PLANTING PLUMS AND PRUNES 27] 



sometimes happens that the French prune parts from the apricot root 

 even after growing some time upon it. There are, however, instances 

 of the French prune thriving, and, apparently making good union with 

 the apricot root and some of the softer wood varieties, like the Sugar 

 Prune, take kindly to it. 



Some plums do well on the almond root and some do not. The 

 French prune succeeds admirably both when worked on young almond 

 stocks and top grafted in old almond trees. Success is also reported 

 with the Fellenberg on the almond. But the almond root is suited 

 especially for warm, dry soils. Excellent results from the use of 

 almond stock are reported from the interior valley and the Sierra 

 foothills. 



Propagating by Sprouts. The French practice of growing cer- 

 tain varieties of the plum by means of sprouts from the base of old trees 

 was successfully followed in this State by Felix Gillet, of Nevada City, 

 and was strongly commended by him as securing a tree which will not 

 gum, which is one of the reasons why the same practice prevails in 

 France. Sprouts growing at the foot of old and large trees, and but 

 few are found to each tree, are taken off and planted close together in 

 a bed to make them root well, and the ensuing spring planted in nur- 

 sery rows, where they are trained like any other trees, and transplanted 

 where to remain, when branched. For this method it is necessary that 

 the parent tree should be upon its own roots, else one is apt to get 

 suckers from a wild stock. Sprout-grown trees can not, however, be 

 defended unless some special point like that claimed by Mr. Gillet can 

 be attained bv them. 



PLANTING AND PRUNING 



As with other trees, there is difference of opinion as to the best dis- 

 tance apart for plum trees. The present tendency is toward wider 

 planting; not nearer than twenty feet is the usual advice, and on rich' 

 land, twenty-two or twenty-four feet is better. 



The plum, in California, is a most rapid grower ; six to ten feet from 

 the bud or graft in a season, and about as much after the first winter's 

 cutting back, is not at all unusual. At this rate of progress then, the 

 tree soon runs up and away, in a spindling, sprawling fashion, unless 

 severely cut back for the first few years. Neglected trees of some va- 

 rieties show long, streaming branches, arching outward, and exposing 

 the bark to sunburn (to which it is very sensitive), breaking the tree 

 to pieces as the fruit gets weight, and, even if supported by props, 

 breaking off at the bearing of the prop. This condition of the tree 

 can only be obviated by low heading and moderate cutting back each 

 year, with due regard to limiting the amount of bearing wood to get 

 large fruit. For such plum varieties the suggestions on forming the 

 tree and subsequent treatment in Chapter XII will be found helpful. 

 This reference to repressive treatment for brittle-wood plums is em- 

 phasized by experience with the Sugar Prune and Golden Prune, of 

 which Mr. Leonard Coates of Morgan Hill says : 



