44 Fruit Culture. 



being a dwarf with a symmetrical and weeping head laden 

 with rich, ripe, spotted fruit as we saw it. Could it be trans- 

 ferred from its alpine home and retain these peculiar char- 

 acteristics, it would, indeed, be a valuable acquisition to 

 horticulture. The time will come when the origin of some 

 of our finest fruits and flowers will be traced to the Rocky 

 Mountains. The famous Weaver Plum first found grow- 

 ing near Cedar Rapids, Iowa was doubtless carried there 

 from the Black Hills by the Indians. The same variety is 

 found in several localities near Custer City and Dead- 

 wood." 



Plums, therefore, are natives of our country, growing 

 wild among the mountains and among the foothills, but 

 notwithstanding this fact, the old settler as well as the ten- 

 derfoot seems to question the practicability of raising plums 

 here. It makes but little difference with the plum whether 

 the soil is rich or poor, wet or dry, cold or hot. It will 

 stand more neglect and exposure and do better than any 

 other tree. The only difficulty experienced in the cultiva- 

 tion of the plum is the curculio. The depredations of this 

 pest make the foreign varieties often unprofitable. 



The Miner, Wild Goose, Weaver and Lombard are of 

 the Chickasaw, or native varieties, and are seldom troubled 

 with the curculio. There are remedies, however, for the de- 

 struction of this enemy of the plum, as well as for other 

 insects injurious to fruit culture. 



The following is by R. T. Crawford, in an address be- 

 fore the El Paso Horticultural Society at a meeting when 

 the plum was the subject of discussion : 



" Plum growing in Colorado is as yet in its infancy, 

 although in some sections of the State there are many trees 

 in bearing. It attains its greatest perfection here, as it is 

 entirely free from disease, and the curculio has never made 

 its appearance. 



" I do not think that all varieties can be grown here in 



