NATIVE AMERICAN SPECIES OF PRUNUS. 15 
- tion with the natural distribution of Prunus munsomana, to which the 
Newman belongs. Mr. Elliott says: 
In my earlier days I frequently met with wild plums in Ohio and have often done 
so in Missouri, that were almost if not quite identical, and in the years 1836 to 1845, or 
thereabouts, they were abundant in the markets of all the western towns and cities. 
The variety Newman is again described and figured by D. L. Adair 
(1, p. 142), fram whom Mr. Elliott received his specimens, but the 
origin of the variety is not given. Mr. Adair was evidently somewhat 
of an enthusiast in the development of native fruits and apparently 
enumerated all of the varieties of native plums known to him. These 
were the Newman, Langsdon, Miner, Muldraughs Hill, and Wild Goose. 
The Langsdon, as described and figured, appears to be Prunus hor- 
tulana. The Muldraughs Hill is said to have been found wild on 
Muldraughs Hill, Hardin County, Ky., and is evidently P. americana, 
probably being the first-named variety belonging to that species. It 
has apparently not been grown to any extent, at least not under that 
name. The Wild Goose, the first representative of the second species 
to become prominent horticulturally, is perhaps the most widely dis- 
seminated and best known of any variety of the native species. The 
history of its origin is given by Miller (52; 53), as follows: 
This invaluable fruit was first made known to the public about twenty years ago by 
Capt. Means, of Middle Tennessee, who, having killed a wild goose, discovered a plum 
seed in it, which he planted, out of curiosity. It grew rapidly, and fruited the third 
year; and being convinced of its superior qualities, he made it known to various 
nurserymen, who, from this same, propagated all the genuine Wild Goose plums that 
are now so deservedly popular wherever known. This plum is undoubtedly a seedling 
of the Chickasaw, but so much superior to it in size, quality, firmness, adaptability to 
shipping long distances, and its immense productiveness, as well as its early bearing, 
rapid growth and long duration, as to fully entitle it to a distinct appellation. 
In the later account this writer says that the gentleman who first 
made it known lived in the vicinity of Nashville, and that until within 
a few years it had been controlled by a few propagators, but that it 
was then becoming known generally throughout the Mississippi 
Valley and in some of the Western States. An orchard of this 
variety in southwestern Tennessee was then 15 years old. 
The history of the origin of the Wild Goose plum is also given by 
J.S. Downer (17, p. 116) and by L. H. Bailey (5, p. 176), who gives 
substantially the same account as that given by Mr. Downer. There 
was evidently, as in the case of the Miner, a disposition to give the 
eredit of the discovery of this variety to more than one individual, 
for in the American Horticultural Annual of 1870 (62), among the 
varieties of the previous year, the following statement is made: 
Specimens of the Wild Goose plum were sent us by Mr. Samuel A. Barber, of Madi- 
son, Tenn., who claims that the original tree ‘‘was raised by M. E. McCance, my 
father-in-law, from seed taken from a wild goose’s craw.”’ 
