THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 



WHAT IS A PLUM? 



Definition in the Standard Dictionary: The edible drupa- 

 ceous fruit of the Prunus domestica, and of several other species of 

 Prumis; also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree. The Bullace, 

 the Damson, and the numerous varieties of plum of our gardens, 

 although growing into thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of 

 the blackthorn, produced by long cultivation. Two or three hundred 

 varieties of plums derived from the P. domestica are described ; among 

 them the Green Gage, the Orleans, the Damson, the Purple Gage or 

 Reine Claude Violette and the German Prune are some of the best 

 known. 



Among true plums are the Beach plum {P. tnaritima) and its 

 crimson or purple globular drupes. Bullace plum. Chickasaw plum, 

 the American P. chicasa and its round-headed drupes. Orleans plum, 

 a dark-reddish plum of medium size, much grown in England for sale 

 in the markets. The wild plum of America {P. amerlcana), with 

 red or yellow fruit — the original of the Iowa plum — and several other 

 varieties. 



Among plants called plum, but of other genera than Prunus, are 

 the Australian plum ( CargiUia arhorea and G. australis) , of the same 

 family with the persimmon. Blood plum, the West African Hmma- 

 tostaphes ha Her I. Cocoa plum, the Spanish nectarine. Date plum. 

 Gingerbread plum, the West African Parinavium macrophylluvfi. 

 Gopher i^lum, the Ogeechee lime. Gray plum. Guinea plum. Indian 

 plum, several species of Flacourtia. 



Definition in the Century Encyclopedic Dictionary: (1) A 

 fruit of any of the trees called plums ; specifically, the fruit of the 

 tree of the genus Prunus, distinguished from the peach and apricot 

 by its smooth surface, smaller size, and unwrinkled stone, and from 

 the cherry by the bloom on its surface and commonly larger size. 

 Plums are of use chiefly as a domestic fruit (the Green Gage being 

 esteemed the best of all varieties), and as a dried fruit in the form of 

 prunes. Locally a liquor is manufactured from them, and sometimes 

 an oil is expressed from the kernels. 



(2) One of several small fruits of the genus Prunus, forming the 

 section Prunus proper. The numerous varieties of the common gar- 

 den plum are often classed as P. domestica; but all these, together 

 with the Bullace plum, known as P. insititia, are believed to be 

 derived ultimately from P. spinosa {P. communis), the blackthorn 

 or sloe of Europe and temperate Asia, in its truly wild state a much- 



