96 



THE PLUM. 



Paul, although, as a rule, they do not fruit well so far north. All 

 these species readily hybridize together. 



Propagation. — The plum does not come true from seed, al- 

 though there are some varieties which nearly reproduce themselves 

 in this way. However, the seed is sown in order to produce new 

 varieties, and the stocks into which the named kinds are budded 

 or grafted. If the seed is allowed to get very dry before planting 

 it will lie in the ground one year before it will start ; but if it is 

 buried at once after separating it from the flesh it wil], come up the 

 following spring. Seedlings bear in from three to five years from 

 seed. They are generally large enough to graft upon when one 

 year old, and if given plenty of room, in rich soil, are large enough 

 to be budded the first year from seed. 



Nurserymen generally offer plants that are grafted or budded. 

 It matters not by which method they are grown, as long as the root 

 on which they are worked is hardy. For this purpose native seed- 

 lings are most desirable and should be used when possible, but 

 Angustifolia and Hortulana stocks do very well if planted pretty 

 deep. A European form of the plum called Myrobolan is frequently 

 used by nurserymen for stocks, but its use in this section is to be 

 discouTdged, as it does not stand well here. If plums are to be 

 grafted the work should be done very early in the spring, even 

 before the frost is out of the ground. 



Thrifty Suckers make very desirable trees when grown for 

 a year or two in the nursery. They should be taken up with a 

 short piece of the main root 

 from which they grew (Fig. 

 69). If simply pulled up they 

 are often of little value. If 

 the smaller roots around the 

 trees are cut while they are 

 dormant, as in the early fall 

 or early spring, they will read- 

 ily sprout. Most varieties of 

 the plum will grow from 

 pieces of the root made into 

 cuttings about six inches long 

 in the fall of the year and 

 planted out in spring. Such 

 cuttings should be buried in 

 the ground until planted out. 

 One advantage of having trees 

 that are grown from suckers 

 or cuttings is that they are on 

 their own roots and conse- 

 quently any suckers from 

 them will be true to name, 

 while suckers from grafted or 

 budded trees are of little if 

 any value. 



Fig 



.—Plum sprout properly taken 

 up with a piece of the root from 

 which it grew. 



