116 THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 



stock to be used in general habit and vigor of growth, the better will 

 be the prospects for health and longevity in the tree. 



For the European plums, such as Lombard, Green Grage, and Brad- 

 shaw, probably no stock is better than seedlings of some variet}^ of 

 the species from which these varieties came — P. domestiea. These 

 have been in common use for many years, but in recent years have 

 been in some degree superseded by Myrobalan stocks (seedlings of 

 jP. cerasifera, a species of European origin), Myrobalan stocks are 

 in common use in European countries, and have rapidly grown in 

 favor with our nurserymen, not because better trees can be grown 

 upon them, but because it is easier to secure good Myrobalan than 

 good domestiea stock. Seeds of domestiea varieties that will pro- 

 duce an even stand of stocks is difficult to obtain, and the Myrobalan, 

 which is easier to grow and less liable to injury from parasitic fungi, 

 oflfers an acceptable substitute. Some nurserymen import the seeds 

 and grow their own stocks ; others find it more profitable to import 

 the seedlings. They are usually received during the winter, planted 

 in nursery rows in spring, and budded in July and August. 



In the South, the stocks in common use are the Marianna plum 

 and the peach, and very diverse opinions as to their relative merits 

 have been expressed. Probably the differences arise from varying 

 local conditions, for the testimony at hand indicates that on the light 

 and dry soils the peach stock does best, while the Myrobalan is better 

 suited to the heavier and more moist soils. Even at the North the 

 peach meets with some favor as a stock for plums on light soils, but 

 it is too tender for districts where severe winters are common. For 

 the native varieties. Wolf, Weaver, De Soto, and other derivatives of 

 P. amerieana, the natural inference that amerieana stocks would be 

 best seems to be borne out by experience, bat the degree of success 

 may depend in a measure upon the seed used. The species is ex- 

 tremely variable in general habit and rapidity of growth as well as in 

 the fruit produced. 



Seeds from which to grow stocks should be chosen from vigorous, 

 free-growing trees only. The progeny of such trees will most nearly 

 accord with the varieties to be propagated and better insure the future 

 of the tree. Seeds are obtained in the fall, separated from the pulp, 

 mixed with sand, and kept in a cool, moist place during the winter. 

 If they can be frozen and thawed several times, so much the better, 

 for they will then more readily crack under the pressure of the swell- 

 ing embryo. In spring they are sown in seed-beds of deeply stirred, 

 rich soil. In the fall the seedlings are lifted, sorted, and packed away 

 in sand in a cool pit or cellar. The following spring they may be 

 planted in nursery rows, to be budded in July and August. 



