382 ANNUAL BEPOKT 



tivation, and it has representatives with edible and useful fruits, in 

 the wild state in nearly every portion of our country, and perhaps of 

 the continent. 



SPECIES. 



The plums proper range from south Florida to the Arctic circle, and 

 are divided bv botanists into four or more species, namely : Primus 

 Americana, found in nearly every portion of the country; Primus 

 Chicasa, generally confined to the Mississippi valley; Prunus Mara- 

 tima, peculiar to the sea coast south and east; and Prunus TJmhelata, 

 generally confined to the extreme south. The student who investi- 

 gates these so-called species over their entire habitat will soon find that 

 they cannot be divided into true and distinct species; and if he gives 

 them attention he- will eventually find that they are, possibly with 

 one exception, all one species, or can be all graded the one into the 

 other. That they all freely cross by fertilizing each others' flowers, 

 and that they are simply well marked climatic and geographic races rang- 

 ing in size of mature plants from six inches to twenty-five feet in height. 

 Europe and Asia have given us of the Almond family the cultivated 

 and wild plums of those continents; also the peach, almond, apricot, 

 and cherry. These are all quite near to our wild plums, for they all 

 freely interbud and graft on them. And we know that some of the 

 most distinct species cross sexually and produce hybrids with them. 



For the present we v/ill follow the classification of the native plums, 

 as given in our text books of Botany; but I will here warn the student 

 that it will be impossible for him to refer many of these varieties to 

 any of the species therein given, and that if he studies them compre- 

 hensivly he will find many groups and races showing as good or better 

 distinct species than those given in the text books. 



A word of explanation will help us greatly to a full understanding 

 of this point. We will say that the student visits the Mississippi 

 valley, between the lower Arkansas and Red river, tlrere to study the 

 Chickasaw species of plums. He will there find it a small tree, ten to 

 twenty-five feet in heighth, with fruit of all sizes from that of a cherry 

 to a hen's egg, with every color from yellowish white to yellow, pink 

 or scarlet to darkest crimson, and ripening from early in May to 

 September. 



Then if he should search in the ravines of the higher plains of 

 Colorado, he will find a little dwarf shrub six inches to a foot in 

 heighth, perhaps loaded with edible fruit as large and good as the 

 average of that in the valley, but more nearly constant in size, color 



