North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["fuwa fuwa usagi" <fuwafuwausagi@muchomail.com>]

It was queried;

Has anyone got an idea of 
how I might save at least a few for myself?  I don't begrude the squirrels a
share, but last year I got exactly one, that was at the end of a long
branch. Bagging occurs to me as a possibility, although I don't know
whether the plums would survive (I suppose they would be likely to split 
as
I have had with pears) and more seriously whether it would be enough to
discourage the tree-rats. Anyway, I will try to bag a few of the plums.
Has anyone tried anything like this?  

My reply:

I have a very low wide spreading Ozark Premier that every creature seems to 
love.  Bu the tree rats love them best of all.  Last year I stumbled on an 
easy method quite by accident.  I use to try and net the tree, which sort of 
worked but was a real pain, and often the tree rats would chew an entrance.  
So...a windstorm gave me an answer that worked last year.  I had netted the 
tree and then left on a business trip.  I came home 2 weeks later, and like 
most fruit enthusiast instead of saying "lo" to the wife and child, I went in 
back and looked at my fruit trees first (yeah I know - I am a real pig - 
LOL).  At first I was greeted by beautiful red fruit glistening in the 
tree...then my heart leapt as I noticed there was no net on the tree.  Upon 
closer examination I discovered a windstorm had moved through and torn on net 
off the tree and redistributed another along the trunk of tree only held in 
place where I had tried to seal the bottom.  Well curious I went inside to 
greet the family and then with  apil eof mail under my arm I went outside and 
sat on the ground with my back against the shed thumbing through the mail and 
watching the tree anxiously.   Sure enough there was a parade of squirrels 
milling about.  Chattering and scolding in anger. It seems they could not get 
up the tree via the net which was basically a big fluffy ball at the base.  A 
few tried leaping off the roof top into the tree but  a shriek overhead from 
a redtailed hawk seemed to dampen their enthusiasm.  

Anyway I left the tree unnetted at the top and proceeded to mound the net up 
the base of the tree so i could still mow under it.   It worked fine.  I lost 
some fruit to the brave squirrels who would leap from a neighbors locust 
tree, but often in the world the daring are rewarded.  It was actually kind 
of fun watching their desperate antics.  And once I managed to prune off an 
overhead trees branch with a squirrel on it as he tried to reach the plum 
tree.  All in all we probably claimed maybe 175 or so big juicy plums over 
the three week harvest and the birds, coons possums, squirrels, and foxes 
probably still managed a sizable feast but at least we had a share in the 
banquet.

The fluffy one


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