XXVI.] THE ADVENT OF THE WILD GOOSE. 423 



In this great region the native plums are widely dis- 

 tributed, and the inhabitants often had little choice 

 between cultivating them or none. So, whilst the 

 eastern pomologists, who have written our books, were 

 unconscious of the existence of this new race, or were 

 at least indifferent to it, the native plums were gradu- 

 ally spreading over an immense territory in many 

 varieties. 



With no historian to record the varieties or even 

 to describe them, these plums, picked up in woods 

 and waste places, became greatly confused ; and this 

 perplexity was increased from the fact of the great 

 variability of the forms and the lack of critical 

 knowledge of the botanical status of the types from 

 which they sprung. To the botanist there were two 

 species of native plums producing edible fruit, the 

 common American and the Chickasaw ; and to most 

 pomologists there was only one type — the Wild 

 Goose. The Miner had nearly passed from sight 

 and the Wild Goose had taken its place, and was, 

 in fact, the first native plum widely disseminated. 

 When it first began to be propagated extensively it 

 was sold far and wide by agents, and as it turned 

 out to be self -sterile and was introduced into the east- 

 ern states where it was not needed, the variety, like 

 many other acquisitions which have been indiscreetly 

 praised and distributed, fell into disrepute. I fre- 

 quently see isolated plantations of it in New York, 

 and it is uniformly condemned. Nevertheless, it 

 marks the second epoch in the amelioration of our 

 native plums, and it is still the most popular variety 

 in the regions where these plums are needed. The 

 origin of this Wild Goose plum is curious. It was 



