I05 



in the ground as it originally stood in the nursery row. 

 Then place the tree in the hole with roots carefully spread 

 to cover as much soil as possible, and work the mellow soil 

 down about all the roots so that the entire root system is 

 closely packed with earth and no air spaces are left in the 

 soil. Leave the soil a. little higher around the tree than 

 the general level of the surface so as to allow something 

 for the settling of the loose earth. Finally, apply a good 

 deep mulch of coarse manure, hay, or straw. This will 

 keep the soil temperature about the roots more uniform 

 and prevent repeated freezing and thawing of the ground 

 in winter. However, if there is any danger of mice gnaw- 

 ing the bark, better leave no litter whatever near the tree 

 to afford a lurking place for the pests, but heap up a 

 smooth, hard mound of earth, allowing it to rise a foot or 

 so in height and come to a point around the tree trunk, in 

 shape like a cone. 



TILLAGE AND FERTILIZATION. 



The soil about plum trees should receive thorough culti' 

 vation every summer season. Weeds and grass growing 

 rankly among fruit trees are obviously out of place. Neg- 

 lected plum trees are especially afflicted with the disease 

 of black wart. The plum, of all fruits, will not endure 

 slipshod culture. 



The trees need fertilization every year, preferably in the 

 fall of the year; and unleached wood ashes and ground 

 bone are among the best manures for this purpose. Mix 

 these two ingredients in the proportion of one ton of ashes 

 to five hundred pounds of bone, and apply a liberal dress- 

 ing every year, and plums of the best quality should be 

 obtained. 



ENEMIES OF THE PLUM. 



The greatest enemies of successful plum culture today 

 are the black wart and the curculio. 



