i6 Bulletin 62. 



into the market. Judging from Professor Georgeson's account, 

 there is still abundant material upon which to draw in the mother 

 countr}^ however : "The wonder is rather that our enterprising 

 nurserymen and plum-growers have apparentl}: been content with 

 these two or three varieties [many more have now appeared], and 

 that they have not instead gone in search of more and perhaps 

 hardier plums of the same kind ; for it might reasonably be sup- 

 posed that a country which could produce those we have would 

 be likely to have others equally worthy of notice. Such, at any 

 rate, is the fact. There are many varieties in Japan which are 

 fully equal to the so-called Kelsey, Ogon and Botan, which are 

 already known here. Let him who doubts this visit the fruit 

 stands in the Japanese portion of Yokohama during June and 

 July. He will be gratified by the sight of a greater collection of 

 varieties than can be found in any horticultural exhibit in this 

 country. Tokio is also well supplied with plums at this season, 

 and so are other towns throughout the country ; but the region 

 about Yokohama and a little southward is especially noted for its 

 plums." These places are near the center of Japan, where the 

 climate is mild ; but Japan extends over some fifteen degrees of 

 latitude and it is not strange, therefore, that varieties of various 

 degrees of hardiness should be obtained from the empire. Un- 

 fortunately, the Kelsey was the first Japanese plum to become 

 known in this country, and as it is hardy only upon the Pacific 

 coast and south of Virginia, it became a general impression 

 that the species is not adapted to cultivation in the north. The 

 varieties which are now known to be hardy in the plum regions 

 of New York and Connecticut are Burbank, Abundance, Willard, 

 Ogon, Satsuma, Berger, Chabot, and Yosebe ; and most others 

 give promise of hardiness. Dr. Dennis reports Burbank and 

 Ogon to have borne at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last season, after 

 having experienced a temperature 26° below zero. Early bloom- 

 ing will probably prove to be a more serious weakness of these 

 plums than lack of hardiness : and this point is discussed farther 

 on (p. 32). 



The season of these plums varies considerably. The earliest to 

 mature in central New York is the little Berger, which ripens the 

 middle of July. The earliest of what may be called the market 



