, 1873-05-07

broken whero required. and no fcar BIO cntor-
sained Of crowded trains, hossla, otc'
THE FARM AND GARDEN.
Tho Plum, 6ts Enonllos ana Dlscnscs..
ThcOurcullo-.ThoE Wild
GOosc and Its plrnl--T1ac Townsend
Plum n Promising New Acquisition
--Thc Hinck Knot--lt rs tho Peculiar
Conditions 1Enther Thnn Latitude
thnt Controls tho Fr1ltt-CrOp.
From, Our Agricultural Correspondent.
CHAMPAIGN, ILL.,, May ., 1878. 4,
THE PLUM.
What Is tho mattor with tho PLUMP is a
question that has been familiar ONO for tho
laRt dozon years. Tho conundrum has boon
prosonted to all tho horticultural aociotloB and
tho professors Of horticulture, and Inns como
back to tho inqulrcrs 1nso1ycd. In front Of tho
window whoro write, nro several plum treoB
loaded with driod-up fruit that was destroyed by
aome kind Of fungus.
TIE ouRoUI1o
has boon charged with tho whole mischief, but
the charges hayo boon only partially proved.
That this insect has bad habit Of using tho
fruit of tho plum, In common with othor fruits,
as suitablo place to rear its young, has boon
wcll understood Some people claim TINT 1t is q
natvo insect but, il this is true, its bud habits
havo boon developed only within tho pnBt twenty
years. for In tho first sott!on1cnt Of tho country,
tho p1un- thicketB woro loaded with tho fincas
Of wild plums, and havo scon them gathered
and takon to market in Wagon-loads but now
no ono o1pecta to find even the wild plum
FREQ from tho attack Of this post of the orchard.
In tho spring Of 1866, 1plnnted aomo twonty
boaring plum troos on this farn, md
| In 1868 tho trees woro loaded with
the most perfect fruit Of tho Golden Drop,
Jefferson Smiths Orleans. and othor loading
varictios; but that is tho laRt crop TINT has
escaped the curculio or tho fungus, aud now not
10 per cent Of tho troos live to bring down tho
history of their annual disaster.
At first, tho whole mischief appenrod to be duo
to tho carculio, that deposited it's eggs In tho
fruit and thoae, hatchng out, lived on the plums,
! and thus destroyed thom. But, thankH to invon
tive genius, DR.. Hall, Of Alton, discovered That
tho insect could bo trapped, or rathor shakon
down from their porch In tho treo on to q sort
Of inverted umbrella, md thus be destroyed. d
few yoara lator, hIr. Ransom, OF Michigan,
found that he could decoy them under old cobs,
chips, or pieces Of bark; aud thus tho INSECT Inns
been checkmatod, mud his powor for mischief
largely curtailol. So much has boon sottled In
regard to tic habits Of this dopredntor beyond a
doubt; but tho Charge that lie puncturcB the
fruit simply to form indus for tho Bporos Of
the fungus that float In the atmosphere, is not
so apparent to the farmor, and may bo dismissed
rs D. very uncertain hypothesis.
Tho Eaglo Works ut Ottawa manufactured 4
curcnlio-catching machine but, sinco tho dis
ooyery Of tho Ransom trap, that has boon dis
continued, and now 1t ia the practice with the
plum and peach orchardst to get up tho imple-
mont at homo, the form Of Which y wonderfully
varied to suit tho ideas of individuals: have
takon two common cotton-sheetB, and tucked
thom to light frames, and laid one Of these on
each side Of tho tree, md thon Jared tue in
sects down Oh thorn, often killing twenty to o
tree. Thia must be repoatea for Bono weeka
each morning, or until all the inaeota aro caught.
When We hayo nany trees, Tho Implement should
be made in the form OF o barrow, for the con-
vonionce of ,gctting from troe to tree, With b
such IN implemont one man will be able to visit
600 or COO troos In day. ThoHe having
3 few treos may use the aheots Us described, or
the Ramon traps; but largo orchardiats Of tho
peach make use OF both plans. In tho Ransom
plan, tho surface ia mado smooth under tho tree,
and tow cobs, chips, or pieces OF bark arc scat
tered about Tor tho hiding-placoa OF tho insect,
and these are examined daily, and tho insacta
destroyed.
AS REGARDS THE NOT.
we are very much In the dirk as to ita cause. It
occurs In the peach. tho apple, tho plu1n and
the cherry, and thore docs not appear to bo q
time do something for US. 70 tho plum crop
cause can s' Of failure, tor ' vo ns'A have r been
able to control tho curoulio, and the fruit
ssoud oEss Sssn %'i" o a s s u
bloom, there comea tho deadly mycenia,. ane
spreads its brown web Of fungus over the fruit
and in q few days tho 1fo and bennty Of thu
fruit have departed, and tho shriyeled, backonee
plums remain oil tho treo If for no other pur
pose, to romnd ono OF tho uncertainties that Lie
In the pathway Of luscious plunaH.
! TIE WILD GOOSE.
| Some years ago it was said that Wild goost
alighted in a garden in tho State Of Tennessee
and that, fow days lator, on tho very spot Tug
aho had rooted, up sprung q plum tree, and Il
D timo this tree produced prolific crop Of pluma
= and those plums wore never to bo attacked b,
, the curcu1io or tho fungus. Tho marvel wen
!, forth aa
TIE w71D-ooosr pLUs1,
s and to-day the nurserymen tell ug TINT It Is til
r long;aought.tor plum. that It is to be to plum
= the May or Early Richmond among cherries, Q
o snces, i las gone ito many gardens Of til
Northwest au . covotod treasure, where it
canned aud dried. Some Of these pjuma or
mottled, sometimes rad, and again yellow Q
whites in short itpartakcs 30 ncarly OF the natnr
q Of tho wild plum OF Tonnossoo and other South
! ern States that wo might bo led to suppose tha
! the tree had been indiscriminately taken fror
: tho thicliets Of rod, yellow, and mottlod plumt
} instoad Of d single variety that sone foolis
goose had eaten somewhere. md, not boin
I able to digeBt tho seed, buried 1t in tho garde
Of aomo ho1lest planter, to bccomo famous il
o plum-treo history. What hecanlo OF the 1nothe
gooao is not related in this history mud tho fact
j. ss above stated remain, aud nro jlht as true tc
i day us they wore tho first tiuo that they .wer
n repantcd.
i + have dozen of tho trees, that for tho tre
it timo are filled with bloom and there are at Ions
eight distinct yarietios, II the habit Of tho troe
: arc any indication. THO fruit Is small, Of littl
. or no Value for tho tahlo, but worry good fc
= canning, and, though not ourcnlfo-proof in thi
d from the small s1zo Of t!o plums whom ii
j. curculio Is intent OIL ogg-laying, or from I'll
toughnoss Of tho skin, ahall not attompt