THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 105 



attributes has been produced by similarity of environment. This 

 conviction of their kinship with our native species and the knowledge 

 that they come from the eastern Asian region from which we draw 

 so many of our adaptive plants, has led me to recommend them strongly 

 for trial even in our more trying fruit regions ; and recent reports in- 

 dicate that some varieties bear so far north as Ottawa, Ontario, and 

 in the trying winters of central Iowa ; and one, at least, of Professor 

 Budd's Russian plums is of this species. Several pomologists have 

 been struck with this similarity of the Japanese and native types; 

 and, strangely enough, Dr. A. B. Dennis, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 

 endeavoring to explain this relationship, in a recent paper before his 

 state horticultural society, by supposing a former land connection 

 between northwestern America and Asia, has independently hit upon 

 one of the important points in the coincident evolution of the Japa- 

 nese and eastern American floras, the discussion of which, over thirty 

 years ago, made Asa Gray famous. 



It may be well, in passing, to consider for a moment the possible 

 effect of this new class of plums upon the further development of our 

 native species. I am sorry to hear from some of my friends who have 

 given careful attention to the amelioration of the natives, that they 

 shall now relax their efforts upon the native types and accept the 

 Japanese sorts in their stead. It is true that the Japanese plums are 

 now better in their fruit, for all that we can see, than the natives, but 

 we can depend upon it that they will develop weak points somewhere, 

 even in comparison with the little-improved natives ; and we should 

 further consider that all types of plums now in the country, or likely 

 to come in, add variety and diversity to the foundation upon which 

 our horticulture must build, and make it possible to develop fruits 

 for every variety of country and use. And if the Japanese plum 

 promises more for large areas of our country than the European or 

 Domestica type, because of its evolution in conditions somewhat like 

 our own, certainly the native si^ecies must possess still greater prom- 

 ise. The native species are yet scarcely rescued from the woods, 

 while the other two have been cultivated for centuries ; but, while 

 the latter have sprung from a single species in their respective coun- 

 tries, our native stock offers at least a half-dozen species, and it is 

 from them, without a doubt, that the greater part of the American 

 plum industry will some day be found to have sprung. • 



Nomenclature and classification of varieties. — There is much 

 confusion in the nomenclature of the Japanese plums. If the varie- 

 ties imported from Japan have been named at all, they have usually 

 come as Botan or Botankio, Hattankio or Sumomo ( generally written 

 Smomo); but these names refer to classes or groups of varieties, and 



