134 



THE ORIENTAL PLUMS AND THE GOUML 



to call a spade a spade, and not call a mattock a 

 "grub," nor a small variety of oak or pine a 

 "scrub," instead of a shrub — as though we had 

 learned our English of somebody's coachman in- 

 stead of our fathers and mothers. 



In private conversation, when it comes to grass- 

 names, we must do the best we can to be agreeable, 

 of course. But in public let it be understood that 

 PJde!0ii* is shorter and easier to speak, besides be- 

 ing older, more exact, unmistakable, and of far 

 wider currency than any other name for the same 

 thing. So IS ^ Dacty/is — likewise | fc/on?///;;?. More 

 and more people would be using these and other 

 scientific terms if writers and speakers would not 

 go crawling after vulgarities that else would soon 

 be forgotten. Nobody, black or white, will sit in a 

 negro pew, or ride in a second-class car if they can 

 help it. Why not take first-class names ? And for 

 naturalists to deal in nick-names when they have 

 the world's proper names for things at their tongue's 

 end, looks as if they were hedging the people out 

 from their craft instead of inviting them in like lib- 

 erally educated and liberal men. 



In a former number of the Garden a Paris cor- 

 respondent saw some fine turf grass he admired in 



[*Herd's-grass or Timothy, f Orchard grass, or Rough Cock's- 

 fool. g Sweet Vernal grass.— Ed.] 



the skirts of the city, but he didn't tell what it was, 

 and so lost one chance to please Mrs. Tarryer and 

 interest thousands of people who are inquiring. 



Years ago, while Mr. Meehan was conducting the 

 famous controversy among orchardists about the 

 propriety of growing grass under fruit-trees, my 

 feeling was that both sides might be in the right if 

 only the grasses they favored or objected to were 

 named. The discussion led to no economic com- 

 mon-sense because "grass" in those times may 

 have included all the legumes as well as grains that 

 could be grown in an orchard. Had anyone given 

 the names of grasses in the dispute — discriminating 

 between such dwarfs as Poa annua and trwalis, and 

 a deep-rooted thing like D. glomcrata, saying the 

 weak turf of the former could do the trees no harm 

 while making the ground tidy and keeping fallen 

 fruit out of the dirt ; but that the latter on thin 

 soils must rob trees of moisure and fertility, then 

 the question of grass under fruit-trees would not 

 be so unsettled to-day, and we should be farther 

 along in the names and individual uses of our com- 

 mon grasses. New names of plants, like those of 

 new states, towns, postoffices and young babies are 

 to be expected, and will affect only those who meet 

 with the things the names apply to. 



THE ORIENTAL PLUMS AND THE GOUML 



Out of the 17 varieties of Oriental plums, I fruited 10 

 varieties last season. I find them much better adapted 

 to the south than any plums which have come under my 

 notice; most of them are curculio-proof, prolific and of 

 good flavor. In size they range from that of the Wild 

 Goose to that of a large hen's egg. They have given 

 me a succession of fruit from the latter part of May to 

 the middle of August, and the Kelsey, which is the 

 latest, will extend the season into September. I think 

 that they will bring fancy prices in the northern mar- 

 kets. I believe that it would be good policy for the 

 strawberry growers of the south to set out half of their 

 plantations to these plums and raise fruits for northern 

 shipment. 



In all the Gulf States these plums thrive and grow to 

 perfection. I see reports from a few of the eastern and 

 western states to the effect that the few that have been 

 tried are found to be hardy, except the Kelsey, which is 

 the tenderest. I hardly think that the Kelsey will do 

 much above the fig belt, while the others, such as Satsu- 

 ma, Hattonkin i and 2, Yasobe, Sweet Botan, UraBeni, 

 Engre, Chabot, Yellow Japan, Ogan and Masou will do well 

 far north as Missouri an d Kentucky. The Botonkio is 

 the only variety that blooms too early. The frost 



generally catches it in full bloom here. I suppose that 

 it will be reliable where the Peen-to peach is grown. 

 Most of the other varieties bloom with or after the 

 Wild Goose. The widely circulated statements that 

 these plums will not thrive above the orange belt have 

 hindered their introduction into the north. Many still 

 believe that geographical adaptation of this fruit is with 

 that of the semi-tropical fruits. 



The Goumi is an interesting little fruit with which we 

 are now becoming familiar. It is the KLeagniis pungens 

 of botanists. The leaves of this shrub are evergreen, 

 the under side silvery white. The fruit is oblong, like 

 the cranberry, and is said to be fine for jellies, owing to 

 its sub-acid qualities. It has the taste of the strawberry, 

 but is slightly puckery, like the persimmon. It is prop- 

 agated from the seed, and bears quite young. I have 

 plants two feet high loaded with fruit. It is a pretty 

 sight to see such lilliputian plants in full bearing. The 

 shrub is perfectly hardy in Avoyelles parish. I do not 

 know if it will succeed farther north, but it certainly 

 deserves a trial, as it could easily be protected on very 

 cold days, owing to its dwarf habit. 



Central Louisiana. J. L. Normand. 



