JAPAN PLUMS IN IOWA. 



EVEN years ago, I planted a 

 few Japanese plums in my 

 trial orchard, that is situated 

 eight miles south of this city. 

 I had been led to believe, by Prof. Budd, 

 that these plums were entirely worthless 

 in our severe climate, he often having 

 stated they were as " tender as weeds," 

 therefore, my surprise was intense, when 

 the second year from planting, my small 

 trees were not only perfectly sound, 

 after the thermometer had registered 

 22" below zero, but were loaded with 

 handsome fruit. Since then, my first 

 experiment with this oriental fruit, I 

 have spared neither money or pains in 

 collecting Japan plums, till I doubtless 

 have the largest number of varieties in 

 the entire North-West. I do not have 

 the ground to set many trees of each 

 variety — two to ten of a kind — except 

 the Burbank. I now perhaps have over 

 50 trees in bearing, most of them just 

 commencing to bear. On the older 

 trees last year I had 25 bush, of these 

 Japs. The Burbank, Normand and 

 Abundance are best in quality, so far as 

 fruited The former is extra fine for 

 canning. These older trees have stood 

 28° below zero, and bore a good crop of 

 fruit ; 1 refer more particularly to the 

 Burbank. Kelsey is the only variety, 

 so far, that winter killed ; it is entirely 

 too tender for this latitude. My object 

 in planting these plums was not so much 

 for commercial fruit, as to secure new 

 seedlings cross-fertilized with our best 

 natives, for I firmly believe all our best 

 plums for this Praiiie region must come 

 from our native species, and my faith is 



backed up by a collection of over 100 

 varieties of our best improved natives, 

 that gave me over 200 bushels of fruit 

 last season : of many of these, like the 

 Japans, I have but a few trees on trial. 

 Some of these natives are better in qual- 

 ity than most of the Japs, but the latter 

 possess other qualities that our natives 

 do not possess. Some of these are 

 extremely small pits, and long keeping 

 and shipping qualities. In my judg- 

 ment — judging from my success with 

 these Japan plums — they have come to 

 stay, if for no other purpose than indi- 

 cated in this article, inter breeding with 

 our hardy natives, and in the near future 

 evolving a new race of plums that will 

 be far superior to either species. I 

 select the Japanese for this purpose, 

 because they are very closely allied 

 botanically to our natives, hence, easily 

 cross with them ; also their beautiful 

 color and extremely smalt pits make 

 them more desirable for the purpose 

 indicated, than the domestic class. I 

 have found the first and second winter, 

 after setting these plums, the most criti- 

 cal, for after that they seem to become 

 more acclimated, perhaps also the rooted 

 system becomes better established, so 

 the vital forces of the tree become 

 stronger, and hence can resist extreme 

 temperature far better than when first 

 set out As I further test these plums 

 and their American seedlings, I shall be 

 glad to give my report of their success 

 or failure to the readers of your valuable 

 journal. 



A. B. Dknnis. 

 Cedar Rapids, Lnva. 



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