480 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



^ 



# 



COLUMBIAN GAGE PLUM. 



This fruit was originated by Mr. L. U. Law- 

 rence, of Hudson, N. Y., from seed of the Green 

 Gage. It ranks as the best of the large, dark col- 

 ored varieties of the plum. Downing, who is the 

 best authority in regard to fruit originated in New 

 York, says of it : — "The tree is remarkable for its 

 very strong, blunt shoots, large, roundish leaves, and 

 the spreading, horizontal form of its head. It is 

 also highly productive. Branches and upper sides 

 of the leaves downy. Fruit of the largest size, sis 

 or seven inches in circumference, nearly globular, 

 one-half rather larger than the other. Skin brown- 

 ish purple, dotted with numerous fawn-colored 

 specks, and covered with much blue bloom, through 

 which appears a reddish brown tint, on the shaded 

 side. Stalk about an inch long, rather stout, in- 

 serted in a rather small cavity. Flesh orange, not 

 very juicy, but when at full maturity, very rich, 

 sugary and excellent. The flesh separates freely 

 from the stone, which is small and compressed." 

 Ripens in New England early in September. 



Our engraving is an accurate copy of a speci- 



men of the plum, gathered by us last season in 

 the garden of Mr. Henry Vandine, at Cam- 

 bridgeport. 



For the New England Parmer. 



MAKE HAY WHEN THE SUN SHINES. 



Mr. Editor : — Your contributor, whose signature 

 corresponds so nicely with his ideas, and who com- 

 ments so flippantly upon my article extracted by 

 you from the Homestead, under the above title, un- 

 dertakes to sneer at me because I spoke of hand 

 raking, and yet in this age of progress, he mows 

 his grass by hand, doubtless not having yet dis- 

 covered the fact that the mowing machine has su- 

 perseded that old fashioned back-breaking labor on 

 all well conducted farms. 



The article upon which he comments was writ- 

 ten years ago, about or during the time when I was 

 in the habit of leading all my men in all kinds of 

 labor, and before the introduction of mowing ma- 

 chines and horse rakes, and was accidentally dis- 

 covered among other manuscripts of like nature, this 

 Spring. 



I am now reminded that some of ray old fogy 

 neighbors in those days did not quite approve of 



