THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 53 



All plum trees require moisture that must be nearly equal all the 

 year around. Stagnant water is not conducive to the health of the 

 jolum tree, neither is much water of any kind, but moist earth the 

 year around seems to be essential. The Sand-hill plum seems to be 

 well adapted to the climate of Kansas. It is a small, scraggly tree or 

 shrub, often not more than two feet high, but often bears a very deli- 

 cious variety of fruit. The varieties of Sand-hill plums are very 

 numerous, perhaps equal to any other species. They are all sizes, 

 from the size of the egg of the prairie-chicken down to that of a large 

 bean, and their colors vary from yellow through all shades of orange 

 to nearly a bright red, and even a purple or bluish. The pits are 

 smooth or furry, nearly globular or flattish, and with or without a dis- 

 tinct crease running down one edge of the pit. They vary from sour 

 to a delicious sweet, and it often happens that a very desirable variety 

 may be found in abundance on certain bushes, while others near by 

 and growing in precisely similar situations, bear only undesirable 

 fruit. 



Many experiments have been made, both at the Kansas Agri- 

 cultural College and other places, to graft desirable varieties of 

 Euroi^ean and Japanese plums upon our Sand-hill plum as stock, but 

 such experiments have almost invariably proven failures. The tend- 

 dency of the Sand-hill plum to sprout at the root would prevent the 

 success of any such experiment, even though the graft succeeded, as 

 one would soon have more of the native fruit than of the grafted 

 variety. Experiments in grafting scions of the Sand-hill plum on 

 stocks of the more rapid-growing kinds have not been largely tried, 

 but would, no doubt, be desirable for many purposes. It has not 

 been thought desirable to graft Sand-hill plums on rapid-growing 

 stocks for the reason that the fruit of the rapid-growing kinds is 

 usually considered superior to that of the Sand-hill plum ; but the 

 advantage to be derived from the grafts is that the flowers and fruit 

 of the Sand-hill plum are almost always liable to develop, while the 

 introduced varieties will only develop when the season is exception- 

 ally favorable for that variety. 



There are many enemies of the introduced species of plums in 

 Kansas ; among them may be mentioned, first, climate, second, insects. 

 Introduced plums are natives of climates moister and less changeable 

 than this during blossoming time. Then, too, particular species of 

 insects that aid in the fertilization of the Japan plum or European 

 plum, for instance, have not been introduced into this state ; and the 

 foreign plum trees not being grown here in great abundance, such in- 

 sects cannot be relied upon if introduced. Foreign trees depend 

 largely upon bees for their perfection, and we do not raise many bees. 



