298 FRUIT-GROWING 



son because there is so seldom any fruit to 

 harvest. Its habit of shy bearing is one of its 

 worst faults though it is also rather tender, 

 and in wet seasons the brown rot is difficult to 

 control. In some sections of the South it is 

 reported as doing well and producing regu- 

 larly. Unless it is known to succeed in your 

 neighborhood it is best left in the nursery. 



Wild Goose 



The name of this plum is as interesting as its 

 history. Many of our plums bear labels that 

 are difficult to account for, but the Wild Goose 

 is certainly entitled to the appellation it has 

 carried for so many years. About 1820 M. E. 

 McCance shot a wild goose in Tennessee. His 

 wife in dressing the goose (that was back in 

 the days when the women did the work), found 

 a plum seed in the craw. This was planted in 

 the garden on the McCances , farm near Nash- 

 ville and the tree which grew from it was called 

 the "Wild Goose tree." 



In this way originated one of the most pop- 

 ular native plums, a variety characterized by 

 hardy healthy trees and by the fact that the 

 fruit is very uniform and is produced in great 

 abundance. During its season, which is rather 

 early, it is the chief plum on the markets in 

 the Central States and is preferred by house- 

 wives for the making of jelly, jam and pre- 



