NOTES ON NATIVE PLUMS. 



459 



sterile subsoil. The bush was planted without breaking 

 up this subsoil. In after-trenching we first roughly de- 

 scribe a circle having a radius of from 9 to 12 inches, ac- 

 cording to the size of the bush, about the bush as a 

 center. From a space a foot or more wide just outside 

 this circle (G or I in lower drawing, B in upper one), the 

 surface-soil (A in upper drawing), down to the sterile 

 subsoil ( H or J in lower drawing) is then thrown out. 

 The subsoil is then turned over the full depth of the 

 spade, and enriched with decayed sods or manure. It 

 may be necessary to use a pick-ax in working up this 

 soil, if it is hard clay, shale, or gravel. Next throw the 

 surface-soil, C, upon the subsoil, B, then treat the new 

 subsoil exposed the same as B, and so on around the 

 circle, filling soil, A, into the last space at E. 



In the lower drawing it is seen at I and J how the roots 

 will naturally seek benefit from this extension of their 

 foraging-ground. It will also be possible during the 

 operation to thrust the spade into the subsoil of ball, F, 

 and thus break it up somewhat without disturbing the 

 roots above. No harm will come if some new roots show 

 beyond the circle during the progess of the work — they 

 can at once be covered again. 



The operation described might be called limited after- 

 trenching. The trench opened is spoken of as being 

 a foot wide. If it were extended to two or three times 

 this width, or to the next tree or shrub in like style in 

 case of a group, benefits would be increased in propor- 

 tion. Any labor that benefits fine trees and shrubs is 

 well expended and should be cheerfully put forth. 



NOTES ON NATIVE PLUMS. 



FRUITS VALUABLE IN THE NORTHWEST. 



HAT section of Illinois where I 

 was born, and where for 53 

 years I lived, is noted for its 

 severe and changeable climate. 

 ^^^^^^^^^i^^^^^^^"^^ father, brother and 

 V^fei^^^M ^ myself, 20 years ago, had about 



'"^'^^ /^jL -^i*^ "^"^ ^^'^^'^ orchards, chiefly in 

 apples, but embracing all the 

 species of fruits that could be 

 grown there under the climatic difficulties mentioned. 



The woods were full of wild plums. They were our 

 most plentiful and useful wild fruit. I well remember 

 finding, while yet a small boy, one plum as large and 

 handsome as any seen since. It was an oblong, bright 

 golden fruit. When first discovered the tree was loaded 

 with great, beautiful plums. Boy-like, I determined to 

 have such a treasure all to myself, so I marked it and 

 transplanted it carefully into the garden, where it lived 

 and grew finely, but never matured a fruit. This was 

 my first lesson in native plum-culture. It bloomed freely 

 every year, the fruit grew to the size of a pea or a little 

 larger, then all dropped off. This was long before the 

 time of the plum-curculio, which appeared in that re- 

 gion about 1845, and destroyed almost all the European 

 plums, cherries, peaches and apricots, year after year. 

 Still some wild plums. Primus Afnericana and F. 

 Chicasa, with numerous hybrids between, which grew in 

 the woods, were left free from worms. 



In 1862 I procured the Miner plum, which I believe 

 was the first of the natives to be propagated under a 

 name. It is a cross or hybrid between the northern red 

 or yellow plum, and the southern or Chickasaw plum, 

 but is most likely the northern type. With me, when 

 not growing near other plums it fruited only occasion- 

 ally and sparingly. In 1864 I procured scions of the 

 Wild Goose plums from Kentucky and whip-grafted them 

 into my oldest Miner trees. The grafts grew, matured a 

 few fine plums the next season, and fruited abundantly 

 in seasons following. The Miner trees, into which they 

 were grafted, and those all around them, also fruited 



finely, while there was scarcely a plum on the 500 other 

 Miners. I was so well pleased with the Wild Goose that I 

 planted 1,200 trees of it in the orchard. These grew 

 finely and bloomed, yet matured only a very few fruits 

 on trees growing near morello cherry trees. 



About 1874 I accidentally learned that the secret of 

 this strange behavior was lack of suitable pollen to fer- 

 tilize the bloom. I then planted on my place nearly 

 every variety that had been named, and every good one 

 I could hear of, besides growing and fruiting many seed- 

 lings, so that in 1887 I had probably the largest collec- 

 tion of native plums ever brought together. Notwith- 

 standing the presence of curculios in plenty, this con- 

 glomeration of plum varieties, under the advantage of 

 the very best chances for cross-pollination, has fruited 

 abundantly and without a failure for 24 years. 



My experience in this respect is not exceptional. From 

 B. O. Curtis, whose father was the pioneer nurseryman 

 and orchardist of Central Illinois, and who himself has 

 been engaged in growing orchard-fruits all his long life, 

 I have the following letter : 



" For 30 years I worked hard on the European plums, 

 testing all the leading varieties, but only a few of them 

 survived cold winters or reached the bearing age. If 

 they chanced to produce any fruit, the curculio was sure 

 to harvest the crop. Then I grew the Wild Goose for 14 

 years, and found it hardy, but got no fruit, so I re- 

 solved to abandon the plum as unworthy of further at- 

 tention. 



"About that time I saw a flattering account of the 

 Robinson plum, then being introduced, and concluded 

 to try again. March, 1883, being anxious to see fruit of 

 the Robinson, I grafted five scions of it into the top of a 

 Wild Goose plum tree. Two of these made a growth four 

 feet in length, and the next season one graft ripened 58 

 and another 72 Robinson plums. The smaller grafts 

 were just as full of fruit in proportion to their growth, 

 and the Wild Goose stock also gave a fair crop. The 

 next season the fertilization was so complete, that the 

 stock produced four bushels, and two trees ten feet away 



