346 [ THE PLUM 



and especially those of its variety P. insititia, give better 

 results as stock for the cultivated plums than the P. my- 

 robolana, and it is generally assumed that the sloe-tree 

 P.spinosa, is inferior to both, its use being recommendable 

 only for badly drained soils where it is less liable to suffer 

 from root rot than other wild plums. 



CULTIVATION. The size to which a plum tree grows 

 varies a great deal according to the soil and the situation, 

 the stock on which it is grafted and the more or less 

 vigorous habit of the sort of plum which is grown. Trees 

 grown in open situations or grafted on the sloe or black- 

 thorn need not be planted more than 2\ metres apart 

 with perhaps 3 metres from one row to another, but those 

 grown in good soils and sheltered situations even if they 

 are grafted on the bullace or on the cherry plum, will 

 require a distance of 3 metres apart in the row, and 4 

 metres between the rows, and at least the same distance 

 should be observed in the case of plums grafted on 

 almond stock. The trees should be planted rather deeply, 

 so that the main roots may not be exposed to injury 

 during tillage. These injuries to the main roots should 

 be carefully avoided as they are frequently the starting 

 point of root rot, and even if they escape this fatal 

 infection, they are sure to provoke the development of 

 too many suckers which exhaust the tree and shorten 

 its life. 



The soil should be weeded and tilled as in the case 

 of the peach and the almond, and light crops of winter 

 vegetables may be grown between the rows of trees, pro- 

 vided that during the period in which the 'plum tree is in 

 active vegetation, that is from the moment that the buds 

 begin to push, and until the end of summer, no crops are 

 allowed to remain on the ground, which may draw too 

 much on the resources of the soil or on its natural 

 moisture. 



Trees newly planted should be watered regularly 

 in spring and summer. If the weather is dry, watering 



