If a planter prefers to grow gages, he must protect his trees from bullfinches and other birds. The former often carry off the buds in winter, and ruin all hopes of a crop. Such a plantation near a wood would usually be a failure. If the trees are washed in early winter with No. II. mixture, the buds will have some protection. Lime should be thrown over the branches on a damp day. The gun in many cases must be at work from dawn to dusk. The gardener must learn to distinguish between friend and foe. Mr Lea's list in "Small Farms in the Midlands" is as follows: Early Prolific, Victoria, Black Diamond ("the wood is remarkably tough"), Pond's Seedling ("tolerably tough"), Pershore Egg Plum, _i.e._ Gisborne ("hardiest of all plums, surest cropper, comes early into bearing, the wood tough, and though the price is low, pays well"). He also mentions Prince Englebert and Jemmy Moore ("alias Cox's Emperor, alias Denbigh"), but wisely adds, these come in about the same time as Victoria, when there is a glut. Early or late varieties usually sell best. A new variety, Bittern, raised (as so many varieties have been) at Sawbridgeworth, by the late Francis Rivers, seems well worth trying: "Fruit rather large, deep purple, very heavy crop, habit bushy, compact, vigorous, excellent early free-bearing variety. R. August 2." Curlew is another "early free-cropping purple plum, habit erect, vigorous," also raised by Francis Rivers. Monarch is a late, good, and very saleable plum. It is said that 75 per cent. or more of the plums planted in recent years have been Victorias. Planters should avoid the Victoria glut. Pond's Seedling, red and very large, coming in after Victoria, often sells well. Put up in a small basket it is inviting, and sells for an eating though properly a cooking plum. Early Prolific is also largely planted, but does not suit all soils. The white Magnum Bonum or egg plum (very large), good for cooking and preserving, sells well in London, but needs a strong soil. It is an early September fruit. Wyedale is popular in Yorkshire, valuable for its lateness, and for keeping sound on the trees when ripe; its habit is diffuse, size rather small, a good cropper. Mr Pearson names Goliath, a large reddish purple plum, "a good cropper, habit diffuse and vigorous, a very useful cooking plum. R. September 7." At the Plum Congress held at Edinburgh in September 1889 an election of sorts was made with the following result:-- _Dessert Plums_ Votes. Jefferson 72 Coe's Golden Drop 69 Green Gage 57 Kirke's 57 Early Transparent 25 Oullin's Golden Gage 16 Reine Claude de Bavay 14