The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-02-12
PLUM GROWING.


A Subject Deserving the Attention of Fruit.
Growers.
On account of curculio and rot few
fruit growers, except in favored locali-
ties, care to risk capital and time in an
endeayor to raise plums. Whether
the favored localities owe their partial
exemption no place is wholly
exempt-from disease to special
conditions of the atmosphere, con-
genial soil or to superior knowledge, is
an unsettled question. There is little
doubt, however, that plums may be
grown successfully to a limited extent
in every section of the North. Per-
haps no other fruit will return more
profit to the skilled persons, but so
few cultivators are willing to bestow
the requisite care that the crop is nec-
essarily limited in our markets.
The plum is mostly restricted to
heavy soils well underdrained, but this
is, in a great measure, because plum
roots are better adapted to such condi-
tons, and consequently grow with
more vigor than on lighter land. To
obviate this owners of light soil bud
the trees on peach roots, experience
having taught that such will, with
rarely an exception, thrive quite as well
as plum roots on clayey land. In either
case this fruit needs constant cultiva-
ton and rich soil; it is useless to un-
dertake to raise it unless properly
cared for. That arch enemy, the cur
culio, is not so numerous in some dis
tricts as formerly, but in others it ruins
the crop. The remedy is systematic
Earring of the tree over a sheet on the
ground beneath the branches. But
comparatively few practice this simple
precaution owing to the supposed
trouble.
The real obstacle is the dreaded
.srot' of the fruit. For this no cure is
yet known, nor are we assured of its
cause. The most reasonable theory
places the responsibility on q low order
of fungi. Reasoning from this stand
point, / have employed wood ashes as
a destructive agent, and with marked
effect. At any rate, the. potash thus
introduced to the tree through the soil
caused a more vigorous growth and
more luxuriant foliage. Planting
plums in the chicken yard is greatly in
vogue with many cultivators, who feel
sure the fallen curculio are devoured
by the poultry. On the other hand, it
has been stated that fowls never eat the
insects.
Some varieties of the plum appear
less liable to rot than others, but when
largely prevalent none are exempt, not
even the chickasaw sports, from which
we expect so much in the way of relia-
bility. All varieties do not succeed
well on the peach root. so that owners
of light soils must govern their choice
of kind accordingly. The following
are among the best: Goes Golden
Drop, Yellow Gage, Duane's Purple,
Schuyler's Gage, General Hand, Dam
son and its Seeding Richland, Law
rence's Favorite, Imperial Gage, Ger
man Prune, Prince Engelbert and HUI
ing's Superb. Where the plum-on-
plum is grown exclusively, the follow
ing may be substituted for some of the
above: Washington, Bradshaw, Green
Gage (true), Refine Claude de Bavay,
Columbia, Jefferson, Smiths Orleans,
Lombard, Blecker's Gage, Mclaughlin
and Red Diaper The Damson family
yield immense crops, and when free
from disease will perhaps pay as well
as any other, but some seasons the rot
overtakes them and the entire crop is
ruined. Josiah Hopes, IN N. z. Tri-
bzt7ae.