274 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



(Prunus myrobalana), a general all-around stock for plums and 

 prunes. Before this practice was taken up the effort to grow the 

 plum on its own roots generally resulted in getting an orchard full 

 of suckers, and to avoid this, plums were worked on peach roots 

 wherever this root would succeed in the soil to be planted. But 

 some varieties of plums do not take kindly to the peach, and then 

 "double working" (putting first on the peach a plum which is 

 known to take well and then on that plum wood the variety de- 

 sired) was followed. The use of the myrobalan does away with the 

 suckering nuisance, and the need of double working. More than 

 three-quarters of our plums and prunes are now being budded on 

 myrobalan seedlings, and our nurserymen usually have large, thrifty 

 myrobalan trees from which they secure their seed supply. Growing 

 stock from myrobalan cuttings is not practiced. Experience has 

 shown that the myrobalan root thrives in this State both in low, 

 moist, valley lands, in comparatively dry lands, if not too light and 

 leachy, and in stiff upland soils. 



In some soils especially adapted to the peach, peach roots are 

 preferred as stock for the French prune, but, as already said, all 

 plums can not be worked directly on the peach root, the Robe de 

 Sergeant, Columbia, Yellow Egg, Washington, Diamond Tragedy, 

 Grand Duke, and Sugar Prune, for example. Sometimes the bud 

 or scion may make a large growth, but the two woods do not unite, 

 and the trees are likely to break off sooner or later. 



Some work the plum on the apricot root because the apricot root 

 is perhaps more tolerant of a certain amount of alkali in the soil, 

 but sometimes the French prune top parts from the apricot root 

 even after growing some time upon it. There are, however, instances 

 of the French prune thriving, and, apparently making good union 

 with the apricot root ; and some of the softer wood varieties, like the 

 Sugar prune, take kindly to it. 



Some plums do well on the almond root and some do not. The 

 French prune succeeds admirably both when worked on young 

 almond stocks and top grafted in old almond trees. But the almond 

 root is chiefly suited to warm, dry soils. Excellent results from the 

 use of almond stock are reported from the interior valley and the 

 Sierra foothills on soils which are deep and free. 



Propagating by Sprouts. The French practice of growing cer- 

 tain varieties of the plum by means of sprouts from the base of old 

 trees was successfully followed in this State by Felix Gillet, of 

 Nevada City, and was strongly commended by him as securing a 

 tree which will not gum, which is one of the reasons why the same 

 practice prevails in France. Sprouts growing at the foot of old 

 and large trees, and but few are found to each tree, are taken off 

 and planted close together in a bed to make them root well, and the 

 ensuing spring planted in nursery rows, where they are trained like 

 any other trees, and transplanted where to remain, when branched. 

 For this method it is necessary that the parent tree should be upon 

 its own roots, else one is apt to get suckers from a wild stock. 

 Sprout-grown trees can not, however, be defended unless some 



