84 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaoa, N. Y. 



and often in other habits, it follows that the stocks necessarily 

 vary in capacity to develop trees. On the other hand a reasonable 

 amount of care in selecting cuttings of the ^larianna enables iis 

 to produce stocks of nearly uniform capacity, and therefore to pro- 

 duce trees of a more nearly un'ifonn strength and value." 



These comparisons will hold, Mr. Onderdonk thinks, in refer- 

 ence to stocks for apricots, but for peaches the Marianna is a 

 failure with him. 



Sprouts from own-rooted trees are often employed for increasing 

 native plums, of such varieties as sprout readily, as Miner, \A"ild 

 Goose, Forest Garden, De Soto and various Chickasaws. But 

 this practice is not in general favor. 



8. Varieties. — The question of the best varieties for certain 

 purposes and regions is a disputed one, as should be expected 

 from the large number of varieties in cultivation and the newness 

 of the native plum industry. Undoubtedly the most popular 

 variety is the Wild Goose, but its popularity is due less to the 

 quality of its fruit than to the hardiness and productiveness of 

 the tree and the early fruit. The Miner is perhaps the hardiest 

 well-known variety of the Hortulana type. It succeeds in many 

 places in northern Illinois. In Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and 

 regions to the north of them, only the Americana class is hardy, 

 as a rule. The Chickasaws are best adapted to the middle and 

 southern States. None of the native plums have been tried to any 

 extent in New York and New England, from the fact that the 

 common or Domestica plums succeeds so well there. The incur- 

 sions of the septoria or shot-hole fungus — which causes prema- 

 ture dropping of the leaves — are calling attention to the native 

 plums, and it is not too much to expect that they will gain in 

 favor as they become better known. And the growing taste for 

 a greater variety of fruits must tend to popularize some of the 

 native plums in the east 



In order to determine the values of the leading varieties in 

 different parts of the country, I have obtained the opinions (^f 

 various representative growers, and these estimates are tabu- 

 lated below. Two estimates have been aslced for each variety, 

 one upon its market value, as judged by productiveness and 



