174 THE EVOLUTION- OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



fore, little need of giving- any attention to the inferior 

 natives; and at the present time the fruit-growers 

 of the East care little for and know less of these 

 native fruits. The European plums thrive so well 

 in these states and adjacenl territory thai they have 

 become spontaneous along roadsides and in copses in 

 many places, where they hear an annual abundance 

 of little fruits which are commonly called damsons, 

 and which are gathered for use in making conserves. 

 Even as early as 1GG3, John Josselyn writes as 

 follows of some of the fruits of New England : 

 "The Quinces, Cherries, Damsons, set the Dames 

 a work, Marmalad and preserved Damsons is to be 

 met with in every house. It was not long before 

 I let! the Countrey that I made Cherry wine, and 

 so may others, for there are good store of them both 

 red and black." 



In Virginia and southward, however, the European 

 plum does not thrive so well, and the inhabitants of 

 those region--, previous to the presenl generation, have 

 not been noted for their attention to horticultural 

 industries. The result has been that no plum indus- 

 try has developed in the South until verj recently. 

 Yet tin' wild plums have long been gathered and 

 employed in domestic uses, as, indeed, they have in 

 thinlj settled portions of Ontario and other parts of 

 the northwestern territory. Bui it appears to have 

 been chiefly in the newlj settled regions, as I have 

 said, thai these large-fruited native plums have been 

 sorted out ami named. The settlers often suffered for 

 lack of fruit, and were, therefore, eager to seize upon 



the native productions. Sometimes thoe plums were 



carried into the new country bj the emigrants, and 



