This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 Excerpt: ...the sap into the new branch. The Plum.--We now come to the stone-fruits--the plum, the peach, and the cherry. They differ from the pear and apple group, but they belong to the large rose family. Examine their blossoms. We have in America several wild varieties of plums, from which some of our hardier varieties are derived. From the European plum come our highly flavoured plums. As a rule they are not so hardy as the natives. A third class of plums is derived from Japanese varieties. The plum is propagated by budding and grafting. For northern climates the stock used should be seedlings or the native wild plum. In milder climates the peach is used quite extensively as a stock. The Peach tree is not known here in a wild state; it has come from Asia and is closely related to the almond. The nectarine is quite similar with fruit of a smooth skin. Observe the blossom as to shape and color. In some varieties the stone clings to the pulp; in others it separates readily--hence the terms "cling-stone" and "free-stone." The peach ripens only in a mild climate and requires a warm soil, that is, a light soil that readily drains and absorbs heat. As the peach trees mature or come into blossom earlier than apples, they are sometimes set out in young apple orchards. A few crops of peaches can thus be picked Fig-55" Stone fruitl a peach before the apples come into bearing. When the apple trees become nearly full grown and begin to bear fair crops the peach trees are removed. The peach trees are increased by budding on stocks of seedling peaches or on plums. Why would you expect peach buds to take on plums and not on pears or apples? What is the edible part of the peach? The true fruit or seed is inside of the stone. Crack one open and compare with an al...