Pollination 299 



Miner group. — These varieties are best pollinated 

 by the Americanas or by other varieties of the same 

 group. 



Americana group. — The sexual affinities of this 

 group with the Chicasaws have already been dis- 

 cussed above. The standing of the Americanas toward 

 the members of the Wildgoose group is much the 

 same. Americana varieties are usually best pollinated 

 by others of the same group or by such sorts as Miner, 

 Maquoketa or Forest Rose, of the Miner group. 



Amount of pollen produced. — The question next in 

 order in selecting a pollenizer is the amount of pollen 

 which it produces. A plum to be a good pollenizer 

 should bear an abundance of pollen. Varieties differ 

 in this respect. The same variety may differ also one 

 year with another, or in one locality as compared with 

 another. Beyond the mere fact that these variations 

 are somewhat common, not much is known about' this 

 subject. The Chicasaw varieties as a class seem to 

 be good pollen bearers, especially such varieties as 

 Newman, Clark and Pottawattamie. Wildgoose bears 

 abundant pollen under most circumstances, although 

 it is one of the most notably self-sterile varieties in 

 general cultivation. Sophie, on the other hand, be- 

 longing to the same group, seems to be deficient in 

 pollen bearing. Some of the hybrid plums just com- 

 ing into cultivation seem to be especially subject to 

 contabescence, or defectiveness of the male flower or- 

 gans. Although our knowledge of this subject is se- 

 riously limited, it ought to be taken into account, as 

 far as it goes, in selecting varieties for cross-pollination. 



Fruiting value. — We now come to the question 

 of the value of the pollenizer as a fruit bearer. It is 

 a good thing for a plum tree to bear pollen, but it is 

 still better if the same tree will bear an abundance of 



