PLUM AND PRUNE PROFITS 173 



Thus, a single foot of wood gives enough buds 

 to graft a strong, vigorous, young tree ; and from 

 that tree enough wood may be taken next year 

 to graft nearly an acre of orchard. After that, 

 of course, the supply is practically unlimited. 



Thus the cost of securing a plum or prune 

 orchard of the very choicest variety is absolutely 

 insignificant; to say nothing of the fact that the 

 enterprising purchaser, when he has demon- 

 strated the value of the new product, can sell 

 grafting wood to his neighbors in such quanti- 

 ties as to pay back many times over his original 

 outlay even though, as sometimes happens, he 

 makes the sales at only a fraction of the price 

 charged by the original introducer. 



In this way, it is clear, any orchardist who pur- 

 chases cions of a new stock may quickly enter 

 into competition with the original producer or 

 the firm that has purchased the right. Often 

 the second man that comes into the field may take 

 advantage of the advertising done by the first, 

 and quite possibly make as great a profit as the 

 producer and the original introducer. And each 

 local nurseryman may in turn take up the work 

 of distribution, supplying the local demand. 



So the few feet of grafting stock that the 

 original plant developer sold for a mere fraction 

 of what it had cost him to produce the new 



