STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 115 



They all show a marked teiuleiiey to sport, that is, vary greatly 

 when <ijrown from seed, so that the chances of growing new and val- 

 uable varieties by hybridizing, and the selection of seeds from the 

 best varieties now in cultivation, are certainly very promising. 



I have here scions of several native varieties to show you the 

 difference in the wood or twigs. These scions have been preserved 

 for grafting; they are correctly labeled and are for distribution. Any 

 person present is welcome to some of each variety. The fruits of 

 these varieties differ as much as do the scions, but the most notice- 

 able and marked differences are those of the foliage. Some varieties 

 have leaves very much like European sorts; others, leaves closely re- 

 sembling the peach. In fact the Blackman, in wood, foliage and 

 general ap})earance of tree in the nursery, so closely resembles the 

 peach that persons have, within my hearing, flatly contradicted men 

 at work in the nursery, declaring that they knew it to be a peach 

 tree. There is a family resemblance in the foliage of most of the 

 Chickasaw varieties; but in the other families of natives there is 

 much greater variation in the foliage, hardly any two having leaves 

 exactly alike; and some varieties have leaves so distinct and unlike 

 anvthingelse in cultivation as to attract the notice of very superficial 

 observers. 



Let me call attention to the Weaver as a variety, having remark- 

 ably large and handsome leaves, with a smooth shining surface, and 

 it is unquestionably a pure Pnoiiis Americana. Will also call atten- 

 tion to the Bassett as a variety, having distinctly marked foliage. 

 This is a variety sent out a few years ago from New Jersey, and 

 represented to be a cross between the European and the native Beach 

 plums. 



A week ago Dr. Sanborn, horticultural editor of The Farmer 

 and Fruit Groirer. Anna. Illinois, pointed out to me some quite large 

 trees of this variety; at least the doctor called them Bassett's Ameri- 

 can plum, and I could discover no difference between the wood of 

 these trees and that of the true Bassett, and you will see, by looking 

 at these scions, that the wood has marked characteristics. 



In a recent issue of his ])aper the doctor says: "The trees bear 

 full crops every year of l)eautiful red plums, of which it takes only 

 one to curl a man up so he will not ask for plums again for twelve 

 months. He sold 815 worth of these plums from one tree this sum- 

 mer. The Chicago folks ate them. The plums make excellent jelly. 

 The curculios know too much to waste their time in stinging them."' 



Mr. Kroh, on whose grounds these trees are growing, gave me 

 their history. Many years ago he obtained them Ijy digging s]n-outs 

 upon a farm some miles away, and he believes them to ])e native to 

 that part of the State. He has, lie informed me, three distinct varie- 

 ties growing; one is yellow, and two are red, but the red ones differ 

 greatly, one of them bearing a fruit as large as a Wild Goose ])lum, 

 and of much better (piality than the one growing by the roadside 

 which doubled up the doctor. 



