THE SUGAR PRUNE 



portion to the flesh. The fruit ripens too late to 

 be profitable in some parts of the country, and 

 the risk of having the crop destroyed by the early 

 rains is a serious defect everywhere. Neither is 

 the tree a strong grower, or a very reliable pro- 

 ducer, or of the most symmetrical growth. 



It occurred to me, therefore, when I first 

 took the matter in hand, that among the essential 

 qualifications of the ideal prune at which I must 

 aim would be early ripening and the production 

 of a larger, still sweeter free-stone fruit that would 

 be borne in profusion. 



THE IDEAL PRUNE 



We have had occasion to point out that the 

 common orchard fruits do not breed true when 

 grown from the seed. Explanations of this fact 

 have been given, and fuller explanations will 

 appear in subsequent chapters. 



Here it suffices to note that the prune is no 

 exception to the rule. 



Very seldom does the seed of a prune tree 

 produce a fruit that much resembles the prune. 



Usually the fruits are of all sizes, shapes and 

 colors. They are sweet, sour, bitter, as the case 

 may be. Some of them crack and others remain 

 smooth. The trees on which they grow are many 

 of them ill-shaped, weakly, or subject to disease. 

 Although the parent form may have been an early 



[243] 



