XIII 



The Chic a saws 



HE Chicasaw plums have a char- 

 acteristically southern range, 

 the natural northern limit of the 

 species being along the line 

 from Delaware to Kentucky. 

 Through the southern Atlantic 

 and Gulf states it is widely 

 distributed, being found in 

 dense thickets along streams, at 

 the edges of fields and in various situations, frequently 

 near human habitations. 



From various evidences it seems possible that this 

 species is not native in the southern states, but was 

 introduced there by the Indians. If this be true, the 

 geographical origin of the Chicasaws is very uncer- 

 tain. Their southern range indicates a southern ori- 

 gin, and it is thought that perhaps they came from 

 Mexico. This supposition loses force, however, from 

 the fact that no indigenous species of plum is now 



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