The Cultivated Natite Plums and Cheeeies. 81 



140. Wiimebago. — Fruit above medium in size, orange-scarlet, 



excellent for culinary purposes. Minnesota. Probably P. Ameri- 

 cana. 



§ 2. Cultivation of the Native Plum. 



1. Impotent varieties. — Planting.— It is not strange that diffi- 

 culties should beset the cultivation of fraits which are yet scarcely 

 rescued from a wild state. The chief difficulty in the growing of 

 the native plums is the fact that some varieties do not fertilize 

 themselves. This peculiarity appears to be due not to any imper- 

 fection in the flowers, but to the comparative impotency of pollen 

 upon flowers oif the same variety. Imperfect flowers are occa- 

 sionally observed, but they are apparently peculiarities of indi- 

 vidual trees or particular seasons. Thus, in our Newmans this 

 year, only about eveiy twelfth flower has a perfect pistil. 1 

 have observed a similar defect in wild plums. I know a wild 

 tree of Prunus Americana which bears flowers without pistils. 

 The impotency of pollen appears to be characteristic of certain 

 varieties, as, for example, WUd Goose, Miner, Wazata, Minne- 

 tonka, Itaska. Other varieties of the same species are fertile with 

 themselves, as Moreman, Newman, Wayland, Golden Beauty, 

 Marianna, Deep Creek, Purple Yosemite. In order to insure 

 fertilization, mixed planting is practiced when the impotent 

 varieties are gi-own; and it is an important study to determine 

 what varieties are the best pollinizers for a given kind. Evidently, 

 the two varieties in any case must bloom at the same time and 

 the poUinizer must produce an abundance of pollen. Thus, the 

 Newman is a good pollinizer for the WUd Goose, but it blooms 

 too early for the Americana varieties. In some of the western 

 States, Forest Garden is considered to be a good .pollinizer for 

 Miner. It is a common opinion among good plum growers that 

 the common or Domestica plums, the peach and even the cherries 

 will fertilize the Wild Goose. There is certainly much general 

 evidence in support of this opinion, but it remains to be proved. 

 A case within my own experience lends color to this opinion. A 

 half dozen large trees of Wild Goose were barren until trees 

 of plums and cherries about them bloomed profusely, when the 

 Wild Goose bore a heavy crop. 



11 



