150 PLUMS. 



can be grown any where in Nebraska and Iowa, 

 and in many of the southern counties of Minnesota 

 and South Dakota. 



There is also a belief among many excellent 

 horticulturists that many of these varieties are self 

 sterile, and cannot be grown successfully without 

 the assistance of other strong pollenizers grown in 

 the immediate vicinity. There is no doubt but 

 this is the case at times, and in some seasons it is 

 more marked than in others, but it is not so com- 

 mon as it is generally believed to be, neither does 

 it require the close proximity to the pollenizing 

 parent that is taught by many. Bees and other 

 insects which are very numerous at the time of 

 blossoming are active agents in distributing this 

 very fine powder to trees near or at a considerable 

 distance. I have known the Russian Mulberry 

 where a single tree stood over a mile from any 

 others to bear a full crop of fruit. This shows to 

 what a distance this pollen may be borne in the 

 air. We could not attribute this to the action of 

 insects, as the female has no perceptible blossom, 

 and bees do not work on it, and it could not have 

 been self- fertilized as it is a purely dioecious plant. 

 The Miner plum is a good illustration of this, but 

 in another direction. It is well known that this is 

 a fitful or spasmodic bearer. It never fails to load 

 with bloom, but will bring a crop of fruit once in 

 two or three and sometimes four years or more. It 

 will be also remembered that when there is a good 

 crop in one part of a given section, it is general 



