*T8 Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



cies. Its flower buds are not hardier than those of the 

 European plum, and its trunk is more subject to sun-scald. 

 The early opening of its flowers renders it comparatively 

 unfruitful in many localities where its flower buds can en- 

 dure the winter, 



3d. The northern ivilcl plum and its cultivated seedlings 

 {Primus Americana) is native along streams and in copses 

 from west New England to Colorado and Texas. TJie tree 

 is spreading, small and often thorny; the leaves are large, 

 obovate, abruptly pointed, coarsely toothed, conspicuously 

 veined and are never glossy. The fruit is yellow, more or less 

 overlaid with dull red or purple, with a tough and glaucous 

 skin, firm or crisp, sweet flesh and a distinctly margined 

 stone. A division of this species known as ihe Nigra group 

 (Waugh) is distinguished by its large leaves and large, often 

 early-expanding flowers, oblong, oval, often strongly-flat- 

 tened fruit with a large and much compressed stone. 



This species is now considerably grown for fruit in the 

 northern Mississippi valley, where some extensive orchards 

 of it exist. The fruit is becoming popular in the north- 

 western markets, and is mainly used for culinary purposes. 

 The trees or flower buds are rarely damaged by cold in 

 winter. The pistils are often destroyed by a return of cold 

 weather after a premature warm period in spring, though 

 rarely to an extent to destroy the crop. Improved varie- 

 ties of this species are rapidly appearing, the finest of which 

 already rival in favor those of the European and Japanese 

 plums. The harshness of the skin and stone, so noticeable 

 in the wild fruit, disappear under good culture. 



4th. The Wild-Goose jplum and allied forms {Prunus hor- 

 tulana) is a strong, spreading, rapid-growing tree with 

 smooth, straight twigs and a peach-like habit, narrow, 

 thin, smooth, usually shining, closely-toothed leaves, and 



