CHAPTER VI. 



THE PLUM. 



RAISING THE YOUNG TREES. The plum is propagated by budding 

 or grafting on seedling plums. For this purpose the stones of such 

 varieties should be chosen as are of large and thrifty growth ; and 

 they are to be treated in planting precisely as directed for the peach, 

 with additional care to prevent the drying of the stones, which 

 occurs much sooner in consequence of their smaller size and thin- 

 ner shell. If not cracked, a part only will vegetate the first year, 

 although many may be made to open by the repeated action of freez- 

 ing and thawing. 



Stocks. On light or unfavorable soils, most of the common varie- 

 ties produce feeble and slowly growing seedlings ; an excellent sub- 

 stitute will be found in the larger sorts of the wild plum, sometimes 

 known as the Canada plum (Prunus Americana). Those varieties 

 which are found to outgrow this stock, should be worked at the sur- 

 face of the ground, and when transplanted the place of union should 

 be set a few inches lower. On strong soils, where the plum grows 

 freely, the common Horse plum (a blue, oval, rather acid sort) 

 makes the best stocks. The French St. Julien is similar in cha- 

 racter. The Myrobolan, or cherry plum, although slender in growth, 

 succeeds better on light, sandy, or gravelly soils, and is also, like 

 the Canada plum, employed as stocks for dwarfs. 



On light soils, the peach has been occasionally employed. A 

 very few varieties take readily and grow freely, and large healthy 

 trees have in some instances been produced ; but the great uncer- 

 tainty which attends its use, and the failure with most varieties, indi- 

 cate the propriety of the rejection of the peach for this purpose. 



Grafting, to succeed best, should be done quite early in spring, 

 before the buds have commenced swelling ; and budding must be 

 performed while the stocks are at the period of their most vigorous 

 growth (provided sufficiently matured buds can be found), which is 



