4. BULLETIN 179, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Monette (56, p. 48) places it on the White River, about 150 miles 
above its junction with the Mississippi, McCulloh (48, p. 526), on | 
the Red River beyond the ‘‘Wachita.” It was evidently the custom | 
of the Indians of the Southwest to dry fruit for use at other times than 
when it could be gathered fresh from the tree, for De Soto’s narrator 
says (16, p. 119): ; 
For when they came downe from Nicola, they saw on the other side of the river 
new cabins made. John Danusco went and brought the canoes loden with maiz, 
French beanes, prunes, and many loaves made of the substance of prunes. 
This is supposed to relate to a locality on the Mississippi not far 
from the mouth of the Arkansas, and to have been in the latter part | 
of April, 1542. 
Plums are mentioned by Réné Laudonniere (29, p. 369) in ‘‘The 
Description of Florida,’ 1565; by Wiliam Strachey in Virginia, 
writing about 1610; by Francis Higginson, in ‘‘New England’s Plan- 
tation,’ 1630; by Wilham Wood, in ‘‘New England’s Prospect,” 
1635; and by a number of others (5, p. 170-173). 
A little less than a century after the above-named authors gave 
their accounts, John Lawson (41) gave a much better description of 
native fruits, as follows: 
The wild Plums of America are of several sorts. Those which I can give account | 
of from my own knowledge, I will, and leave the others till a farther discovery. The 
most frequent is that which we call the common Indian Plum, of which there are two 
sorts, if not more. One of them is ripe much sooner than the other, and differs in the 
bark; one of the barks being very scaly, like our American Birch. These trees, when 
in blossom, smell as sweet as any jessamine, and look as white as a sheet, being some- | 
thing prickly. You may make it grow to what shape you please; they are very orna- _ 
mental about a house, and make a wonderful fine shew at a distance, in the spring, 
because of their white livery. Their fruit is red, and very palatable to the sick. 
They are of a quick growth, and will bear from the stone in five years, on their stock. 
The English, large black plum thrives well, as does the cherry being grafted thereon. 
The American damsons are both black and white and about the bigness of an 
European damson. They grow anywhere if planted from the stone or slip; bear a 
white blossom, and are a good fruit. * * * Ihave planted several in my orchard, 
that came from the stone, which thrive well amongst the rest of my trees, but they 
never grow to the bigness of the other trees now spoken of. These are plentiful 
bearers. 
There is a third sort of plum about the bigness of the damsons. The tree is taller, 
seldom exceeding ten inches in thickness. The plum seems to taste physically, yet — 
T never found any operation it had, except to make their lips sore, that eat them. — 
The wood is sometimes porous, but exceeds any box, for a beautiful yellow. 
The native plums were observed by John Bartram (7, p. 19) on 
his journey from Pennsylvania to central New York in 1751. ; 
Our way from hence lay through an old Indian field of excellent soil where there 
had been a town, the principal footsteps of which are peach trees, plumbs, and 
excellent grapes. 
Plums were not infrequently found by early voyagers about it 
Indian villages, and in some instances they may have been planted | 
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