NATIVE AMERICAN SPECIES OF PRUNUS. 9 
There are besides the cultivated varieties, known botanically as Prunus domestica, 
many others, native of our own country. They are known under various botanical 
terms, Prunus Chicasa, Prunus Americana, Prunus Maratima [maritima], and in 
general terms called Chicasaw, to the latter of which belong the varieties called Wild 
Goose, Newman, Mountain Plum, Indian Chief, one of the Chicasa family. The 
North and the South can depend for hardiness only upon what we call native varieties. 
Vermont can do little with our cultivated varieties, except in certain localities, and 
so with all the extreme North; while the records from South Carolina, Georgia, Ten- 
nessee, etc., give place only to our native wild varieties. Ohio and westward had 
originally many varieties of wild Plums, from round to oval, color from dark purple 
to red and yellow, time of maturity from September to midwinter, if the latter were 
not gathered. The trade in these native wild plums was at one time a large source 
of profit, but the clearing up of the country has destroyed them as it has blackberries. 
Writing a little earlier than the publication of this later work of 
Elhott, D. W. Beadle (10, p. 118) evidently considers that there are 
possibilities in the species native to Canada, for he says: 
Wild Plums are found growing in all parts of the Dominion, and may by judicious 
cross-fertilization become the foundation of a very hardy and valuable race of Plums. 
Returning to an earlier work, one might expect in so compre- 
hensive a publication as ‘The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America,” by 
A. J. Downing (18, p. 263), to find the native species treated more 
fully than by most other authors. The whole discussion, however, 
is given in a footnote, in which the author says: 
There are three species of wild plum indigenous to this country of tolerable flavor, 
but seldom cultivated in our gardens. 
This is followed by descriptions of the three species Prunus chicasa 
[aneustifolia], P. americana, and P. maritima. Downing refers the 
““Dwarf Texas Plum” of Kenrick to P. angustifolia. The edition of 
this work issued in 1890 still contains the statement originally made 
concerning the native species. 
Barry (6, p. 120-121), in 1852, treats of the American species in 
the following brief manner: | 
The Canada or Wild Plum, which abounds in Ohio, Michigan, and other Western 
States, are distinct species, and reproduce themselves from seed. The seedlings of 
some grow extremely rapid, making fine stocks in one year on any good soil, * * * 
and we have no doubt some native species, as for instance the Beach and Chicasaw 
plums, small trees, will make good dwarf stocks. JI am inclined to think, however, 
that very nice garden trees may be raised on the smaller species of the Canada plum. 
The first year’s growth and even the second are quite vigorous on them, but after that 
the vigor diminishes, and the trees become quite prolific. This and the cherry plum 
will probably become our principal stocks for dwarfing. 
Perhaps the earliest pomological work in which varieties originating 
from native species are described is that of S. W. Peek (60, p. 186), 
published in 1885. The author of this work was the proprietor of 
the Hartwell Nurseries, at Hartwell, Ga., and doubtless his southern 
location accounts for his interest in these varieties, which are, with 
two exceptions, of southern origin. The varieties described are the 
