PLUMS 



1693 



Top-Working 



Top-working is not frequently resorted 

 to in the case of plums, but when this 

 becomes necessary the usual methods fol- 

 lowed in the case of apples are used. The 

 cleft graft is used in case of larger limbs 

 and the whip graft for smaller ones. 

 For ordinary grafting upon roots, the 

 whip graft is the method used. 



Tlie Orchard 



Plum trees are set from 12 to 20 feet 

 apart, depending upon the locality, variety 

 and soil. Because of the fact that plums 

 are worked upon different stocks which 

 are adapted to many different kinds of 

 soils it is difficult to describe the one best 

 adapted to the production of plums. Plum 

 orchards carefully managed can be made 

 profitable over practically the area over 

 which apple orchards are proving com- 

 mercially successful. 



Varieties 



The choice of variety should be made 

 with reference to the bloom period for 

 any given latitude. 



For Bloom Charts, see under Fruits, 

 Blooming Periods of. 



Of the plums of the Old World the 

 Domesticas, Insititias and probably the 



Trifloras have been cultivated for 2,000 

 years or more, while the work of domesti- 

 cating the wild species of America was 

 only begun in the middle of the last cen- 

 tury. 



Among those generally grown in the 

 United States are the following: 



Prunus americana, in the West Central 

 states north of Missouri, including the 

 varieties Brittlewood, De Soto, Forest 

 Garden, Hammer, Hawk eye. New Ulm, 

 Ocheeda, Stoddard, Surprise, Terry and 

 Wyant. 



In the Pacific Coast states, the Prunus 

 domestica, Prunus triflora and hybrids, in- 

 cluding these varieties: Agen, Bradshaw, 

 Columbia, German, Giant, Golden Drop, 

 Golden Prune, Green Gage, Italian, Peach, 

 Pond, Sugar, Washington, Willamette, 

 Yellow Egg Burbank, Satsuma and Wick- 

 son. 



Pruning the Plnm 



The habit of the plum to bear early 

 and abundantly under favorable condi- 

 tions limits its annual growth to such 

 an extent that after the bearing age is at- 

 tained little annual pruning is necessary 

 other than to remove dead or interfering 

 limbs or to head back an occasional 

 strong shoot which may appear from time 

 to time in the center of the crown. 



Bates of Eipening in Yakima Talley 



VARIETY 



Hanford, 

 White Bluffs 



and 

 Kennewick 



Donald 



and 

 Parker 



North 

 Yakima 



Zillah, 



Granger, 



Sunnyside, 



Emerald, 



Grandview 



and Prosser 



Naehes 



and 



Selah 



SIZE 



COLOR 



Abundance. . 

 Bradshaw . . . 



Burbank 



Combination. 



Damson 



French prune 



Gold 



Green Gage. . 

 Hungarian... 



Italian 



Pacific 



Peach Plum.. 



Red June 



Silva 



Silver prune. . 



Shiro 



Teuent 



Tragedy 



Washington.. 



Wilson 



Williamette.. 

 Yellow Egg.. 



8- 1 to 8-28 

 8- 1 to 8-28 



8-22 to 9- 6 



7-25 to 7-27 

 "8-26 to 9- 6 



8-16 to 9-13 

 8-10 to 9-13 



8-16 to 8- 2 



8- 9 



8-20 to 8-26 



8-23 



7-30 



8-31 



8-30 to 9-12 



8-31 



8-17 to 9-12 



8-28 to 9-11 



8-26 to 9-12 



8-31 



7-20 to 8- 3 



8-24 to 9- 4 



8-19 to 9-12 



7-26 to 8- 9 



8- 3 to 8- 9 



8-26 



7-26 to 8-21 



8-23 



8- 1 to 9- 1 



8-23 to 8-31 



Large . 

 Medium. 

 Large. . . 



Bright red. 

 Bluish purple. 

 Mottled red and j'ellow- 



8- 6 



8-26 to 8-30 

 8-26 to 9- 1 

 8-26 to 9- 1 

 8-12 to 9- 5 



8-12 to 9-14 

 9-4 



8-28 to 9-14 

 9-4 



Small 



Medium to small. 



Medium 



Mediimi 



Very large 



Medium 



Deep purple. 



Purple. 



Golden yellow. 



Green. 



Red and yellow. 



Purple. 



7-18 to 8- 3 

 7-18 to 8- 1 

 8-23 to 9- 2 

 8-27 to 9-12 

 7-18 to 8- 8 

 8-27 



7-26 to 9-11 

 8-15 to 8-26 



Very large. 

 Medium... 



Red and yellow. 

 Red. 



9-12 



8-10 to 8-12 



8-2o 

 8-10 to 9- 



Large 



Medium 



Medium 



Medium to large. 

 Medium to large. 



Very large. 



Light yellow- 

 Trans, yellow. 

 Blue. 

 Purple. 

 Blue. 



Light yellow. 



