146 CROP PRODUCTION 



successfully. California and other Pacific Coast states 

 grow these varieties in enormous quantities, leading the 

 world in prune production. About the year 1900 it was 

 estimated that 150,000,000 pounds a year were produced 

 in this region. Most prunes are made from dark colored 

 plums, but improved sorts of light colors are now coming 

 into use. 



2. TflE Damson Plums. These are small blue plums 

 formerly very popular for sauce and preserves. They 

 were grown largely around the homes of the early settlers 

 and have become wild in many locaHties. They are 

 pictured on page 143. 



3. The Green Gage Plums. These are rather small 

 plums, green or yellow green when ripe. They are of 

 excellent quality for preserves, but are less grown now 

 than formerly. Reine Claude is typical of this group. 



4. The Yellow or Golden Plums. These are 

 distinguished by their large size and yellow color. They 

 include some good varieties, such as Coe's Golden Drop. 



5. The Purple Plums. These are the well-known 

 plums, like the Lombard, having red, blue, or purple 

 skins, and of medium or large size. A large proportion 

 of the commonly grown varieties belong to this group. 



Culture and Enemies 



, The Domestica Plums are most successful on a com- 

 paratively heavy soil, although they may be grown to 

 advantage under a great variety of conditions. When 

 grafted upon the peach they succeed in sandy soils. In 

 the great regions adapted to their growth climatically 

 they are justly favorites in home gardens as well as in 



