E/BrORT ON THE PoMOLOGY ExHIBIT. 



265 



Plums. 



The soil and climate of New York are admirably adapted to the 

 culture of the plum, though its native home is found in Asia and 

 Southern Europe. Wliile the season liad been rather unfavorable for 

 the best development of the fruit, a good display was made of many of 

 the leading and some of the new varieties. The wild plum in two of 

 its species, indigenous to our soil, was also shown — the " Chickasaw " 

 and the " Wild Ked ; " and although they are not as fine in flavor as a 

 " Washington " or a " McLaughlin," yet they were very attractive in 

 appearance and fair in other points of quality. 



The plum is not adapted to all kinds of soil, succeeding best on heavy 

 loam or on clay. This fact makes the territory in which the fruit can 

 be grown somewhat limited, and this for many years has been largely 

 confined to the Hudson river and Mohawk valleys. As high as $600 

 net profit per acre has been realized for such varieties as the " Heine 

 Claude," " Quackenboss " and " Grerman Prune," the l^ew England 

 States furnishing a very extensive market for this fruit, while New 

 York and Philadelphia have always demanded large supplies. Hudson, 

 Columbia county, is the home of the " Hudson Gage," " Lawrence " 

 and " Columbia." Troy, Albany and Schenectady have produced 

 excellent varieties. Ehinebeck and Fishkill the same, as also Long 

 Island, while the " Washington," one of the best, largest and finest of 

 a long list of varieties, sprang from the soil of a farm then lying near 

 the Bowery in New York city about 1820. 



Owing to a development of a fungous disease known as "black 

 knot," the plum orchards of- this entire section have been destroyed 

 and plum culture abandoned. New hardy varieties are being intro- 

 duced from Eussia and Japan. New sections are taking up plum cul- 

 ture, while scientific experimenters are endeavoring to discover some 

 fungicide that, when sprayed upon the trees, will destroy the fungous 

 spore of the " black knot," and thus save to the State one of its most 

 valuable fruits. 



Peaches. 



The peach is a native of Persia, and thrives best in a warm climate, 

 but the fruit is grown in large orchards on Long Island, in the Hudson 

 valley and in Central and Western New York. When the soil was 

 newer and possessed more of plant food than at present, the tree was 

 hardy and fruitful, bearing regularly and abundantly. 



From August ninth to November first the following varieties were 

 successfully shown, Niagara and Orleans counties contributing largely 

 to the exhibit : 



Early Louise; Hynes' Surprise; Globe; 

 Moore's Favorite; Wonderful; Beers' 

 Smock; Late Crawford; R. 8. Stevens; 

 Dtpew; Early Beatrice; Yellow St. John; 

 Longhurst; Mary's Choice; Elberta; Stev- 



ens' Rareripe; Foster; Atlanta; Early 

 Rivers; Lulu; Wager; Ellison; Lord 

 Palmerton; Chair's Choice; Early Craw- 

 ford; Ward's Late; Lamont; Amsden 

 June. 



These varieties, with others, covered a period of three months, and 

 they represent a wide range of exceedingly fine quality. The fruit is 



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