THE STONELESS PLUM 57 



grown without stones, since the experiment of 

 removing the stones from a large number of 

 varieties can now be followed up without great 

 difficulty. 



The pioneer work has been done, and the 

 cross breeding of my best present varieties of 

 stoneless plums, to secure all the desirable 

 qualities of any existing plum, may readily be 

 effected. 



Even though the fruit should not be of better 

 quality in other respects than that which it sup- 

 plants, the fact that the elimination of the stone 

 permits an increased abundance of fruit, to say 

 nothing of the value of the stoneless fruit itself, 

 will offer an inducement that the progressive 

 fruit raiser will find conclusive. 



It should be added that the plum which has 

 been induced to vary in the matter of seed pro- 

 duction, is not always content merely to have 

 cast out the stone but sometimes tends to 

 eliminate the seed itself. 



THE SEED ALSO MUST Go 



One of my stoneless plums has nothing but a 

 jellylike substance to take the place of the seed. 

 It is probable that plums actually seedless as 

 well as stoneless will prove favorites with some 

 fruit growers. 



