NOVKMBEB I63 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



877 



PLUMS. 



The plum may be regarded as second 

 only to the apple as an all-round ui^eful 

 fruit as its use in a fresh state extends 

 from' midsummer to the end of October, 

 and provides us with supplies of the highest 

 excellence alike for the kit-chen and the 

 dessert table. Some kinds are the haidiest 

 of our tree fruits, blossom sometimes en- 

 during as much as ten degrees of frost 

 without injury. There is hardly any soil 

 or situation such as is usually met with iii 

 gardens, where some varieties 01 the plum 

 cannot be grown -svith more or less success, 

 so that we can often plant it wliere it 

 would be of little use to plant any other 

 fruit. One very profitable use to which 

 some of the hardiest plums can be put is 

 that of wind breaks to the orchard or 

 plantation, some of the best kinds to plant 

 for this purpose heing strong, upright 



profit, the purchaser picking them as lie 

 wanted them. Damsons lend tliems:eives to 

 use in the same way. 



While very -many cooking plums, and 

 even some wliich iwi^ very iair lor (U>>ei-t, 

 may be grown in any out-ol-tlie-w :iy placi\ 

 it is very dilfei ent with choice dessert varie- 

 ties, especially those of the gage class, some 

 of which are decidedly tender and their 

 blossom very susceptible to frost, tlu^ pistils 

 turning black after three or four d(^grces. 

 Plums are very greedy of lime, aiul this is 

 not to be womler*^! at when we ccmsider 

 the amount of solid matter removed by tlte 

 stones, of which lime is an important <'on- 

 stituent, and it is largely owing to the 

 richness 'of the soil in this element that the 

 fame of Kent and the valley of Evesham 

 as plum districts is due. Though the com- 

 moner sorts may be grown anywhere wiih 

 some degree of success, no matter what the 

 soil or situation, with choice sorts favour- 



form, or the planter will have a constant 



process of root 



nrunmg. 



growers like Czar, Monarch, Orleans, Per- able conditions are necessary it they are to 



With all forms of dwarf trees it 

 „ ^ 1 plan to take them up and root- 

 prune them alter the second year's growth, 

 iiud with some strong growers, such as 

 Ou;;:!i'- (i ^den Gaue and Monarch, even 

 aitt r lirsi si'asoii. T\h^ horizontal es- 

 |-alier lonn is sometimes recommended, but 

 It is raiher nsky, branches often dying 

 away, or tt lu -t l)ecoming very weak, when 

 depre sed to g i tliem into line with the 

 rest of the tr< e. Whi^n buying fan-ti-ained 

 trees, those with a strong, upright central 

 branch should be avoided ii possible, as 

 this will grow stronger than any of the 

 other branches, and so mak(v it difficult to 

 maintain a well-balanced growth, a con- 

 dition which it is c-pecially <l<^sirable to 

 maintain with trees of stone fruits. Some 

 varieties do very ^veM in the <-ord<)n forin 

 when they are properly atten(le<l to. but 

 rank jrrowers should not Ix' clmsen unless 



SPECIMEN SEED-BH AlUXli ItOSi: WTTII 310 HEPS 



In the Royal Nn]>crie>, Pertadew n. 



shore, and Pond's Seedling, while an excel- 

 lent belt outside these may be made of 

 damsons planted rather closely together. 



Another good u>e to which plums can be 

 put in country tli-stricts is as hed 



hou 



do well- 



The old green gage i^ 



know to 



, da 1 ly 



their cost. 



g e r o \\ 



trees around tiekls or meadows adjoining the 

 house, and it is a common thing to see trees 

 doing well along the margin of the horse 



0^ _ I V V ^ _ * J. 



partk-ular. as many 

 Thus ]f tin- soil is l>oor itx hmv this oU- 

 mcnt must be applie.l in s.nno loim, such 

 as okl mortar rubbish, basic- shi-, or lime 

 itself, Avhile iu a situation exposed lo the 

 wiml between north and east a sheltor ot 



the district 



oni 

 \ 



hardier trees must be plantt-d. 



an 



Pc>nJ "i;^;:^y;i^ion:"^; mu;re;;peet . ^^e fo.m of tree ^ _W pU.^^^^ 



them to be raided at times, but when grown important point to ^'^'^^ 1^,,. 



,n.,. , , . I. ties siK-eeed as standards, except tneidn. 



such wholesale fashion this drawback ma\ 

 be ignored. The buUace is especially valu- 

 able for this purpose, as it is not such a 

 temptation to the farm liunds ; it needs 

 little, if any^ attention, and the gathering 

 pf the main crop may be done at any time 

 ^fi mid-autumn when there is a slack, sea- 

 ^^'t. I us<hI to know a -to:k-yard at a 

 jiirmhouse when' bullace trees grew in the 

 aedge juid along the side ot the pond, and 

 sonu^ seasons many bushels were 

 gathered; and, as nothing else Mould have 

 '^^^'n growing there, the returns were clear 



Drop needs 

 auuunii in anv ca-e and crack 



'.h neeil 



are to a;qiuro any flavour in mo^i .- a^on^. 



It 



IS often recommended to grow plums 

 in bush form, but they are by no means 

 alwavs the success claimed for them, espo- 

 I'ialiv with varii^.ies belonguig to the 

 strom-<M<nv:im uage class. I nU>s the soil 



Is O 



fairl\ 



f u i-alcariM)ns nature, aiul tlu^ situatu.u 



likelv 



so 



that they are 



to 



in 



crop heavily, it w.)uld he hotter not to plant 

 any but the surest hearers, such as levers 

 J^irly Prolific, Victoria, ami Czai", in this 



i> an exceptionally favourable 



to the plum. 

 . arieties are aii too nmnerous, but there 

 ari' a tew which >taml above the others for 

 thoM^ with Inuited space. There are no 

 varienes to beat foe ^ GoUlen J>rop. Jef- 

 ferson, aiul Denniston's Superb, for dovrrt, 

 but tliev need a wall or teuce for tlie hi-M 

 n>M(it- in any but the most tavourable 



Golden Drop needs a good 



hadiv in 



un^^ttied weather in late August and early 

 September. Of cooking varieties Victoria 

 is. oi i-ourse, gemually \'oted the most use- 

 tul on atcount of its enormous cropping 

 ('IN hut it is of indifferent quality, 

 either as a <h^>sert or kitchen plum. 

 Rivers" Kariv I'rohiic is a c<uUra-t to this, 



nl'the be t tlav<mred of all when 

 ^nckciL and very fair for dessert when 



i-u),. C/ar is an rxci^lleni hearer, 

 t,,;. use. Monar<h can har<lly 



Vlger Petts. 



p < > w 



1 



fnllv 

 and, 



be improved upon. 



