STONELESS PRUNES 91 



orange, scarlet, crimson, violet, deep blue, almost 

 black, striped, spotted, variegated, and mottled 

 in every way imaginable. 



They ripen from the middle of June until 

 Thanksgiving, and while some varieties are no 

 larger than a cranberry, others are larger than 

 any other plum now generally cultivated, except 

 perhaps the Climax, the Wickson, and Kelsey. 



After a time, no doubt, varieties may be pro- 

 duced with solid flesh throughout, as many seed- 

 lings now have indications of such a condition. 

 The best stoneless plum thus far produced has a 

 strong tendency toward this condition. 



I am often asked how the present plum with 

 stones and seed will be replaced by the stone- 

 less variety. 



Will the ordinary varieties be supplanted 

 within a few years? 



There is no probability of that. It will be a 

 long time before our present orchards are re- 

 placed by trees bearing stoneless fruit. Long 

 years of selective breeding have been required to 

 give the plum its good qualities. To hold to 

 present standards of quality and make the fruit 

 stoneless as well, will require a great amount of 

 time, patience, and effort. 



Of course, with modern methods it can 

 be done in a much shorter time than in the 



