100 STATE HORTICULTIIRA.L SOCIETY. 



gent Japanese horticulturist told me that at home it was called " Hat- 

 tan," or " Hatan." Mr. Hough died not long after this, but in the 

 meantime he had sold the entire stock of this plum to Mr. John Kelsey,^ 

 of Berkeley, Cal., who left the trees in the nursery row until they bore 

 fruit. This was as early as 187G, for Prof. E. W. Hilgard wrote me 

 that Mr. Kelsey showed him specimens that year, an^ he also gave to 

 Mr. J. Wickson the next year. It soon became known, and the variety 

 was generally distributed, not only in Calfornia, but in the Eastern 

 States. Mr. Kelsey died also ; and as he had been instrumental in 

 introducing the fruit, it was named in his honor by the pomologists of 

 California. 



In the East it did not prove hardy except in the Gulf states, and 

 along the Atlantic coast as far as Chesapeake bay. At present it would 

 be inadvisable for those living in the South to plant it, except where 

 the hardier kinds of the fig will succeed. The fruit is very large, speci- 

 mens sometimes measuring three inches in diameter. The frost is apt 

 to kill the blossoms which come out very early in spring, and the fruit 

 ripens unevenly. The latter trait is no objection to the variety for 

 home use, but makes against it for market. 



But other and better varieties were soon after imported. Mr. J^ 

 D. Pryal and Mr. Jas. Shinn, of California, were the first, so far as I 

 know, to grow collections of these new-comers. Both of them had 

 varieties which bore fruit varying in shape, color and flavor from Kel- 

 sey, and from each other. Some were bright yellow and others dark 

 red to the stone, and very sweet. Nearly all of these are now under 

 general trial, with every promise of success, and a few have passed 

 beyond the experimental stage, and are being planted in commercial 

 orchards. This is especially true of Sweet Botan (also called Abun- 

 dance), Ogon and Satsuma. 



But the most popular of this class is one that was imported by 

 Mr. Luther Burbank, of Santa Rosa, California, in 1885, among a lot of 

 seedlings. When the tree came to bear, the fruit was so handsome 

 and good in quality that, at my suggestion, it was named in his honor 

 and sent out for trial. 



Mr. Burbank at once began crossing these Japanese plums with 

 our native American species and the varieties of Prunus domesHca. 

 And herein lies the greatest good that we are likely to get from the 

 introduction of these foreigners. Already Mr. Burbank has produced 

 and sent out for trial a few very promising varieties as the result of 

 his experiments, and others are taking up the same line of work. It 

 would be a great pleasure to any one interested in horticulture to pro- 

 cure arid examine the catalogue issued by Mr. Burbank entitled " Kew 



