PLUM 



8. The Sand Plum, Prunus angusiifolia, var. Watsoni. 

 NatiTe to Kansas and Nebraska. A bush-like species, 

 little known in cultivation. A hybrid of this and the 

 Western Sand Cherry is the Utah Hybrid Cherry. 



9. The Beach Plum, Prunus maritima. Native to the 

 coast from New Brunswick to Virginia. In cultivation 

 represented by the unimportant Ba^sftt's American; 

 also as an ornamental plant. 



10. The Pacific coast Plum J lit. 

 Native to Oregon and California ^j iii,U kii wii in 

 cultivation, chiefly in the form kn w ii i tlj si sin 

 Plum (var. Kelloijgii.) 



The Plum of history is PiHiiic ihmestiea It is to 

 this species that general pomologic il literature applies 

 It gives us the prunes (which see) Perhaps it would 

 be serviceable to classify the Domestica Plums into five 

 general groups, although anj classification is arbitraiy 

 at certain points : 



(a) Prunes, characterized b} sweet firm flesh ind 

 capable of making a commercial dried product Thej 

 may be of any color, although blue purple piunes iie 

 best known. Some of the prunes are grown in the 

 East as ordinary market Plums being sold in the 

 fresh state. Almost any Plum can be made into diied 

 prunes, but the varieties used commerciallj for this 

 purpose constitute a more or less distinct class of firm 

 and thick-fleshed kinds. In the East prune is nothing 

 more than a varietal name. See Pntne 



(6) Damsons, comprising ver\ small hrm Plums of 

 various colors, generally borne in clusters the leaves 

 mostly small. The run-wild Plums of old roadsides 

 and farmyards are mostl) of the Damson tjpe 

 Fig. 185fi. 



(c) The green gages, comprising various small, 

 green or yellow-green Plums, of spherical form and 

 mostly of high quality. Reine Claude is the common- 

 est representative of this group in the East. The 

 name Green Gage often stands for a group rather than 

 for a variety. 



((J) Large yellow Plums, such as Coe Golden Drop, 

 Washington, and the like. 



(e) Large colored Plums, including the various 

 red, blue, and purple varieties, like the blue prunes, 

 Lombard, Brad^haw, Quackenboss, etc. 

 The Japanese Plums (Pninns trUloru) differ from 

 the Domesticas in having longer, thinner, smooth and 

 mostly shining leaves, smooth twigs, a greater tendencv 

 to the production of lateral fruit-huds c.u the annual 

 growth, and mostly rounder or slmrter fruits with col- 

 ors running more to .•lie.ri-\ -reds :nid liL'lit yellows. 

 Most of the varieties aie .i.. h.n.h is the Domestiea 

 series. The Japaiie^r- \ ni. ti.^ ai- nii|"'i r.uit because 

 they add variety to the li-t ami . -|i. . i ilh I ause they 



-Peter Yellow Qaee 



it carries well; aside from this, the trees are vigorous 

 and very productive, and they are less liable to injuries 

 from black-knot and curculio than the Domesticas are. 



The native Plums, chiefly offspring of Prunus Amer- 

 icana, P. angusiifolia and\P. hortulana (the last name 



PLUM 1373 



now believed to represent a hybrid class), represent a 

 wide rangeof varieties. Those from Prunus Amiricana 

 parentage are very hardy and are adapted to r.-iricms in 

 which the Domestiea and .Japanese ty]te^ ar- i. lal- a. 

 as in northern New England, parts of (ai 

 northern Plains states. Those partakiiis; 

 P. anqustifolin parentage, „,„! the -reatei 



n a variety of 

 t when planted 

 best on lands 



vhich Plums are grown are v 

 ireater number of the trees 

 n upon the Jlyrobalan stock 



fniit h,,.,k^ t.ii th, II, ikin_ 

 the t..|. is k. pt ".11 h.a.l. .1 

 normal gnm-th upc.n it. Tr 

 usually larger and finer at 

 those grown upon other Pin 

 is that they are nearly as us 

 point as any ..tli. i ' II.nv 

 ties that o\,i,n ^^ lie M 

 likely 



le or two years of age than 

 1 stocks, and the probability 

 ul from the grower's stand- 



111, tliei. .in ^cine varie- 



l.ih.Iil, n:.\ tie stock is 



luhle 



h. _iM\\ I I I Ills to be 



\iii th li II ,1 very 



iii,l\ hind- III I III t I I I- ]iroba- 

 1 iiiii- I hill tlie JUrei.ahai itself. 

 I. h lamiliard and French Dam- 

 1 .1 I ike well on the peach. The 

 mill II 1\ worked upon the peach. 

 hi h IS much recommended in 

 t 'III 1 I i\er in the North. Some 

 . II. 1 ^ lew and crooked growers 

 in the nursem- that ii i^ .ulvisable to top-graft or 

 bud them on sdiiu- ^tnini.' ami straight stock. The Lom- 

 bard is no doubt the best stock for this purpose now 

 grown by nurserymen. The old Union Purple is one of 

 the best stocks, but it is not much grown at the present 





varieties of 



