards. 



Picking. The European plums should be picked with the 

 stem on; the American plums naturally become detached from 

 the stem at maturity. The fruit may be either a free stone or 

 a cling stone and examples of each are found among the differ- 

 ent classes of the plum. (The word "prune" is applied to a 

 class of plums having firm flesh and a larger per cent of sugar 

 than the ordinary plum, which dries readily.) Some of the best 

 plum growers practice thinning the fruit. The time when the 

 different varieties come into bearing depends much on the 

 peculiarities of each sort. The different classes of plums usual- 

 ly bear fruit in three years. 



Insects. The insects most injurious to the plum are the 

 Curculio, Peach Borer, Tent Caterpillar and Leaf Lice, which see 

 in chapter on Insects. 



The diseases especially injurious to the plum are Brown 

 Rot, Plum Pocket and Leaf Curl. Plum Knot and Shot Hole fun- 

 gus are discussed under the head of diseases. 



The varieties of the plum are many and various. In the 

 great plum growing sections of the Pacific Coast the principal 

 kinds grown are Burbank, Climax, Clyman, Satsuma, Wick- 

 son, Yellow Egg, Grand Duke, Washington, Blue Damson. 



In the Northeastern states the principal varieties grown 

 are Lombard, Abundance, Wildgoose, Burbank. 



The varieties best adapted to Minnesota and the surround- 

 ing states are Wyant, De Soto, Wolf, Stoddard, Surprise, Cherry 

 and Forest Garden. 



Peach. 



The peach is one of the most uncertain of our cultivated 

 fruits. It is highly esteemed and is used almost entirely as a 

 luxury by the greater part of our people. It is nowhere adapted 

 to great areas, although widely grown in a small way. It is 

 grown in a large commercial way in a few favorable sections, 

 among which may be mentioned: 1. The section along the south 

 shore of the Great Lakes, including portions of southern Michi- 



