116 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



I liave devoted more time uiid space to the consideration of this 

 variety or species than its merit woukl seem to warrant. But its 

 hardiness to withstand cokl, its vigorous and healthy growth, its early 

 fruitfulness and prodigious hearing qualHies, lead me to hope that it 

 will be the parent of varieties of greater value. 



Before closing this paper I will allude briefly to a family of 

 plums very recently brought to notice. They come to us from the 

 north of Europe. I have not cultivated thera long enough or seen 

 enough of them to form a decided opinion of their value, or to trace 

 their botanical relations. The tree is dwarf in habit, bearing abund- 

 antly when a mere bush. Like our American sorts, differing widely 

 in appearance and flavor of fruit and season of ripening, but un- 

 like them in having no astringency of skin. Possibly we may 

 obtain varieties of value from these. 



A. L. SMALL, Kankakee, 111., 



Of the Committee on Phims and Cherries. 



A paper was presented and read by D. B. Wier, of Lacon, on 

 SOME NEW NATIVE PLUMS. 



Some twelve or fifteen years ago I first heard of the Wild Goose 

 plum, and at once wrote to its most prominent introducer, the 

 lamented J. S. Downer, of Fairview, Todd County, Kentucky, for 

 scions of the genuine thing, which were received from him by the 

 first mail, with that true generosity so well known to all who had 

 dealings with this most noble gentleman and horticulturist. These 

 scions were grafted into the topmost branches of bearing Minor 

 plum trees, and the second season gave me a fine crop of this beau- 

 tiful fruit, the seeds of which, and the Wayland — another pure 

 Chickasaw — were saved and carefully planted. They grew finely, 

 and some two hundred of these seedlings have been in bearing now 

 from three to eight years, and I have looked them over very care- 

 fully each year, except in the year 1882, when I was away from 

 home. At least two-thirds of the plum seeds planted at that time 

 were Minor seed. Near by where they were planted I had trees in 

 fruit of the Wild Goose, Wayland, Newman. (another pure Chicka- 

 asaw). Union, nnd many varieties selected from the native wild 

 plums of my neighborhood, and also many varieties received from 

 seed selected personally in Northwestern Iowa, Dakota and Nebraska. 

 Therefore I had every facility for comparison and experiment. 



The soil upon which these trees are growing is better ada})ted to 

 the two principal insect enemies of the plum fruit, namely, the plum 

 curculio and the plum gouger, than it is to the plum tree, it being a 

 rich, light, dry, sandy loam, our native plums usually requiring a 

 rich, moist, heavy soil. In fact. T do not think a better location 



