xvi Preface 



Their attitude toward themselves and the rest of the 

 world is rather refreshing and considerably significant. 



Under the circumstances the publication of a 

 book on plums could not be long delayed. 



Plum growing as a special business is being 

 rapidly extended. Iowa, which a few years ago was 

 outside the plum belt, now estimates her average 

 annual crop at 300,000 bushels. In other states the 

 increased production is equally remarkable. 



Plum growing for home consumption has also 

 increased at a wonderful rate. There are still hun- 

 dreds of families in every county who do not have 

 plums enough to eat. There probably always will be; 

 but their number is decreasing. 



One of the principal reasons for the extension 

 of plum culture, both commercially and domestically, 

 lies in the recent introduction of several new species 

 of plums from Asia and the American woods. These 

 have changed the whole face of plum pomology in 

 this country, and have put all the earlier literature 

 of the subject out of date. 



The introduction of these several new species and 

 of hundreds of new varieties naturally complicates the 

 subject enormously. The pomology of plums is in 

 fact the most intricate branch of American horticul- 

 ture to-day. "To the student," says Professor Bailey, 

 "our native and domestic plum flora will long remain 

 the most inviting, perplexed and virgin field in Ameri- 

 can pomology." 



A word must be said about the Pacific coast. 

 Perhaps the largest plum growing interests on the 

 ' continent face the setting sun. Yet, pomologically 

 speaking, Washington, Oregon and California belong 

 rather to Europe than to North America. Their grape 

 culture and their plum culture are alike European, 

 and are of no interest to the country east of the Rocky 



