REPORT OF THE POMOLOGIST. 273 



of January 7, 1886, killed young trees of this variety there. Mr. 

 Kizo Tamari, of Japan, says that it is too tender to succeed in the 

 northern part of that country. To determine the botanical name of 

 the species to which this variety belongs has puzzled all the botanists 

 in the United States so far as 1 know. There are no specimens in the 

 herbariums of the country that give us any light, and Mr. Kizo Tamari 

 has repeatedly stated to me that he does not think it belongs to any 

 of the species native in Europe or America. This is a matter that is 

 now engaging my careful attention. 



Prof. E. W. Hilgard, of the University of California, under date 

 of January 22, 1887, WT.ites the following relative to this plum: 



Your letter of inquiry regarding the antecedents of the " Kelsey Japan Plum " is 

 duly received. I have requested Mr. E. J. Wickson, lecturer on agi'iculture and 

 horticulture in this institution, to give you an account of the history of the fruit so 

 far as known to him, and I inclose herewith his remarks thereon. 



I became acquainted with the fruit in 1876, when I planted my home orchard here, 

 for which Mr. John Kelsey, my near neighbor, supplied the trees, among them two 

 of the Japan plums. They were at the time badly mfested with the oyster-shell 

 scale, a species that does not usually attack plums, and it was not until four or five 

 years after planting that I succeeded in freeing the ti-ees entirely from the pest. 

 Since then they have done well and have borne regularly, but in then- ow-a peculiar 

 fashion. In this climate the tree is never entirely without leaves, to-day the ends 

 of the branches are leafy and green, and the old leaves will fall only when the new 

 buds begin to swell. The first blossoms usually open when the leaves are about half 

 grown and so continue for several weeks, new blossoms opening sometimes when 

 the first have already fruit nearly an inch long. The result is that the fruit hkewise 

 ripens consecutively, a very convenient habit for family use, but rather objectiona- 

 ble for culture on a large scale. I hear that the same experience has been had by 

 others on heavy soil similar to mine here, while on lighter soils it seems to be more 

 regular in its habits. 



I have not looked into its botanical relationship, nor attempted its identification 

 with the described species of Prunus from Japan. Of American plums it resembles 

 in habit very nearly the P. chicasa, for which in the absence of fruit it might readily 

 be mistaken. I will look into the characters of the other alleged Japan plums men- 

 tioned by IVIr. Wickson, and communicate results to you. 



Mr. Edward J. Wickson, of the Agricultural College at Berkeley, 

 Cal., makes this memorandum on "Kelsey's Japan Plum:" 



The fruit was first shown to me during the last week in August, 1877, by the late 

 John Kelsey, of Berkeley, Cal. He informed me that the fruit was introduced to 

 this State through the efforts of Mr. Hough, of Vacaville, Solano Coimty, then de- 

 ceased, in 1870; and that Mr. Hough secured the trees thi-ough llr. Bridges, at that 

 time United States consul in Japan. The trees cost $10 each and ]\Ir. Kelsey in- 

 formed me that he obtained all the stock from IMr. Hough. 



It is my impression that Mr. Kelsey left the trees standing in the nursery rows 

 until fruit appeared. I am not sure how soon they first fruited, but I remember 

 that Mr. Kelsey told me that he had expected to show the fruit sooner, but it had 

 been taken by squirrels and intruders. The samples shown me in 1877 were picked 

 a little short of maturity to secure them. Mr. Kelsey was assured of the value of 

 the variety and propagated it to some extent. One thing which he conceived to 

 prove the tree of special value was the fact that in the dry summer of 1877 his Japan 

 plum trees were vigorous and productive, while some other varieties (the Columbia 

 and Yellow Egg being specified) suffered severely from the drought. On a branch 

 which Mr. Kelsey showed me tliere were six plums wedged tightly together on six 

 inches length of wood. The good points which INIr. Kelsey saw in the fruit and in 

 the tree led him to propagate it to a considerable extent. 



The name " Kelsey's Japan Plum" was not given to the fruit until after Mr. Kel- 

 sey's death, and was then placed upon it by those who desned to honor his memory 

 and to make fitting recognition of his good work in pomology. The prouagation of 

 the variety was undertaken on a large scale in 1883 by W. P. Hammon & Co., of 

 Oakland, Cal. , who obtained the stock from the heirs of Mr. Kelsey. The first large 

 sale of trees was for the plantmg season of 1884. Although the stock had been ia the 

 hands of other nurserymen and growers for some years before that time, its wide 

 distribution dates fi-om that year. 



There are a number of other ' Japan plums ' in the hands of California growers. 

 18 AG— '86 



