RANGE OF TIU: NATIVE PLUMS 173 



called "mountain cherry" in parts of Maryland and 

 Virginia, John Smith's Language is very similar, and 

 it is probably the source of Strachey's information: 

 "They have cherries, and those arc much like a Dam- 

 Ben : lmt for their tastes and colour, we called them 

 Cherries." The other plum mentioned by Strachey is 

 probably a form of Prunus Americana, or possibly 

 some large-fruited form of the Chickasaw plum. 



Tin Xiifin Plums in (1> in ral 



It is not my purpose to make an inquiry into the 

 early records <>t wild plums, lmt merely to mention 

 tin- fad thai the colonists were attracted by the fruit, 

 and that they seemed to think it worthy of improve- 

 ment. This improvemenl <li'l not develop, however, 

 until tin- present century, and even then it was not 

 tin- outcome of any direct effort at a definite object, 

 hut only the aggregate result of bringing together 

 such wild or chance varieties as attracted tin- attention 

 of lovers of fruit. It i> interesting to notice, also, 

 that these varieties originated or were discovered in 

 parts of the country which were being newly settled. 

 The greal territory of New England, New York, Penn- 

 sylvania and Michigan bas never produced a variety of 

 Dative plums which has been named and attained 

 to any prominence. This is parti} due to the fact 

 that the wild plum- of this great region, while of the 

 same Bpecies a- those in the upper Mississippi valley, 

 are [egg prolific of large-fruited tonus than those 

 farther west. It i- chiefty due. however, to the cir- 

 cumstance that the European plum thrives admira- 

 bly in this geographical region, and there was, there- 



