Part 13

What is your object? Before choosing varieties, or planting, it is advisable to ask yourself, what is my object? On the answer the form of plantation and the choice of trees must depend. If for a private house only, the answer is easy. Then comes the question, Is there a wall, and if so, what is the soil and the aspect? Is there an Orchard House? If for market, for what market are you preparing? In the Midlands, the Pershore (= Gisborne's) is a great favourite; in London, the Early Orleans and the Egg Plum; in the North, the Black Diamond, the Wydale and others. In planting damsons the same question should be put. The Midland people won't have the Farleigh Prolific so popular in Kent, and they are right; the Shropshire folks think their damson the best of all and many agree with them. Are you near a jam factory? What plums do they desire or require? Local circumstances and wants should have great weight. If you are near a wood and birds are numerous, you may be wise in not growing greengages, yet otherwise they may be the best sort for a large outlay as the demand for them is universal.

PLUMS FOR A PRIVATE GARDEN

Let us suppose that the soil is fairly good; the choice of trees is not difficult. We have a selection made in 1892 by a committee of the R.H.S., consisting of forty experts, and their choice has been confirmed in a remarkable degree by a report of the trial of plums at the Chiswick Garden of the R.H.S. in 1901. At this trial on a soil that in a good year is said to suit them generally, ninety-five varieties were tested, and a good account was given of the following ten:--

Plums for Eating.

Rivers' Early Transparent Gage.--"Green or greenish yellow, flushed with red, the finest early dessert plum, a good cropper, habit bushy, compact, vigorous."--R. August 21.

Dennistoun's Superb Gage.--"Green and of greengage flavour, a first-rate dessert variety, of exquisite flavour, cropping well as a bush tree in the open air, habit erect, compact, vigorous."--R. August 26.

Jefferson's.--"Fruit larger than the two former, yellow, covered with small red dots, habit erect, compact, very vigorous, the best 'all round' table kind, succeeds in every form."--R. September 6.

In the list of 1892 Belgian Purple was named as a plum for eating, but it is only fit for the table in warm seasons, "dark purple, of medium size, bears well, habit erect, compact, vigorous."--R. August 19.

Plums for Cooking.

Rivers' Early Prolific, a dark purple fruit, rather small but one which comes in early so that it is often first in the market; thus the tree has time to rest and recover before winter. "A very early and valuable cooking plum; of fair quality for dessert, a great and constant bearer." The tree does not thrive everywhere, nor is it very vigorous.--R. July 23.

Rivers' Czar.--"Dark red or purple, of medium size, very good bearer, habit erect, compact, vigorous."--R. August 2.

Victoria, "Fruit large and bright red, very heavy cropper, the most popular plum and best for general purposes."--R. August 22.

Cox's Emperor, or Denbigh, or Denbigh Seedling, "a large dark red of the Orleans type, habit erect, compact, vigorous, a very good free bearing plum that always cooks well."--R. August 22.

Gisborne's (like Pershore), "Fruit deep yellow, rather large, habit erect, compact, vigorous, a great bearer."--Early September.

Rivers' Monarch, "Fruit large, bluish-purple, the best late C. (Cooking) plum, habit rather diffuse and vigorous."--R. September 13.

These ten varieties have borne the test of time, and won approval from the R.H.S. in 1892 and 1901. The descriptions are those of the R.H.S. Mr Lewis Castle omits Cox's Emperor and adds;--

Early Orleans, "medium size, reddish purple, good bearer and good C. variety, habit diffuse and moderately vigorous."--R. August 2.

Greengage.--If this is planted, choose July greengage, "rather large for a greengage, habit erect, compact, vigorous, better bearer than old G., fine-flavoured Dessert plum."--R. August 7.

Diamond, "very large, blue-black, very heavy cropper, habit bushy, compact, vigorous, good C. plum."--R. August 23.

Pond's Seedling, "Fruit very large, deep red, habit bushy, compact, vigorous, rather late, free bearing C. plum."--R. September 7.

Prince Englebert, "Rather large, dark purple, habit erect, compact, vigorous, reliable C. plum."--R. August 13.

Coe's Golden Drop, "Fruit large, pale yellow, habit bushy, compact, vigorous, a delicious late D. plum, an indifferent bearer on bush trees, most reliable on walls."--R. September 13.

These remarks are based on the Report of trials at Chiswick in 1901.

If one plum only is wanted, choose Victoria, if three, Early Prolific, Victoria and Monarch; to these Dennistoun's Superb and Jefferson might be added for dessert if five are desired.

All these varieties may be planted as Standards, but are better as half-standards or bushes. If as cordons they must be two feet or more apart, and lifted about once in three years. There is no dwarfing plum stock like the paradise for apples or the quince for pears.

If the dessert varieties are on walls, special attention must be given to pruning and to root-pruning. The growth of coarse thick stems and branches is often fatal to the prospect of good crops.

PRUNING AND TRAINING

Plums as a rule do not need nor will they bear as much close pruning as pears and apples. But they need special attention in early life.