1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



17 



For the Western Pomologist. 



The miner and Wild Goose Plums. 



By D. B. Weib, Lacon, III. 



Mr. Alfred Giddings' article on the Miner, or 

 properly Towmtind plum, is, I fear, calculated to 

 lead many astray. In the first instance, by saying 

 that the Miner "is as good to raise from the seed as 

 from sprouts," and in the second, by considering 

 the Miner and Wild Goose the same. I have no 

 doubt but that Mr. Giddings was perfectly honest 

 and candid in what he said, and believes it. But 

 nevertheless I am certain hn is mistaken. Mr. D. 

 Wilmot Scott, of Galena, 111., in a letter to me dated 

 Sept. 24th, 1870, says: "The Townsend (Miner) 

 does iwt come true from the seed. Farmers here, 

 supposing it a natural fruit, and would come true, 

 and spurious varieties is the result, not one of which 

 I have seen is as good as the original. It sports 

 into an infinite number of varieties. Many of these 

 farmers have been selling sprouts from their trees 

 at fabulous prices, and many nurserymen are agoing 

 to condemn the fruit from receiving the fruit 

 of these spurious sorts." And Mr. Scott's testi- 

 mony was made good by numerous persons at 

 the last meeting of the Northern Illinois Horticul- 

 tural Society, who had grown and seen grown many 

 trees from the pits, and all agreed with Mr. Scott 

 that it positively docs not re- produce itself from 

 seed. Mr. Scott in a subsequent letter says: "I 

 know of several freestone seedlings of Townsend 

 (Miner) earlier and good fruit. Within my personal 

 knowledge I know that the seedlings vary greatly. 

 That hundreds and thousands of these spurious trees 

 have been strown broadcast over the country, will 

 be a sad blow to this, I think, the most valuable of 

 plums, and is greatly to be regretted." 



Now as to the Miner and Wild-goose being the 

 same ; with Mr. Giddings I thought they were un- 

 til very lately. I had bought trees purporting to be 

 genuine Wild-goose, time and again ; they all ap- 

 peared to be exactly the same as Miner. (I have 

 not fruited any of them). But last spring I pro- 

 cured from an undoubted source the genuine Wild- 

 goose plum. A glance told that if this was correct 

 — and there is no doubt about it whatever — all my 

 former purchases were spurious. There is almost 

 as much difference in the looks of the two varieties 

 as there is between a tree of Yellow Bellefleur and 

 one of Red Astrachan. In a letter to me of recent 

 date, my friend G. S. Downer, of Kentucky, in 

 speaking of the Wild-goose, says : 



" This plum, in no instance that has come to my 

 knowledge, has re-produced itself from seed, and the 

 country is almost full of spurious Wild-goose plums. 

 I obtained my first cuttings from the orU/iTud tree, 

 and have kept it pure until the present time. Many 

 nurserymen, and others, are selling what they call 

 Wild-goose plimi trees on their own roots. They 



are mistaken, I think. All such are only offshoots 

 (suckers) from some seedlings of the Wild-goose 

 plum, and not the genuine sort." Mr. Downer also 

 told me "that none of these seedlings were near so 

 good in quality as the genuine sort." To persons 

 wishing to test the truth of this evidence, I will be 

 pleased to send cions of the two genuine sorts, pro- 

 vided they make their wishes known before the 

 busy season, (March 1st) and send stamps enough to 

 pay postage and packing. Now the question arises, 

 why are these two varieties of plums so valuable ? 

 The reasons are manifold — 



Firstly, Because that "little Turk," the plum 

 curculio, cannot master them. She carefully depos- 

 its her eggs in them, but from some unknown 

 reason they nearly all perish either before or di- 

 rectly after hatching. 



Secondly, They are well nigh perfectly hardy and 

 very productive. 



Thirdly, The fruit colors up while yet entirely 

 firm, and in this condition can be sent almost any 

 distance to market, arrive in good condition, and 

 ripen up perfectly. 



FouHMy, They are fruits of great beauty, of good, 

 but not by any means of heM quality, and have so 

 far, and will, I think, command a high price in 

 market. 



Why was this article written ? To give the read- 

 ers of the Western Pomologist a word of caution, 

 which is this: When you buy Miner and Wild- 

 goose plum trees, be sure you are getting the genuine 

 sorts. I have told you why they are held in such 

 high estimation. Do not be deceived or deceive 

 yourselves that if you get a Chicka.saw variety of 

 plum (Prunus Cldckasa), that you are all right. 

 Bear in mind that only these two varieties of this 

 species are curculio proof. So far as I have ob- 

 served, all other varieties of this species are as 

 readily destroyed by this terrible pest, as varieties 

 of other species. One variety of the garden plum 

 (prunus domestica), the Columbia, has the same pe- 

 culiarity, though in perhaps not so great a degree. 



Forthe Western Pomologist. 



Hortlcnltaral Meetings— Tlieir Objects and 

 Benefits. 



By Geo. W. Kelloog, Janesville, Wis. 



Friend Miller. As this is the season when 

 horticultural meetings are the order of the day, let 

 us have a random talk of their objects and benefits. 



With our changing climate, variation of soils, 

 and different modes of cultivation, we can easily 

 imagine the benefits arising from an annual inter- 

 change of thought and discussion relative to varie- 

 ties — when planted, soil, mode of treatment, and 

 causes of failure and success. 



When the great calamities befel the fruit interests 



