Il8 THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. 



growth in the nursery and plums on peach roots can probably be grown 

 at a less cost than on any other stock. Triflora plums in particular make 

 excellent trees worked upon peach stock, the roots are as hardy as the 

 tops and the union is sufficiently congenial to make the resulting tree 

 long-lived. For the Domestica and Insititia plums the peach stock is not 

 so valuable, for with some varieties a good union is not secured and the 

 roots are less hardy than the tops. Among the varieties which nursery- 

 men say will not unite with the peach are: Lombard, Damsons, Yellow 

 Egg and Washington. Peach borers are sometimes troublesome when 

 plums are budded on peach stocks. 



Mr. Kerr, in his statement regarding stocks, on page 115, says that 

 it is his practice to whip-graft the plum on " whole -root " peach roots 

 obtaining eventually the plum on its own roots. This method is certainly 

 well adapted to Mr. Kerr's conditions but whether it would do in heavier 

 soils and a colder climate is doubtful. One would suspect that some varie- 

 ties of Domesticas and Insititias at least would sprout badly. 



In the South, more particularly Texas and the Southwest, Marianna 

 stocks find favor, though their use seems to be on the decrease. The advan- 

 tages of this stock are such as appeal to the nurserymen rather than to 

 the plum-grower. These are that the Marianna readily strikes root from 

 cuttings and the growth in the nursery is all that can be desired. Cuttings 

 strike more easily in the South than in the North, hence its popularity in 

 the first named region. 



For the colder parts of the Great Plains and as far east as to include 

 Wisconsin, Americana seedlings are the only stocks that will withstand 

 the winter. In this region Americana stocks are, of course, used only for 

 the native plums and data seem to be lacking as to whether other plums 

 cultivated for their fruit could be grown on this stock or not. The W. 

 & T. Smith Company of Geneva report that they are now using Americana 

 seedlings for native plums for their eastern trade, speaking of them as 

 follows: " We think we get a larger growth and a better root system by 

 using the native (Americana) stocks. We also consider that the Flower- 

 ing Almonds, Prunus triloba and Prunus pissardi, make a better growth 

 on native stocks." From the last statement one would suspect that it 

 would be feasible to grow other orchard plums than the native species 

 on this stock. As yet Americana seedlings are expensive, and until they 

 cost less their use in competition with the Myrobalan and peach stocks 

 will be almost precluded. The chief fault of the Americana stock is that 

 the trees sucker rather badly. 



