OCR Text |
Show HOW TO HAVE PLUMS By BESSIE L. PUTNAM. There is a common complaint among tho?o who have plum trees, that tho plums always drop before maturity. This can be easily prevented by proper prop-er treatment. It in usually due to lack of nourishment, late frost, or the curcullo most frequently to the latter, lat-ter, though often tho two enter as damaging factors. In early spring while the ground Is still frozen, mulch heavily with horse manure. This serves the double purpose pur-pose of supplying the necessary plant food, and of holding the frost In the ground, and retarding the growth of the buds until danger from frost is over After tho weather becomes settled, set-tled, the coarse part of the mulch should bo raked off and removed, leaving leav-ing the One part to contribute its richness to tho soil. Just before the buds open, spray with paris green or london purple for curcullo, using in proportion of ono pound of tho arsenite to 300 or 350 gallons of water. Stone fruits require re-quire a more dilate solution than apples. ap-ples. Paris green is less liable to burn the foliage, though we have ourselves used tho london purple for years, with no bad results. By mixing the arsenite with twice its bulk of lime one may guard against injury to the leaves. A cheap, tin pump, costing only a dollar, has proved all that Is needed for tho spray, though If one wished to uso bordeaux mixture, the brass pump would be required. Never spray when the trees are in bloom, as this will be fatal to any bees In tho neighborhood; besides, the best time for the preservation of your fruit is just before tho buds open, just after the petal9 fall, and still again two weeks later. If this is thoroughly done there will bo no more trouble from curcullo When the trees are small enough to bo easily handled, jarring every morning morn-ing Into sheet spread for the purpose, will lead to the capture of this post, as it goes up from the ground to Its work. With largo trees this is impracticable. Tho insects' method of work is thus: It cuts a tiny flap out of the embryo plum, deposits Its egg, and leaves It to hatch, where the larva ' will And the table literally spread for It. Plums are rich, wholesome, dell- j clous. No other fruit requires so little lit-tle trouble 4n gathering or preparation; prepara-tion; fow are so well liked The dairy cannot be managed just right without the use of a thermom- s eter, and It must be a good one No 20 cent affair. f The best dairy cans to buy arc those with the fewest seams to catch the dirt. 1 |