58 LUTHER BURBANK 



borne on Japanese plum stock it is not recom- 

 mended that Sugar prunes be grafted upon such 

 stock. Roots of the peach and myrobalan plum 

 make better stocks. Almond roots are also 

 highly commended by some orchardists. 



The seedling bearing the Sugar prune yielded 

 its fruit the second year after grafting. 



At that time I had the French Robe de Ser- 

 geant and German and Italian prunes growing 

 on my Sebastopol place, and it was with these 

 that the Sugar prune was compared. It proved 

 to be superior in all respects to any of them. 



Some of the fruits from the other grafts of 

 this same lot of seedlings bore good plums but 

 not good prunes. The fruits of the others had 

 various faults, such as cracking, too large pit, 

 clingstones, poor drying qualities, late ripening, 

 scant foliage, or susceptibility to disease. 



Several years are always required for the 

 merits of a new fruit to gain full recognition, 

 but the Sugar prune has gained pretty steadily 

 in popularity. More and more growers are 

 working their orchards into this variety, and it 

 is taking the place it deserves, high among the 

 leading prunes of commerce, especially as the 

 tree is a tremendous grower and bearer and is 

 also a good shipper and is proving to be one of 

 the most acceptable fresh fruits in the eastern 



