WINTER MEETING. 183 



Mariana — Red, earlj. Rots too badly in wet seasons. 

 Pottowattomie — Deficient in size of fruit. Tree very thorny. 

 Weaver — Too slow coming into bearing:. 



Jambs B. Wild, Sarcoxie, Mo. 



Jai)aii Plums. 



These plums are attracting much attention throughout the country 

 at the present time. In many sections remarkable success with them 

 is reported. Early and profuse bearing of an excellent quality of fruit 

 follows their cultivation in many of the states. Being rapid growers, 

 attractive and striking in appearance they find a place in gardens and 

 orchards wherever success can reasonably be expected with them. 



In this part of Missouri they have not been thoroughly tested, 

 although several varieties have fruited and promise well. The hardiest 

 here are Ogon, Boton (or Abundance), Chabot, Sweet Japan and Bur- 

 bank. Boton is best known, and probably as reliable as any. The 

 trees are strong upright growers, and the fruit is of large size and 

 good quality. Burbank is somewhat more tender than Boton, but the 

 fruit is excellent. I do not consider Ogon valuable, as the fruit is in- 

 ferior, but it has proven to be the hardiest of all the Japan type, trees 

 of this variety having passed through the winter of '93-i without in- 

 jury, while others suffered more or less. The fruit buds of all, though, 

 were killed at that time. 



The greatest drawback to the growing of these plums in this sec- 

 tion is their tendency to bloom too early, thereby making them liable 

 to be caught by late frosts. They are also affected by warm days dur- 

 ing winter much like the peach, although it is very seldom that they 

 will suffer on this account, only in such winters as the one just 

 spoken of. 



European plums do not succeed in parts of the west, and the 

 American varieties that do succeed are mostly inferior in quality, so it 

 behooves us to give these Japan kinds a thorough trial. The quality 

 of the fruit of several of them is vjery good, size large to very large, 

 the growth of the tree all that could be desired, and they are more 

 hardy than our hardiest peaches ; so for these reasons they should 

 certainly receive our careful attention. 



They are now being crossed with our best American plums, some 

 of the varieties thus produced combining the large size and fine quality 

 of the foreign with the hardiness and adaptability of the native. In 

 these and others produced by this method we may hope and expect to 



