BROWN ROT ON PLUMS 231 



eplints and having strong wooden handles, may be lined with cloth 

 and used by the picker. The fruit should be sorted as to size and 

 color when packed for market. The types of package in common 

 use are the same as those mentioned for peaches, except that many 

 of the smaller varieties are often marketed in quart baskets. Dam- 

 sons and others when first found on the market are often shown in 

 quart baskets. The large peach baskets are not commonly used 

 for plums. 



Home Use of Plums. — The larger varieties of plums are peeled 

 and pared or cut in half, the seed removed, and then they are 

 stewed for table use. The Japanese varieties and some of the 

 large European varieties are often served fresh and eaten out 

 of hand. 



Methods of preserving for winter are canning, drying, preserving 

 and making into jelly. The American plums are popular for jelly. 

 Damsons are preferably made into preserves. Prunes are common- 

 ly dried or canned. 



Insect Enemies. — The San Jose" scale is very serious on the plum. 

 This insect has been thoroughly discussed under the head of 

 peaches. 



Peach borers are usually as bad on plums as on peaches or 

 cherries. The Japanese varieties are perhaps more frequently 

 attacked by borers than are the trees of other types. Attention 

 must be given to all plum trees to prevent danger from borers. 

 Dig them out as described for borers on peaches. 



The plum curculio will make all the fruits wormy if possible. 

 Wormy fruits are absolutely worthless on the market or for table 

 use. Spraying is the best method of preventing their attack. 

 Follow the spraying campaign described for the peach. 



Brown Rot on Plums. — This disease is the most serious enemy of 

 the plum orchard. The early varieties are sometimes entirely 

 destroyed by the brown rot. The rot starts on one spot or on one 

 side and gradually spreads over the whole fruit. The spores 

 become abundant over the surface and can easily be blown to other 

 fruits or will spread to them through actual contact if the fruit has 

 not been thinned. Many of the twigs are apt to turn brown and 

 the new leaves are killed. A vigorous spraying campaign such as 

 described for the peach should be followed. During the winter, 

 many of the fruits which have been affected by this disease remain 

 on the trees. These should be removed at pruning time so that 

 they will be plowed under in the early spring. 



