SECTION XXII 



Stone Fruits: Plums, Cherries, Peaches, 

 Nectarines, Apricots 



PLUMS 



i. GENERAL 



Next to the Apple the Plum is the most important fruit crop in the 

 British Islands. According to the most recent returns of the Board of 

 Agriculture (1911) about 17,000 ac. are devoted to the industry. Of these 

 there are 16,418 ac. in England alone, Scotland having 291 ac., Ireland 

 about 220 ac., and Wales 77 ac. The largest plum-growing counties in 

 England are Worcester with 3815 ac., Kent with 3269 ac., Cambridge with 

 1577 ac., Gloucester with 1141 ac., Middlesex with 691 ac., and Bucks 

 with 570 ac. Reckoning fairly close planting at 250 trees to the acre, 

 this would give something like 4J million Plum trees for the United 

 Kingdom. Taking the average crop of 2 bus. of plums per tree, 500 bus. 

 would be the crop for 1 ac. ; and at 6s. per bushel this gives 150 per 

 acre. This figure is probably never reached in practice, but Mr. Bunyard 

 in his Fruit Farming for Profit gives 112 as the gross return for 1 ac. 

 of standard Plums yielding 7 tons. This works out at about 9s. per bushel 

 of 60 lb., or 16 per ton (each bushel holding about 1000 fruits), and only 

 gives an average yield of a little over 1 bus. to each tree at 250 to the acre. 

 When a larger number than this is planted to the acre, the average yield 

 per tree is of course lower in proportion. Taking good and bad seasons 

 together the gross returns for 1 ac. of Plums may be taken at from 60 

 to 80, out of which rent, rates, taxes, labour, marketing, &c., must be 

 paid. It must be remembered, however, that one or two severe frosts 

 in April or May will reduce the Plum crop almost to nothing in some 

 seasons. [J. w.] 



The attention which of late years has been given to the Plum has 

 made it a much more valuable article to the market grower than it was 

 formerly. To begin with, the season has been materially lengthened 



109 



