Propagation By Seed

This mode is adopted for raising stocks and new varieties. For the latter purpose cross-impregnation has been successively pursued, attention being paid to the suggestions offered under the title Hybridizing. Sow in October, in rich light loam, in drills twelve inches apart and two inches deep, when two-year old buds may be taken from them and inserted on older trees early, to ascertain the value of the fruit. At two years old they are also fit to be stocks for budding or grafting.

Grafting And Budding

The former is to be done in July or March, and the latter in July or August.

Suckers

Damsons and bullaces are usually raised in this mode, without grafting or budding.

Layers of the young wood may be made at any time between November and March. In twelve months they are established, and may be separated from the parent.

Planting And Culture

The season for planting all the sorts of plum-trees, is any time in open weather, from the fall of the leaf until the approach of vegetation in spring.

"The trees of all the varieties will succeed in any common soil, and in any open exposure. Those for walls should generally have an east or southwest wall for some of the choicest sorts; and some may also be planted against a north wall, to furnish some late fruit; and those for espaliers may be planted around any of the open quarters, as may also the standards.

"Plant the wall and espalier trees eighteen feet distance; though if the walls, etc, are rather low, twenty feet distance will be requisite, that, in default of a proper height of walling, there may be more scope to train the branches horizontally. If the trees thus planted are quite young, being only of one year's shoot from the grafting or budding, they should, in March, be headed down to four or five eyes, to force out lower horizontals in the ensuing summer, which, according as they advance in length, train them in horizontally at full length, unless you would forward a further supply of lower branches as fast as possible, when you may pinch the young shoot, in May, down to a few eyes. Each will throw out several laterals the same year, which train also horizontally at full length during the summer's growth; and in winter pruning cut not only any fore-right and back shoots, but train in all the regular ones at full length; for the branches of these trees must be shortened only occasionally, to procure wood to fill vacancies; because the branches always form fruit spurs first towards their extreme parts, which would be destroyed by shortening.

So that, after having shortened the first and second year's shoots occasionally as above, and thereby procured a proper set of lower horizontals, to give the head its first form, let the whole then be trained in entire, about four, five, or six inches asunder; and, according as the trees shoot every summer, train in a necessary supply of the regular shoots to fill the wall, etc.; at the same time retrench superfluities and irregular wood - still at full length:at the above distance. For all plums bear principally upon spurs half an inch or an inch long, arising from the sides of the branches, from one or two to many years old. When trained, always at full length; but, if shortened, they would throw out a multiplicity of useless wood, and hardly any fruit-spurs.

"The wall and espalier plum-trees should be pruned every summer and winter.

"Standard plum-trees may be trained both as full standards and half-standards, budding or grafting the former six feet high, and the latter only three or four; or both kinds may be worked low in the stock, and the first shoot trained to those heights for a stem, then let them branch away and form a head. These standards may be planted both in the garden and orchard, at from about twenty to thirty feet distance." - Abercrombie.

Forcing

To obtain an early crop, in March or April, trees planted in large tubs are to be preferred; but for the general crop, in May or June, the trees are best planted in the borders of the stove. Mr. Loudon says that: -

"For a crop to ripen in the second week in May, the house must be covered in early in January, commencing with a temperature of 42° of Fahrenheit for the first fortnight; after which the heat may be gradually raised to 52°, at which it may continue until the flowers make their appearance. During this time frequent changes of air must be admitted to strengthen the bloom; and the crop will be rendered more certain by keeping the trees in blossom, as long as possible, by light shading where necessary; and when the petals begin to fall, gentle dews may be raised from the surface of the mould. As the fruit forms, the thermometer should be raised to 58°. This must be done gradually, as the consequence of a rapid rise may be a casting of the fruit. During the progress of shooting great care must be taken against sudden variations of the temperature, water very sparingly used, and every check, by fumigation, be given to the various insects, which will be particularly active at this period.

"When the fruit is safely stoned, a moderate dressing of rotten manure may be spread on the surface of the mould, the heat increased to 68°, and a more liberal supply of water given.

"After the fruit has obtained a full size, and approaches maturity, air may be freely admitted, and water should be given in less quantities, and finally discontinued a few days before gathering."- Enc. Gard.