FRUITS. 171 



THE PLUM. 



In its superior varieties, this is a delicious fruit, and is gen- 

 r rally easily cultivated. It prefers a strong clay loam, but 

 I".-, well in any ordinary ground except a light sand. It 

 should be planted like the apple, though on a smaller scale, 

 as it has a smaller and less vigorous growth. The proper 

 distance is sixteen to twenty feet apart. There are two for- 

 midable impediments in the cultivation of the plum. One 

 i an insect, which attacks the wood, and deposits its egg in 

 the smaller branches. This is followed by a large swelling 

 or excrescence and if suffered to remain, will soon destroy 

 its productivness. The best and surest remedy is to cut off 

 the branch at once and burn it. The Curcidio commits its 

 depredations on the young fruit soon after the blossoms dis- 

 appear. These are frequently so destructive as to kill the 

 fruit of an entire orchard. Several methods of destroying 

 them have been suggested of which the most simple and 

 effectual is, to plant the trees in such places as will admit the 

 swine and poultry to feed upon the fallen fruit and insects. 

 Salt sprinkled around the tree in the spring is said to destroy 

 them. The smoke of rotten wood, leaves and rubbish which 

 have been burned under the trees when in blossom has 

 sometimes proved beneficial. Paving the earth under the 

 limbs to prevent the burrowing of the insects, and some 

 other remedies are recommended. This is a serious evil, 

 requiring more observation and experiment than it has yet re- 

 ceived. 



VARIETIES. The common blue or horse plum is cultiva- 

 ted in numerous sub-varieties. Some of these are very good, 

 others utterly worthless. Good plums are as easily raised 

 as poor ones. Young trees bearing an indifferent fruit, can 

 be headed down and grafted as readily as apples, but this re- 

 quires to be done a month earlier in the spring and before the 

 buds begin to swell. The best kinds are the Yellow, Green, 

 Autumn, Bleeckers, Imperial, Prince's Yellow, Frost, Purple, 

 and the Red Gages ; Coe's Golden Drop, the Jefferson, the 

 Grange, the Washington, the Columbia, Smith's Orleans, 

 and the Red Magnum Bonum. 



This last variety is more liable to the attacks of the circu- 

 lio than many others. But its vigorous growth, great pro- 

 ductivness when not attacked and its excellent quality for 

 the table renders it a desirable fruit. For drying, the Ger- 

 man prune is perhaps the best, although several of the plums 



