46 THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 



ferior quality. However, it is sometimes gathered, as I have known it to be in 

 Oklahoma, and made up into jellies. 



The Beach Plum, P. maritima, is cultivated both as an ornamental plant 

 and for its fruit. In the former capacity it is quite desirable ; in the latter it is 

 of little importance. 



Three other Species of plums, namely, P. rirularls Seheele, P. ghoidu- 

 los(( Torr. ct Gray, and P. miiiKtiJiora Engelm., are listed by Coulter as appear- 

 ing wild in the United States: but although the fruit of the first is said to be 

 excellent they are practically unknown to us. 



With this wonderful array of native plums before us, many of 

 which, though bearing excellent fruit in nature, have never been tried 

 in cultivation, we may well believe that we have seen hardly the be- 

 ginning of the cultivated plums in America. 



POLLINATION. 



By George Cotte, Horticulturist at the Oregon Experiment Station. 



The first step toward successful fruit culture is an orchard wisely 

 planted. The several varieties must be so located that they may as- 

 sist in the pollination of one another. This can only be done by a 

 careful study as to the time of blooming of different varieties and the 

 amount of pollen produced by each variety. Very careful observa- 

 tions and notes were taken on all varieties on the college farm. It 

 will be understood that all varieties of fruit-trees do not have the 

 same power of producing pollen. If a large number of trees of a 

 single variety be planted which are shy pollen producers, the lack of 

 pollen will undoubtedly cause a failure in the crop of fruit ; and this 

 danger of failure will be greatly increased if the weather is damp at 

 the time of blooming. 



The pollen is conveyed from flower to flower by bees and other in- 

 sects. Their object is the discovery of honey ; and while searching 

 the recesses of the flower they unintentionally cover their bodies with 

 pollen, which they convey to the next flower and unavoidably deposit 

 on its stigma. If the amount of pollen produced is small, there will 

 be but a small amount to distribute, and the fertilization would be 

 either a failure or imperfect. This shows the necessity of planting 

 trees which are shy joroducers of pollen along with those rich in 

 pollen. Hence, to arrange the trees in an orchard, we ought to know 

 the pollen-producing power of _each variety. But this is but a begin- 

 ning of work which must be continued through a series of years. We 

 have many varieties on the college grounds which have not yet come 

 into bearing, and hence are not reported. 



