The Plum. 79 



roundish, bright-red or yellow, juicy, thin-skinned fruit, 

 with a strongly clinging, thick, small, pointed stone. A 

 division known as the Miner group (Bailey) is distin- 

 guished by duller, thicker, wider, more veiny leaves and 

 by a smoother stone. 



This species, which is wild in parts of the Mississippi 

 valley, is regarded by some botanists as a hybrid between 

 Prunus Americana and Primus Chicasa. The fruit is less 

 crisp and sweet than that of Prunus Americana, which, 

 with its more clinging stone, makes it less desirable for des- 

 sert use; the flower buds are also less hardy, which renders 

 the species unproductive in the northern Mississippi valley. 



5th. The Chickasaw plum (Primus Chicasa or P. ongus- 

 tifolia) is a slender tree, with smdll, nar|i-ow, shining, 

 trough-like leaves, and small, gloss}^ red or fellow, dotted 

 fruits, with thin skin and soft, juicy flesh closely clinging- 

 to the small, broad, roughish stone. It is vfWA from Dela- 

 ware, south and west to east Kansas and Texas. The 

 flower buds are often destroyed in winter in the northern 

 Mississippi valley. 



The fruit of this species is decidedly smaller and less 

 highly flavored than that oi Prunus Americana, and is suit- 

 able only for culinary uses, for which it is especially desir- 

 able. 



The trees of the different species of plum are hardy 

 throughout the United States and Southern Canada, when 

 their trunks are prevented from sun-scald. 



Hybrid plums. A number of hybrids have been artifi- 

 cially produced between certain of the above species, espe- 

 cially between the Japanese plum and others. The European 

 plum apparently resists hybridization more than the other 

 species. As the hybrids increase in number, it will doubt- 



