226 Macfarlane—The Beach Plum, Viewed 
ties, such as No. 7, average about 3.50 grams. It seems not 
unreasonable to suppose, therefore, that excellent starting 
points for future efforts in cultivation already exist among 
native strains. 
Features specially commending it for cultivation are its con- 
stant growth amid loose, open sand, and in proximity to or in 
immediate contact with the sea. Asshown in Plates XX and 
XXI, it fruits heavily, while the quality of the finer varieties 
excels that of any other native fruit, in the writer’s estimation. 
Along the sea front, from New Jersey to Massachusetts, 
many thousands of quarts are gathered annually, which are 
used in part asa delicious table fruit, but in larger part are 
converted into jelly preserves. Through the kindness of 
friends I have learned that a considerable trade in the fruit 
exists along the Cape Cod and Plymouth coasts, where it is 
sold at from five to ten cents a quart, so that already it is a 
commercial article. 
By judicious cultivation and selection it is certain that many 
and finer varieties might be secured, since the plant in the 
wild state has already developed so favorably. The species 
seems to have been selected in nature as a type of fruit-plant 
that is specially adapted to its surroundings. The environ- 
mental areas covered by it include hundreds of thousands of 
acres of our eastern shore land, where no other fruit plant 
naturally grows, if we except in places the sand dewberry. 
Its roots often travel far and act as good sand binders, as well 
as extensively ramified absorbents of soil food. 
Against these commendable qualities are to be reckoned 
two objectionable features which might, for some varieties 
only, militate against their economic value. One of these is 
the soft, pulpy consistence of the fruits in such types as Nos. 
k=7 of the preceding table. Thus when ‘the fruit “is 
plucked from the stalk, considerable “bleeding’’ occurs, if 
these are heaped on a dish or in a basket for a few hours. If, 
