34 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SEEDLING PLUMS. 



PROF. E. S. GOFF, MADISON, WIS. 

 (Wisconsin Horticulturist.) 



What is a seedling plum ? That all my readers may understand 

 what we mean by "seedling plum," I explain that a seedling plum 

 tree is one that grew from a plum pit instead of from a graft or a 

 bud, as the nursery plum trees are commonly grown. The important 

 difference between a seedling plum tree and a plum tree grown 

 from a graft or a bud is that the seedling tree will not often be of the 

 same variety as its parent, while the tree grown from the graft or 

 bud will be, with rare exceptions, practically of the same variety 

 as the one from which the graft or bud was taken. Since the seed- 

 ling is generally different from its parent, it has a chance of being 

 better than its parent, and this is why it is important to grow seed- 

 lings. By saving the very best of our seedling native plum trees 

 and growing seedlings again from these, we will certainly be able 

 to improve this fruit. Our chances of being able to improve our 

 native plums are greater than they would be of improving the 

 European or the Japanese plums, because our native plums have but 

 recently been introduced to culture ; hence, their improvement may 

 be said to have only just commenced. 



From what varieties should we select our seed? This is an im- 

 portant part of our subject. Our native plums — especially 

 of the American class — need improving in tree as ' much as in 

 fruit, and we can no longer afford to work toward better fruit only. 

 The desirable qualities of our native plums will occur to all who are 

 much acquainted with them. I would rate these in nearly the order 

 named, beginning with uniform productiveness, following with size 

 and quality of fruit, vigor and strength of tree, health of foliage, 

 color and keeping quality of fruit, thinness of skin, size of stone, 

 etc. The variety, be it named or not, that possesses the largest 

 number of desirable points and the fewest undesirable ones, is the 

 best one from which to save seed. We can hardly exercise too much 

 care in choosing our parent variety. 



The most promising field for improving the native plum is doubt- 

 less through hybridization of different species. The Americana 

 and Chicasaw species cross freely and so do the Americana and 

 the Triflora, or Japanese, species. An excellent way to secure 

 hybrids in large numbers, with very little trouble, would be to plant 

 groups of the two species it is desired to cross at a distance from all 

 other plums and then to save and plant all of the pits from these 

 groups. If the trees of the two species are in bloom at the same 

 time, the pits will produce a large proportion of hybrid trees. Our 



