THE CANADIAN HOBTI0ULTDRI8T. 



195 



growing wild in the southern parts of 

 the United States, and is derived from 

 the Chickasaw Indians. In character 

 the fruit is small to medium in size, 

 nearly round, yellow or red, with thorny 

 bushy branches, and narrow leaves, 

 somewhat resembling peach leaves. 



In quality all these plums are far in- 

 ferior to the European vaiieties, but 

 where these latter do not succeed well, 

 owing to black knot, curculio, etc., these 

 Chickasaw varieties ai-e worthy of trial. 



The Marianna Plum, first noticed in 

 this Journal in vol. vii. p. 33, is a na- 

 tive of South-eastern Texas, and has 

 now been pretty well distributed. It is 

 is found to be about two weeks earlier 

 than the Wild Goose, ripening with the 

 eai-ly peaches, and a better pi'oducer 

 than that variety. It is claimed to be 

 quite hardy, and a very ornamental tree 

 especially when in bloom, on account of 

 its pure white blossom which is so abun- 

 dant as to completely hide the foliage. 



CULTIVATION OF APPLE 

 ORCHARDS. 



*-^V0 absolute rule can be laid down 

 ykf with reference to cultivation of 

 the apple orchard, because the 

 circumstances so frequently differ. That 

 a well established orchard, in good rich 

 soil, that is growing thriftily, should be 

 left undisturbed by the plough and 

 whiffletrees, is a position that will need 

 little argiiment to sustain. So long as 

 the necessary thrift can be kept up with 

 an annual to|)-dressing of some suitable 

 fertilizer, it would be a jjositive injury 

 to tear up the roots with the plough. 



Neither' does it require any argument 

 to prove that all young orchiu-ds should 

 receive the best of cultivation for the 



first ten or fifteen years after planting. 

 The wretched, stunted specimens of 

 trees that have been planted and left 

 uncai'ed for, prove this conclusively. 



But what about the many orchards 

 that are full grown, but show no thrift, 

 bear little or no fruit, and whose light 

 or yellowish leaves betray their enfee- 

 bled condition. Do they need pruning, 

 manure, cultivation, or all three com- 

 bined '] 



Our experience is that cultivation is 

 in such cases the most efficient means 

 of restoration, and will accomplish what 

 pruning and manure will utterly fail in 

 doing without it. Cultivation of the 

 soil so exposes it to the action of the 

 air as to make available the plant 

 food which is already there in store, and 

 besides, has a most important influence 

 in counteracting the serious drouths to 

 which our country is of late so very 

 subject. 



One of our orchards which had been 

 planted some twenty-five years, was in 

 the condition above described. It had 

 been left seeded down for about ten 

 years, and had become unthrifty and 

 unfruitful. In the summer of 1886 we 

 broke up thoroughly one-half of it, ap- 

 plied wood ashes and pruned it care- 

 fully ; while the other half was pruned 

 and manured, but not cultivated. The 

 same treatment was continued durinof 

 1887, and now the result is plain enough 

 to the most casual observer. The cul- 

 tivated portion has resisted the drouth 

 completely. Its dark green foliage is a 

 remarkable contrast to the light sickly 

 green of the other part, and, more im- 

 portant still, the cultivated trees are. 

 laden to the very ground with such a 

 load of fine Baldwins, Greenings, and 

 Golden Russets, as cannot be equalled 

 by any other orchard on our fruit farm. 



This seems to be clear testimony to 

 the immense advantage of cultivation, 

 especially in seasons of such extended 

 drouth as those of 1886 and 1887. . 



