THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 115 



grower will exercise the same care in handling that is given other 

 fruits, and will place them on the market in the same attractive pack- 

 ages, the demand which already exists will be greatly stimulated. 



PROPAGATION OF THE PLUM. 



Most varieties of plums have come to us as seedlings, selected and 

 retained because of their good qualities ; they show development or 

 variation from wild types in varying degree, but, with all, the depar- 

 ture is such that we cannot reproduce them through the seed, and, in 

 order to maintain them, we are forced to adopt other means. 



All varieties are peri3etuated by either budding or grafting, usually 

 on plum stocks. The kinds available as stocks are various, and ex- 

 hibit as great differences as apj^ear between the varieties to be propa- 

 gated. No one stock can be regarded as perfectly satisfactory for 

 general use with all varieties, and it follows that care and thought 

 must be exercised in making choice of what shall be used. 



The character of the soil, whether light or sandy, or verging on 

 the other extreme of heavy clay, and the general features of the cli- 

 mate will largely govern this choice, but consideration must also be 

 given to the characteristics of the varieties to be propagated. 



The desirable varieties have parentage in widely different species, 

 each of which has characteristics peculiarly its own. The derivative 

 varieties follow more or less closely after the i^arent species, inherit- 

 ing habits, likes, and dislikes, which must be regarded if we achieve 

 success in their management. Even among derivatives of the same 

 species we may find varieties sufficiently different to call for the use 

 of different stocks and different methods of treatment. This would 

 be looked for among the varieties that have been under cultivation, 

 for the longest periods, and is due to the fact that the variation and 

 development from the original type has not been along parallel lines. 

 Differences in climate, in food sujaply and in general environment 

 have led to divergence, resulting in races which possess distinctive 

 and well-marked characters. Some knowledge, therefore, of the his^ 

 tory and derivation of varieties is essential to the propagator in order 

 that he may make intelligent selection of the stock upon which to work 

 his profitable varieties. Successful propagators, well versed in the; 

 history of varieties and in the principles of culture, will, however, often 

 differ in their estimate of available stocks, just as they will differ on 

 methods of practice. Strong-growing varieties are not suited to very 

 slow-growing stocks, because they overtop them and the trees are 

 short-lived. On the other hand, success does not follow the attempt 

 to force a slow-growing variety by working it uj^on a rank-growing 

 stock. The nearer the variety to be grafted corresponds with the 



