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Plantings a nd cult ivatio n 
As the production of prunes is more an essential part of general 
farming than a specialized industry, lar^e commerci a.l prune orchards 
are rare, a vast majority of the plantings are part of the homestead 
and range from one to six acres in extent, as the rural population 
lives in villages, it is common to find what appear to be relatively 
lar- e areas of orchard. The relatively small individual plantings 
make progress in drying, methods extremely difficult. The volume pro- 
duced on any one farm is not sufficiently large to justify modern 
drying eouipment so that antiquated, obsolete and entirely inadequate 
home-made driers continue in use. The trees are planted in rather care- 
fully laid out rows, from twelve to fifteen feet apart, the owners of 
the land working on the theory that the more trees on a given area the 
greater the yield. The effect of such close planting is a tall, spindling 
type of tree difficult to spray. 
As prune plantin fc s are generally a part of the homestead, they 
become the favorite places for the cow, a few pigs, some chickens and 
a few sheep which form the livestock for the .average farm. Clean culti- 
vation as -mown on the Pacific Coast is never practiced although now and 
then the ground is spaded up for a distance of about two feet around the 
trees. Generally the orchard is in grass, the height of the lower 
branches allowing the use of the land for pastures. Fertilization is 
unknown. Trees are headed high, not less than seven feet. 
Plant diseases and pests 
according to the Plant Section of the Central Institute of Hygiene 
in .Belgrade, the main prune crop pests in Yugoslavia are the " Scolytidae' 1 , 
the "Konilia", the "Coecidae" and the "Lecanium", The " Scolyt idae" (baric 
borers), are insects which bore large holes in the bark of the trees and 
cut their '"ay between the bark and the tree. These insects reduce the 
stamina of the trees so that they are not able to resist other pests, 
particularly "fungi"- They cause the trees to lose their sap and dry 
out. The "MonilJa" is one of the typical blights found in Yugoslavia 
prune orchards. It causes the well Known ''3rown Rot" '"hich first attacks 
and dries up the smaller branches and then proceeds to the larger ones. 
Plum trees end peach trees both suffer from this pest. The "Coecidae 11 
is a bli ht which completes the work of drying started by "Scolytidae". 
The "Lecanium" is a destructive insect -hich gathers in clusters on the 
trees. 
Parasites of secondary importance are the "Aphididae" or plant 
lice and'tht "Paylidae" or jumping plant lice. These cover the branches 
of the trees with a sweet sticky fluid -'hich becomes an excellent medium 
for fungus growths. The fungi which spread over this prepared surface 
create the im,ression that the branches of the trees are blackened. 
