1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
io3 
PROPAGATION OF NATIVE PLUMS. 
CROWN-GRAFTING OF YEARLINGS—The in¬ 
creasing interest in the "native plums leads many to 
inquire as to the best method of propagating them. 
The most approved method is to crown-graft one- 
year-old seedlings. It is comparatively an easy task 
to obtain these in quantity. Pits should be saved 
from ripe fruit and preserved 'without drying until as 
late as possible before the ground freezes. In order 
to do this, mix the pits with a liberal quantity of 
moist sand, and pack firmly in boxes or kegs, and 
place these where the sand will not dry out. This 
may be done by burying them one to two feet under¬ 
ground. If the work of saving pits is to be done 
from year to year, it will be found cheaper to con¬ 
struct a small cellar on a north slope, with an en¬ 
trance boarded and fitted with a door. In this case it 
will be advisable to use earthen or metal vessels for 
the pits, in order to protect them from vermin. A 
well-drained spot should be selected for planting the 
pits; the soil should be as well fitted as for corn 
planting. Line off in rows 3% or four feet apart; 
open furrows with a hand plow one to 1 y 2 inch deep; 
screen the pits from the sand, and drop about four 
inches apart in the furrows. The pits may be covered 
with the plow if the ground is in good shape, but if at 
all lumpy, a garden rake or other means should be 
employed to insure a uniform covering with fine 
earth. The pits should not be planted more than two 
inches deep, and one inch is much better. The young 
shoots are rather delicate, and do not possess much 
lifting power. A covering of some kind will be neces¬ 
sary in order to protect from vermin, as well as to 
prevent surface packing. Fence boards answer very 
well for this purpose; these should be put on as soon 
as the planting is finished, and allowed to remain in 
the Spring until the young plants appear. A high 
percentage of germination is the rule, and the rows 
will usually present a full stand by June 1. Those 
that fail to germinate the first year, commonly ap¬ 
pear the following Spring. If the seedlings are given 
good cultivation throughout the season, they will 
make a growth of 18 inches to two feet by Fall. 
These may then be dug and stored in a damp cellar 
until an opportunity arrives for grafting. 
Another plan is to leave the seedlings in the nursery 
rows until Spring, and graft without removal. Ex¬ 
perience gained from the past severe Winter, shows 
the need of hardy stocks for orchard fruits. The 
Americana plums have proved their right to the first 
place in the list where hardiness is concerned, and 
are the only ones that should be used for stocks, in 
the Northwest, at least. The Marianna roots fairly 
well from cuttings, and where fully hardy may pos¬ 
sibly be employed to advantage as stock. 
TOP-GRAFTING OLDER TREES.—Top-grafting 
may be employed to advantage when stocks of suit¬ 
able size are availaule. Several whip-grafts may be 
worked on the crowns of well-branched trees three 
or four years old. The work should be carefully and 
thoroughly done, as the native plum seems to be a 
trifle “touchy” on the subject of grafting. The union 
of scion and stock should be tightly and closely 
wrapped with waxed cloth, and the tip of the scion 
covered with wax. The latter point must not be neg¬ 
lected if success be desired, as I have learned from 
unpleasant experiences. If older trees, with branches 
one-half inch or more in diameter, are to be used as 
stocks, the cleft-graft will be found to succeed very 
well. A very close contact between scion and stock 
is necessary in all grafting operations, but appears 
to be more essential in grafting the plum than the 
apple. 
INTENSIVE CULTURE.—The native plums will 
grow and yield fair returns on almost any soil, in a 
great variety of locations, and with little or no culti¬ 
vation. The best results, however, are obtained from 
intensive culture, for these fruits are quite as re¬ 
sponsive as any other to good cultivation and intelli¬ 
gent care. After the trees have begun to crowd, so 
as to prevent cultivation, weeds and grass can be 
kept down by a heavy mulching with marsh hay or 
similar material. A portion of the Station plum 
orchard has been treated in this way for the past two 
years, with excellent results. 
THICKET PLANTING OF PLUMS.—Wild plum 
trees are commonly found in dense groups or thickets, 
which consist of the parent tree and its numerous 
seedling and sucker progeny. It was early found that 
when trees were isolated, no fruit was matured, and 
as a result the earliest plantings were in the natural, 
or thicket style. This method of planting insures pol¬ 
lination, it is true, but after a few years the indi¬ 
viduals of the group are so badly crowded that but 
little and very inferior fruit is produced. Trees of 
Wyant and Rollingstone in the Station orchard, 10 
years old, now measure 15 feet in diameter, and are 
still growing. Twenty to 25 feet is a good distance 
for plum trees, unless one has lots of courage, when 
a lesser space may be allowed, and the ax used when 
crowding begins. The trees should be headed high, 
at least three feet, for whatever the merits of low 
heading in other orchard fruits, when it comes to 
plums but one plan can be considered, and that is 
to head high. The object of this will be apparent 
when it becomes necessary to use the curculio catcher, 
for aside from the inconvenience and the extra labor 
required to draw the frame under low-headed trees, 
very many of the insects will be lost by the unavoid¬ 
able jarring of the branches before the frame is in 
position. But little pruning is required after the 
trees are properly headed, except an annual shorten¬ 
ing of the most vigorous branches, to induce a com¬ 
pact growth. The varieties of the Americana section 
differ widely in habit of growth, some taking an up¬ 
right habit of growth from the beginning, as the 
Piper, Wolf, Surprise and Cheney, while other, as 
the Rollingstone, Springer and Quaker, are irregular 
and decumbent in habit, often forking badly. The 
habit of the tree will need to be seriously considered 
by the breeder in the improvement of varieties. 
Wisconsin. Frederic cranefield. 
A BIG PRESERVING CITRON. 
Fig. 37 apparently shows a tolerable specimen of 
a watermelon, but in reality a hybrid between a 
watermelon and the preserving citron. The specimen 
shown was from the fourth generation after crossing. 
It was solid throughout, with few seeds, flesh straw 
color, turning to bright golden yellow when cooked. 
The preserving quality is rather surprising, as the 
watermelon cross seems to have imparted a fruity 
flavor, lacking in the standard varieties of vine 
citrons. They can be considered as neutral vegetable 
sponges, retaining only the flavors that are imparted 
by cooking with other fruits and various extracts. 
A BIG PRESERVING CITRON. Fig. 37. 
This hybrid, however, while requiring additional 
flavoring, such as lemon, ginger, pineapple, raisins, 
etc., imparts its own fruity character, and makes a 
very handsome and delicious preserve. It does not 
yet, even in its fifth generation, come true from seed, 
and well illustrates the difficulties a plant breeder 
must contend with in fixing the character of plants 
that are propagated by seeds, instead of buds, grafts, 
cuttings, and such means as perpetuate portions of a 
given plant, with all its characteristics. A plant 
raised from seed is a new individual, and is likely, 
if of hybrid origin, to partake more strongly of one of 
its different remote ancestors, than of the interme¬ 
diate plant that produced the seed. It is only by con¬ 
tinued selection for successive generations, from the 
plant nearest the desired type, that we finally arrive 
at the point we desire. 
Seven years ago a bloom on a Cuban Queen water¬ 
melon was fertilized with pollen from a Colorado 
citron, and carefully marked. A small and rather 
imperfect ipelon was developed and ripened in due 
time. The seeds showed no change of character. They 
were planted next year, and the resulting vines were, 
to all appearances, of typical Cuban Queen character. 
The melons produced were a poor lot, with one ex¬ 
ception, which was so large and fine that seed was 
saved from it under the impression that the pollen of 
the citron had failed, and that the flower, although 
protected by tissue paper, had been pollenized by 
natural agencies from near-by watermelon blooms. 
The seed was properly labeled, but mislaid for two 
years. When planted, they yielded very fair melons of 
the Cuban Queen type. One vine was more vigorous 
than the others, and set a single large fruit that failed 
to ripen in the usual season. It remained out until 
frost began to threaten, when it was picked and cut. 
To our surprise, it proved a perfect yellow-fleshed 
citron inside, with greenish brown seeds, precisely 
intermediate between the original parents. In the 
successive seasons in which the seed has been grown, 
the progeny of this fruit has varied in every imagin¬ 
able degree, from the round cannon-ball, white- 
fleshed and green-seeded Colorado citron lo a large 
pink-fleshed and low-quality melon. Each year one 
or two specimens, like the picture, have been secured, 
and last Fall they were much more numerous. When 
we get this desirable variety sufficiently fixed to get 
a quantity of seed from specimens like the one illus¬ 
trated, we hope to distribute it to those of The R. 
N.-Y. readers who care to try it. 
The preserving or vine citron (pie melon, as Aus¬ 
tralians term it), is closely allied to the melon family, 
and is very different from the true citron of com¬ 
merce, which is the preserved rind of the Citrus 
medica, a species of orange, bearing fruits with very 
thick fleshy rinds and a small insipid pulp. 
SHALL WE TAP MAPLE TREES ? 
Work of the Caterpillars. 
TENTLESS CATERPILLAR.—Many maple-sugar 
bushes in New York and neighboring States were de¬ 
foliated by the Forest tent-less caterpillars during the 
past Summer; some of these sugar bushes also suf¬ 
fered defoliation from the same cause the preceding 
year. I wish here to propose the name of Forest 
tent-less caterpillar for this insect, instead of the old 
name of “Forest tent-caterpillar.” This latter name 
is a misnomer, as the insect practically makes no 
tent, and yet the old name has been in common use 
for so long that it will be difficult to supersede it by 
any very different name. The name I propose re¬ 
tains the old name, and yet specifies a marked, dis¬ 
tinctive, characteristic in the habits of the insect as 
compared with those of its very near relative, the 
Apple tent-caterpillar. Entomologists have realized 
for some time that this insect should be renamed, 
and it seems to us, after giving much thought to the 
subject, that the name of Forest tent-less caterpillar 
is the simplest and best way to solve the problem. 
ARE THEY SOUND?—Many owners of sugar 
groves, which have suffered from this insect, are hesi¬ 
tating about tapping these trees this Spring for fear 
that it may endanger their life. It is apparent at 
once that this is a very important question. I have 
consulted with our professors of forestry and botany 
here at Cornell University, as well as the professors 
of horticulture in Vermont and New Hampshire. 
None were able to give me any facts based upon 
actual experience. There can be no doubt that the 
defoliation of the trees reduces their vitality, for in 
several instances trees which have suffered defolia¬ 
tion, even but two years in succession, have been 
killed outright. It is said that the maple tree will 
not stand such defoliation so long as some other 
trees, like the apple, for instance, which I have 
known to be defoliated by canker-worms for four or 
more years, and yet show considerable vigor. It is 
thus quite evident that the work of the caterpillars 
must weaken the maple tree, although in many in¬ 
stances the trees put forth a second crop of leaves, 
which are often as extensive as the first crop. 
EFFECT ON A TREE.—It seems to be the general 
opinion that the normal tapping of a maple tree for 
the production of sugar in the Spring does not notice¬ 
ably weaken the tree or reduce its vitality. Botanists 
assert that most plants have stored up a surplus of 
food product, and tney theorize that the sap obtained 
by tapping in tfie Spring is only part of the surplus 
product. One notices no weakening or stunting of 
the growth of maple trees which are tapped regularly 
year after year, hence it is assumed that this process 
does not noticeably affect the growth of the trees. 
The authorities consulted agree that if the defoliated 
trees put forth a vigorous second crop of leaves, 
they would not ordinarily hesitate to tap the trees 
the next Spring. But all agree that they would not 
expect to get quite as much sap from such trees, be¬ 
cause the putting forth of the second crop of leaves 
must have drawn upon the surplus food in the tree. 
They also theorize that they would not be surprised 
to find that the sap obtained in the following Spring 
might differ somewhat from normal sap, and possibly 
a poor grade of syrup might result. As a matter of 
fact, some sugar makers in Vermont and New Hamp¬ 
shire are said to get what they call “buggy” syrup 
from trees which have been defoliated by the cater¬ 
pillars the preceding year. 
WHAT TO DO.—Theoretically, then, the tapping 
of normal maple trees does not noticeably reduce 
their vitality or interfere with their growth. But the 
fact that many maple trees have died after being 
ravaged two or tnree seasons by these caterpillars 
shows that their vitality must be reduced by the 
work of the insects. And in case the trees do not 
put out a vigorous second leafage in the Fall, it 
would seem wise not to tap them in the Spring. The 
drought was so great in many sections during the 
past Summer that doubtless many of the trees which 
were defoliated oy the caterpillars were unable to 
develop a full second crop of leaves. In brief, then, 
it would seem best not to tap the trees which put 
out a scanty crop of leaves, and one should at least 
hesitate before tapping trees which did put out a 
very vigorous crop. And yet it is doubtful if in either 
case the tapping of the trees would noticeably hasten 
the death of the trees. The amount of sap obtained 
from such trees next Spring would probably be less, 
and possibly of a different quality, from that ob¬ 
tained from normal trees which had not suffered 
from the caterpillars. m. v. sl.ingerl.and. 
