120 THE NUKSKEY. 



found quite inferior to the horse plum, and as a general 

 thing worthless. 



The Canada or Wild Plum^ which abounds in Ohio, 

 Michigan, and other western States, are distinct species, 

 and reproduce themselves from seed. The seedlings of 

 some grow extremely rapid, making fine stocks in one 

 year on any good soil. They continue in a thrifty, growing 

 state until late in the autumn ; but they should not be 

 worked above the ground in the usual way, as their growth 

 does not keep pace with the species to which most of our 

 cultivated sorts belong. The best way to manage them is 

 to take the yearling seedlings, whip-graft them on the 

 collar, and set them out at once in the nursery rows ; they 

 will make good trees for planting out in three years. 

 The stock is all below the surface of the ground, and in 

 time the graft sends out roots and becomes in a great mea- 

 sure independent of the stock. Where the seedlings are 

 not large enough for grafting the first season, they may be 

 set out in the nursery and allowed to grow one season, and 

 then the earth can be removed from the collar until the 

 graft be inserted, and then drawn up. To j^rocure strong 

 stocks for standard trees of weak growing sorts, like the 

 Green Gage^ such thrifty varieties as the Iinjyerial Gage 

 and Smith's Orleans may be grafted on this native species, 

 and in two or three years they will make stocks strong 

 enough for any purpose. The French use several natural 

 species that are produced from seed — the St. Jidien^ 

 large and small (Brussels of the English), and the Datnas 

 noir^ large and small. The first is generally used for stocks 

 for apricots and peaches as well as plums. We find none 

 of these superior in vigor to the horse plum, but they are 

 worked more successfully. In England, the Brussels^ 

 Broinjpton., and Muscle stocks are used, propagated from 

 both seeds and layers. For small sized garden trees^ 

 either dwarf standards or pyramids, the cherry plum 



