THE NATIVE PLUM. |. 433 
THE NATIVE PLUM. 
DEWAIN COOK, WINDOM. 
The native plum I consider one of our most profitable fruits 
either for home use or the market. 
There are several groups of native plums, the Americana, Hortu- 
lana and Chickasaw, but I recommend nothing but the Americana 
varieties, to which class the Desota, Wolf and all of our northern 
plums belong. Among these we do not have to search for hardy 
varieties, as with very few exceptions they are all perfectly hardy. 
And for eating purposes what plums of any other class excel the 
Ocheeda, Rollingstone, Mankato, Rockford?—even the Wyant and 
some others are considered elegant. Our selected natives will sell 
in any market at from one dollar to two dollars per bushel. 
While of much better eating quality, our native plums have not 
the keeping quality of some of the apples, and to prolong the season 
of fresh plums we must depend largely upon growing the earliest 
and the latest varieties. We have reached our limit as to late varie- 
ties, at least in the western part of the state, as the fruit ripens some 
two weeks later there than in that part next to the Mississippi river. 
The Hawkeye and Speer are late varieties and are liable to have 
fruit frozen in short seasons, the VanDeman is a fine plum and still 
later in ripening its fruit. I think it will be valuable near the east 
line of our state, 
As to early varieties we have had the Forest Garden and the 
Cheney, but with the valuable new varieties now coming on I don’t 
think we have any use for either of them. While I am not prepared 
to say which is the best extra early plum, I will mention a few 
varieties that it will be wellfor our horticultural friends to keep 
track of. 
The Wood plum is well tested here; season and size same as the 
Cheney and of a little better quality for eating; is a good keeper; an 
annual and heavy bearer. Dr. Dennis, of Iowa, says that this is the 
best plum he has seen from Minnesota. Sprouts of this variety may 
be had of Mr. Joseph Wood, of Windom, Minn. 
The Mankato is another favorite variety. It ripens at my placea 
little ahead of the Cheney, is larger than the Forest Garden and is 
one of the finest eating plums grown. 
The Itasca is a very large plum, in quality about like the Desota 
and ripens among the earliest. I predict that this plum will take a 
place among our standards. 
The above named three varieties are all natives of Minnesota. 
The Odegaard is another variety that will probably prove of great 
value, having been grown a number of years on the university 
grounds at Brookings, South Dakota. The tree isa great grower 
while young; fruit of large size and good quality and ripens some 
two weeks earlier than the Cheney. Prof. N. E. Hanson says, “if 
you have the Odegaard you have a good thing.” 
The Compass Hybrid sand cherry plum, originated by H. Knud- 
son, of Springfield, Minn., is bound to attract considerable attention, 
and if the fruit ripens ahead of our hitherto earliest varieties I pre- 
dict a briliant future for it. 
