The plum is a popular fruit, and we may look for a great increase in its cultivation in the East and a great increase of the fruit in the markets. Of our native plums there are varieties without end. The Nigra group is for the far-off Northwest, and they will give those people a hardy fruit for their inhospitable climate. The Miner group is for the Eastern United States. The Way-land group is a hardy group. The Wild Goose group is the profitable group for the East south of New York and his cousin in the West. The Chickasaw is the group for the South of our country.

There are the Waisoni group, the Marianna group, the Maritima, the Prunus Besseyan (the sand cherry), the mongrels, and others not yet classified. Truly a great class of fruits, and one destined to do great good as it goes on in its evolution to perfect types.

The next type of plums is the Triflora group, or the Japan plums. Much of this fruit comes to us now from California, and the beautiful large plums we see in the fruit stores are mostly from this source. Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey are growing them now in perfection, and our supply of the future will be, much of it, from these States. The best varieties are the Abundance, Berckmans, Burbank, Hale, Kelsey, Kerr, Red June, White Kelsey, Yosebe, and Chabot.

Plums, apricots, nectarines, and prunes are somewhat stronger food than peaches, especially in carbohydrates. The fuel value per pound of plums is 390; of fresh prunes, 300; of dried prunes, 1360; of nectarines, 305; of apricots, 270. Many of the old plums may still be found in market, and among the best are the Lombard, the Red Gage, Smith's Orleans, Washington, Green Gage, Imperial Gage, Damson, and others.

Fresh Prunes

If we get fresh prunes here in the East they probably come from California. Prunes are plums, - that is the long and the short of it A fresh prune is a plum of a variety which when dried in a peculiar way makes the dried prunes or prunes of our market. A dry climate suits them best, and this is why California is running away from France in this industry. In France they are kiln dried. In California they are sun dried, a better and much cheaper method. There is a large prune industry developing in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Here they are nearly all cured in evaporators by artificial heat, and of course it costs more than the California method.

Prunellos are plums, sometimes called Prunelles. They are dried and packed in regular masses like dates, and come in boxes or mats. They cook fairly well and make good food of their kind.

Date Plum

Some species of this tree produce ebony, and are valuable trees. They are of the genus Diospyros, belonging to the natural order Ebenacea. The chief species from which the fruit comes is the Diospyros Kaki, or Chinese date plum. Our common persimmon is of this genus, the Diospyros Virginiana, and is quite a good fruit after it has been well frosted and developed its sugar. We are all familiar with dates, how they come in mats. They have a good flavor, and are a useful fruit for many purposes.

The Diospyros Kaki gives us the Japanese persimmon. We see them in market fresh from California, and some from as far north as Maryland. These fruits are high in carbohydrates, especially. Fuel value per pound, 1565.

Tamarinds come from the tree, Tamarindus in-dica. The fruit is a pod from two to six inches long, containing seeds or beans, with a pulp something like our common locust bean. The pulp, put up with sugar, gives us tamarinds as we get them.