32 



POMOLOGY 



32. Fruiting of the plum. — It is necessary to divide the 

 plums into groups according to species, as follows: Prunus 

 domestica, P. salicina, and the American species. All, 



however, bear only- 

 simple buds, al- 

 though bracts may 

 appear when the 

 buds open. 

 The Domestica plums 

 often develop a well- 

 defined system of fruit- 

 spurs in which the terminal 

 bud is a leaf-bud (rarely a 

 fruit-bud) . Fruit-buds are 

 axillary both on the one-year- 

 old terminal growth of the tree 

 and on the one-year- 

 old wood of the spur. 

 They are usually borne 

 singly, but it is not uncommon 

 to find two or perhaps three 

 coordinately in the axil of a sin- 

 gle leaf. The bud itself may con- 

 tain one, two, or three flower-buds 

 (the number being somewhat 

 characteristic for the variety) 

 which may open before, with, or 

 after the leaves appear. The 

 spur under some conditions may 

 terminate in a thorn rather than 

 in a leaf-bud. 



The Japanese plums, Prunus salicina, produce axillary 

 fruit-buds only. They are borne on the new wood either 

 singly or in pairs with a leaf -bud between them, or in clusters. 



Fig. 12.— Fruiting habit of the 

 sour cherry. A strongly veg- 

 etative type. 



