98 



THE PLUM. 



weakest and the trees are very liable to become onesided. Ex- 

 posed trunks are also liable tn a fatal gumming disease. 



Mixing Varieties. Some varieties of the plum have flowers 

 which seem to be impotent to their own pollen, that is they are not 

 fruitful when growing away from other varieties of the plum. 

 Then again other varieties, while seemingly potent to their own 

 pollen, fruit much more abundantly if they are pollenized with 

 some other variety. On this account it is always desirable to 

 plant more than one variety of the plum, and even to mix the vari- 



FIG. 70. Renewing an old plum tree, The long branches have been 

 shortened in to encourage compact form. The figures 1 indicate 

 where pruning has been done, 



eties together by planting them alternately in the rows. Some 

 varieties which are entirely unfruitful when growing alone are 

 very productive when grown by the side of some other kind having 

 strong pollen. 



Marketing. The rule of never sending fruit to market in 

 rough, unsightly or unusual packages, holds well here. Plums 

 should never be marketed in rough baskets, tubs or boxes, as is 

 often practiced, but in some of the popular commercial fruit pack- 

 ages, which can now be obtained at very low prices. 



