The Japanese PIvUms. 35 



come from the use of this stock as from the use of their own 

 seedlings or Domestica stocks. " 



REVIEW. 



1. Twenty-four years ago a plum was introduced into Cali- 

 fornia from Japan which proved to belong to a species heretofore 

 unknown in America. It was first fruited by the late John 

 Kelsey, of Berkeley, California, and for him it was named. It 

 began to attract wide attention about ten years ago. 



2. This plum belongs to the species Pku7171s triflora, which is 

 supposed to be native to China, but which is unknown in a wild 

 state. Subsequent importations have been made from Japan, and 

 at the present time about thirty varieties are more or less known 

 and disseminated. 



3. These Japanese plums are distinguished from the common 

 Domestica plums by their generally more pointed or heart-shaped 

 fruit which has a deep groove or suture upon one side, by a long- 

 er-keeping flesh and generally a less winged pit. In other botan- 

 ical features they differ in commonly bearing three or more winter 

 buds at a joint, instead of one, in the light colored rough bark, 

 flowers usually in twos or threes, leaves long-obovate or elliptic 

 and finely serrate. They are closely allied in botanical characters 

 to some types of native plums. 



4. The nomenclature of the varieties is much confused, large- 

 ly because the Japanese names are used for groups or classes and 

 not for specific varieties ; and there is no uniformity even in the 

 generic application of these names. It is essential to an exact 

 understanding of this fruit, therefore, that the Japanese class- 

 names be discarded in this country. 



5. While importations from Japan have been made freelj^ 

 there are probably many more good varieties in that country 

 which have not reached America ; but we must look for most 

 permanent progress in the future from American offspring. 



6 . The Japanese plums differ amongst themselves greatly in 

 hardiness. The Kelsey is adapted only to the states south of 

 Virginia and to the warmer parts of the Pacific Coast, but other 

 varieties are fully hardy in parts of Connecticut, Ontario, New 

 York and Iowa. 



