THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. 105 



weather are probably the predominating causes of the non-setting of fruit 

 on plum trees which bear an abundance of blossoms. This is well shown in 

 a study of the relations of weather to the setting of fruit made by the New 

 York Agrictoltural Experiment Station in which it is held that several 

 phases of weather at blossoming time cause the loss of plum crops.' Thus 

 late frosts, wet weather, low temperature, strong winds and wide daily 

 ranges in temperature were factors in the loss of fruit crops in all of the 

 failures during a period of twenty -five years. Quite as significant was the 

 fact that in all of the years during this period when there was sunshine 

 and warm, dry weather dtiring blossoming time there were good crops of 

 frmt. 



Locations for growing the different varieties of pliuns are selected 

 with reference to general and local climate. As regards general climate, 

 latitude, altitude and proximity to large bodies of water are the chief 

 determining characters; as regards local climate, the lay of the land has 

 most to do as a determinant. Again, varieties are selected with reference 

 to time of blooming, that they may escape in some degree injurious cli- 

 matal agencies. Lastly, varieties are selected having greater capacity, 

 from one cause or another, to withstand injurious weather. With aU 

 varieties it is found that cultural treatment to induce strong vitality helps 

 a tree to withstand stresses of harmful weather at blossoming time. 



The above considerations show that the blossoming dates of plums 

 should be known for the proper culture of this fruit. In the following 

 table averages of the blooming dates of varieties of plums for the eight 

 years just past, 1902 to 1909, inclusive, are given. 



In making use of these dates, consideration must be given to the 

 environment of the orchards at Geneva. The latitude of the Smith Astro- 

 nomical Observatory, a quarter of a mile from the Station orchards is 42° 

 52' 46.2" ; the altitude of the orchards is from five hundred to five hundred 

 and twenty-five feet above the sea level ; the soil is a stiff and rather cold 

 clay; the orchards lie about a mile west of Seneca Lake, a body of water 

 forty miles in length and from one to three and one-half miles in width and 

 more than six htmdred feet deep. The lake has frozen over but a few times 

 since the region was settled, over a hundred years ago, and has a very bene- 

 ficial influence on the adjacent covmtry in lessening the cold of winter and 

 the heat of summer, and in preventing early blooming. 



'Hedrick. U. P; The Relation of Weather to the Setting of Fruit. Bui. 299. 1908. 



