El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-22
PLUMS GOOD FOR
ARCHARD FILTERS
State College Experimental StatiOH
Tells Which Varieties Are Best
to Use in Southwest.

State College, n. NJ, Jan. Z2--ooIiio
! INQUIRIES have been received as TO tLie
use of plums as filters IN app
orchards, in place of peaches and WWhaS
are generally known as shorter iNSu
| apple varieties. AS general RUE
! plums are not used for this purpose,
I The fruits that are generally planted
as filters are some of the shorter INeu
varieties of apples, sometimes pears
but usually peaches. 1t is found, gen
orally, that those varieties OF apples
which are recommended as tllers LoI
apple orchards do not seem to give the
same satisfaction as they DO IN Lhe
eastern parts of the United states Loi
the reason that they live PRAGUE
ally as long as the permanent varieties.
On the other hand, peaches offer GER
tain disadvantages as filters for apple
orchards in New Mexico.
A filler is a tree which is planted in
among the longer lived trees. so that
it may produce fruit and be out of
the way before it interferes with the
growth of the permanent trees. The
peach produces fruit early, usually the
third year after planting, and in this
way it is a desirable fruit as a filler;
but on the other hand, on account or
the nature of its growth, 1t spreads
out considerably, and in most cases
before the peach tree is ready to come
out 1t has already interfered with the
growth of the apple tree: frequently
=
the whole, orchardists do not seem 10
have the courage to take out the filters,
particularly apples or peaches, at the
time that they should be removed.
Plums are comparatively short lived
trees, as compared with the life of the
apple. They do not grow so very large,
nor do they spread out. The plum seems
to be a good tree for use as a filler
In among apples. They begin TO bear
earlier than the apple trees. The i'm
n in Ind fcr
garding the marketing of these plums
That is the thing that the orchardist
should consider; as to whether he Will
be able to sell the fruit from these
filters prOfitably.
Plum trees are a little more cosmO-
pohtan as regards their soil require
ments than the peaches. If on plum
roots, they viii do well on apple tree
SOILS. Another advantage that the
plum has over the peach as a filler
is that if the proper varieties are
planted, they VIII need no more smudg-
ing than viii the apples 1t has been
found at the Experiment station that
varieties of the European group are
on the whole, late boomers; many of /
them blooming even later than the ap-
pie itself. On the other hand, varfe-
Iles OF the japanese group bloom eX-
ceedlngIy early; many Of them even
earlier than the liberia peach. The
varieties of the native group vary con-
more as regards their bloom
ing period; some of them are early
boomers, others are medium, and J
others are late.
In the case of using plums for filters
in orchards it would be advisable to !
select varieties of the European group |
for such purposes. The results at the (
Experiment station show that such
varieties as the Tragedy, Green Gage, !
Spaulding, Goes Golden Drop, Jeffer-
son, Pond Seeding, Imperial Gage, yell !
low Egg, and German, Silver and /
French Prunes are late in blooming;
and some of these could be used as /
filters, if so desired. Most of these 4
varieties are good, firm fleshed plums 4
and Of good size