178 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



be hoped for from some of the new introductions. At 

 the present time the varieties that will give the best 

 results under ordinary average conditions are probably 

 the Abundance, Burbank, and Wickson, with Climax 

 and October Purple as promising new varieties. 



American Plums. 



Varieties of the American plum may be found growing 

 wild from Canada to Texas. Some are of good size and 

 fair quality, and much attention is being given to cross- 

 ing them with the European and Japanese varieties in 

 the hope of obtaining fruit of better quality and larger 

 size. 



Being perfectly hardy and comparatively free from 

 insect and fungous attack, they offer great promise, and 

 with the size and quality of the Japanese and European 

 varieties would be more valuable than either of the latter. 



The better varieties now known have some market 

 value, particularly where the above species are not 

 grown, being especially valuable for preserving, many 

 considering them equal to the Damson for this purpose; 

 and when fully ripe they are palatable uncooked. The 

 trees grow best in a rather moist soil, but will do well in 

 almost any garden soil. Among the best varieties for 

 cultivation are the Wild Goose, Weaver, Hawkeye, Way- 

 land, Moreman, and Reed. 



The only insect seriously injurious to this group of 

 plums is the peach borer (for description and remedy see 

 page 167). The only fungous pest of any importance is 

 the leaf curl, which sometimes attacks the fruit as well 

 as the leaves, causing it to puff up and soon drop off. 

 This pest is controlled by the diluted Bordeaux mix- 

 ture (4 copper sulphate, 6 lime and 100 gallons of 

 water) , and by the lime and sulphur wash when applied 

 for the San Jose scale. 





