ON THE FOUR BEST PRUNES 



of flesh, is entirely freestone, and in general is the 

 best combination drying and shipping prune thus 

 far produced. 



The Conquest prune is similar to the French 

 prune in quality of flesh, and has the stone brought 

 down in size to a mere speck. 



Because of the many characters it is necessary 

 to combine in producing a successful prune, it is 

 probable that the work represented by these four 

 varieties is fully equal to the production of ten 

 times that number of standard plums with, prob- 

 ably, proportionate benefits. 



But from the almost numberless varieties in 

 my orchard, the result of years of selective breed- 

 ing, there will probably arise individuals year by 

 year that will present new and superior combina- 

 tions of qualities; and among these may appear at 

 any time a prune that will surpass my best prunes 

 of the present as markedly as these surpass their 

 predecessors of a generation ago. 



This, indeed, is fully to be expected. Each of 

 my prune trees, with its colony of selected hybrids, 

 may be regarded as a factory admirably equipped 

 for the turning out of new varieties of prunes. 

 Even though it were left to be operated solely by 

 the bees, its mechanism has been so perfected, its 

 equipment is so complete, that it can scarcely fail 

 of its purpose. 



[137] 



