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them. "We have in all twenty-four distinct species of plums (Hedrick), and more 

 than two thousand varieties, but we are directly concerned with only four species 

 and about thirty varieties, or even less. 



Prunus Americana includes nearly all our best native varieties. These are not 

 grown largely in commercial orchards, but are found in many gardens throughout 

 the Province. The principal varieties are De Soto, Hawkeye, Stoddard, Wolf, 

 Wyant and New Ulm. One other variety that is very similar to the above is 

 Cheney, but is a distinct species {Prunus nigra). 



Prunus domestica includes nearly all our best varieties, those that have been 

 imported direct from Europe or developed from the importations. Some of our 

 best varieties are 'Monarch, Grand Duke, Smith Orleans, German Prune, Italian 

 Prune, Pond Seedling, Quackenboss, Shipper's Pride, Peine Claude, Green Gage, 

 Washington, Yellow Egg, Lombard, General Hand, Gueii, Bradshaw, Moore^s 

 Arctic, Glass Seedling. 



Prunus Triflora includes the Japanese varieties, those that have been im- 

 ported from Japan or developed here from the importations. Abundance, Burbank, 

 Ked June, Willard are the best known varieties. 



Prunus insititia includes the Damsons, the most important of which are the 

 Sweet Damson, Common Damson and Shropshire Damson. Besides the four above 

 mentioned species we have a number of common and important hybrids, plums that 

 have been produced by crossing. The most important of these are Climax and Shiro. 



Soils. 



Plums are adapted to a wide range of soils, but like most other fruits have a 

 preference. The domestica or European plums are best suited to clays and clay 

 loams. They will thrive on sands and heavy clays, but the largest and most regular 

 yields of the highest quality fruit seem to be found on the clays and clay loams. It 

 is sometimes written that plums will thrive on wet soils, but in the main the state- 

 ment is inccrrect. They will thrive under damper soil conditions than the peach or 

 cherry, but it does not follow that such a soil is wet. Warm bottomed lands are as 

 much preferred by plums as by any other fruit, but they will maintain their vigor 

 under more adverse conditions. 



The Damsons are well adapted to a little greater variations and will thrive to 

 the fullest degree on the heavy clays. Japanese plums, on the other hand, though 

 also adapted to a wide range of soils, may be expected to yield highest returns on 

 the lighter soils. Many of these species are worked on peach roots — especially in 

 the South, and in such cases are adapted to soils that favor that particular fruit. 



Soils, generally speaking, are not as important as the drainage of the soil. If 

 the subsoil is sufficiently open to permit of an extensive development of the root 

 system, if it dries off readily in the spring or after a heavy rain, if it is sufficiently 

 open to permit of easy drainage and at the same time holds moisture well under 

 judicious management, be it sand or heavy clay, it is adapted to fruit trees, and 

 plums will thrive on it. It is a mistake to put plums where no other fruit would 

 grow. 



There is no objection to a large number of stones in the soil provided they do 

 not interfere with cultivation, as such a soil fs usually open and quite fertile. 



The above statements will arouse this question: If plums are only a fair 

 investment, and do not pay as well as some other fruit, why should we not reserve 

 the good soil for the better paying fruit? By all means put the plum orchard on 

 the heavier and cheaper land, but only if that cheaper land is adapted to them. 



