THE PLUM. 55 



rare to see a plum-tree more than 150 years old. The 

 height varies from 6 ft. to 30 ft. ; but as the larger the 

 tree becomes, the less fruit it bears in proportion to its 

 size and the space occupied, and the worse in point of 

 quality, besides the greater difficulty of gathering it, mag- 

 nitude is by no means desired. Pruning of the roots as 

 well as the branches is resorted to to check its natural 

 luxuriance, and the suckers, which it sends forth more 

 freely than any other fruit-tree, must be removed as soon 

 as they appear i. e., five or six times in the course of 

 the summer or not only will the harvest be deficient, 

 but even the life of the tree will be endangered. Some- 

 times the trees begin to decay internally even when quite 

 young, yet still continue to bear fruit as abundantly as 

 those of more healthy appearance. The different varie- 

 ties are distinguished partly by the surface of the young 

 woods, which in some is smooth, in some downy or co- 

 vered with soft hairs ; partly by the fruit being divided, 

 like Peaches, into those in which the stone adheres firmly 

 to the flesh, and those in which it parts freely ; and an- 

 other very decided mark of difference is seen in the suture 

 or furrow which deeply indents one side of many plums, 

 while in others it is scarcely visible. Some varieties, 

 however, have features so individually characteristic as 

 to be recognized at a glance ; and among these may be 

 classed the universally familiar Damson, valued by the 

 poor for its abundance as much as the Greengage is by 

 the wealthy for its delicacy, growing as it does in every 

 cottage garden, and bringing often enormous crops, and 

 lingering later than any other plum. It is mentioned by 

 Pliny as the Damascene Plum, so called from Damascus 

 in Syria, but introduced long since into Italy; and he 

 remarks further that the stone of this fruit is larger than 

 usual, and the flesh smaller in quality, yet it will never 

 dry so far as to wrinkle, the sun of its native country 

 being needed to produce this effect. We have no quar- 

 rel with it on this ground, and are satisfied to dispense 

 with its drying while it maintains the character of being 

 our best baking plum, thousands of bushels being sold 

 annually both here and in America, to be made into 



