TYPICAL VARIETIES 181 



below La Crosse, Wisconsin, Borne years ago, and 

 introduced bj E3. Marklej . of La ( !rosse. 



The Weaver, a leading native plum, was found 

 wild near Palo, Iowa, l.\ Mr. Weaver; introduced by 

 Ennis & Patten in 1875. 0. .M. Lord tells me thai 

 plums indistinguishable from the Weaver are wild 

 in profusion on the St. Peter or Minnesota River. 



In this way. aboul a hundred choice forms of the 

 native plum of the Northwesi have been gathered and 

 sorted and given names; and they are so much more 

 hardy and reliable in that region than the European 

 type of iilum that they will probablj form the chief 

 foundation from which the future orchard plums of 

 the northern prairie stairs will spring. They are 

 already grown to an important commercial extent. 



Tin Americana Gfroup of Plums 



I' "ill be necessary, before proceeding further 

 with the historical data, to discuss the natural species 

 from whirl, the plums that we have mentioned have 



■'•• The layman maj not know thai the genus 

 Prunus, to which the plums and cherries belong, is 

 "H'' •>!' th.- hard km. is t<> botanists. That i^. the 

 plants are widely variable, and there are few pro- 



"" 'ed or constanl mark- t«. distinguish one type 



of variation from another. The numerous forms 

 grade into each other ><> imperceptibly and inextri- 

 '' ;l,, l> thai th.- genus cannot be readilj broken up int.. 



'- Bui these genera which are the despair of 

 the systematic hotanisl are the inspiration of the evo 

 lutionist In them the philosopher thinks thai he 

 can trace the influences of soil and climate and the 



