Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-06-10
PlunlS


clay or loam-it can usually be grown
very easily. The fruit is SO grateful to
the taste and useful to the house keeper.
that it should be given fair trial, eth
er in the garden borders or wherever a
tree can be planted 80 as to secure plenty
of light and air. The young trees may
be one or two years old from the bud /;
should prefer the former, if vigorous.
Never be induced to purchase old trees
by promises of speedy fruit. 1t is quite
possible you may never get any fruit at
all from them worth mentioning. 1
should allow a space of from ten to 6f-
teen feet between the trees when they
are planted together, and 1 should cut
them back so that they would begin to
branch at two feet from the ground.
Long, naked stems are subject to the
gum disease.
In the place of general advice in re :
gard to this fruit, shall give the expe-
rience of Mr.. T. s. Force, of Newburgb,
who exhibited seventy varieties at the
last annual Orange county fair.
His plum orchard is a large poultry
yard containing half an acre, of which
the ground is good loan, resting on
heavy clay subsoil. He bought trees
but one year from the bud, set them out
in autumn, and cut them back so that
they began to form their heads at two
feet from the ground. He prefers start
ing with strong young plants of this age,
and be did not permit them to bear for
the first three years, his primal aim be-
ing to develop healthy, vigorous tree,
with round, symmetrical head. Dur
ing this period the ground about them
was kept mellow by good cultivation,
and being rich enough to start with, RET
ceived no fertilizers. 1t is his belief that
Decentralization lends to cause the dis
ease so well known as the black knot,
which has destroyed many orchards in
this vicinity. If the garden has been
enriched as l have directed, the soil will
probably need little if anything from
the stables, and certainly will not if the
trees are grown in poultry yard. Dur
ing this growing and forming period,
Mr. Force gave careful attention to prun-
ing. Bndded trees are not even, SYM
metrical growers, but tend to send up
few very strong shoots that rob the rest
of the tree of sustenance. OF course
these must be cut we'll back in early
spring, or we have long naked reaches
Of wood and a deformed tree. 1t is far
better, however, not to let these rampant
shoots grow to maturity, but pinch them
back in early summer, thus causing them
to throw out side branches. By summer
pincbing and rubbing off of tender shoots
tree can be made to grow in any shape
we desire. When the trees receive 10
summer pruning, Mr.. Force advises that
the branches be shortened in at least
one-half in the spring, while some shoots
are cut back even more vigorously. At
the age of four or five years, according
to the vigor of the trees, he permits them
to bear. Now cultivation ceases, and
the ground is left to grow hard, but not
weedy or grassy, beneath the boughs.
Every spring, just as the blossoms are
falling, he spreads evenly under the
branches four quarts of salt. While the
trees thrive and grow fruitful with this
fertilizer, the eurculio, or plum weevil,
does not appear to find it at all to his
TASTE As result of his methods he
has grown large and profitable crops, and
his trees in the main are kept healthy
and vigorous. His remedy for the black
knot is to cut off and burn the small
boughs and twigs affected. If the dis
ease appears in the side of limb or in
the stem, be cuts out all trace of it, and
paints the wound with a wash of gum
shellsc and alcohol.
Trees load so heavily that the plums
rest against one another. You will Of
ten find in moist warm weather decay+
ing specimens. These should be remov-
ed at once, that the infection may not
spread.
In cutting out the interfering boughs
do not take off the sharp-pointed spurs
which are forming along the branches,
for on these are maturing the fruit buds.
Mr.. Ferce recommends the following
ten varieties, named in the order OF RI
pening: Canada; Orleans, red checked
plum; Mclaughlin, greenish, with pink
cheek; Bradshaw. large red. with lilac
bloom; Smiths Orleans, purple; Green
Gage; Bleeker's Gage, golden yellow;
Prune d'Agen, purples Goes Golden
Drop; and Shropshire Damson for pre-
serves.
If we are restricted to very light soils,
we shall probably have to grow some OF
the native varieties, of the Canada and
Wild>goose type. In regard to both this
fruit and peaches we should be guided
in our selections by information respect
ing varieties peculiarly suited to the re-
gioa.-E. p Roe, in Harper's Magazine
for June.