All plum trees are small in stature, and many are thorny by the
sharpening of side twigs, as if the struggle with adverse conditions made
it necessary to carry weapons of defence. I speak now of the wild
species. They grow in thickets, another habit of self-protection.
The wild red and yellow plums that still grow in thickets along streams
in the great middle country between the East coast and the Rocky
Mountains, furnished an important article of food to the pioneer
families, which led the westward march of civilisation, and founded the
prairie states. Only people who remember those times, and actually took
part in the work of the pioneer, can know how valuable the wild fruits
were, while the young orchards were growing, and no fruit was to be had
for the greater part of the year.
After the first heavy frost in September the plums were fit to eat. They
became soft, and sweet, and pleasant in flavour. But the skin was thick,
very sour and puckery, so eating plums was not an unmixed joy.
When a team and part of the family could be spared from the farm work, a
day was taken for “plumming,” and a happy and laborious day it was, but
always enjoyed in true holiday spirit. Usually neighbours joined in the
outing, and had a picnic dinner together in the woods. Only the oldest
clothes were worn, for in the plum thickets one must risk the ruin of his
raiment by the angular, thorny branches. Sheets were spread under the
trees where possible, and a severe shaking or beating of the branches
showered the fruit down. All hands were busy at gathering the plums, and
loading the waggons with the harvest.
Perhaps there was time afterward for the boys to explore the hazel
thickets, and gather a generous bagful of these small, but deliciously
flavoured nuts, still in their husks. Wild grape vines, loaded with the
purple fruit, tempted the frugal wife to strip them, even though the sun
was low. For days after the return home, she was at work putting away for
winter use preserves and jellies and pickles, and good old-fashioned plum
and grape “butter,” sweetened with molasses made from sorghum cane.
Little plum trees, dug in the woods in early spring, were planted in the
home garden. By setting these carefully, and tilling and enriching the
soil around them, larger trees and finer fruit were produced than the
wild plum thicket could show. Some of the good cultivated plums have had
such an origin.
A half dozen different species of wild plum grow wild in different soils
and regions of the United States. Where two grow in the same territory,
natural hybrids have originated, better than either parent in the quality
of their fruit. Such a cross has given rise to several varieties of
garden plums, of which the Miner group is a fair example. The best
orchard plums for the middle of the country are crosses between native
and Japanese species. The European species, like Damsons and Green Gages,
do well in the Eastern states, and on the Pacific slope.
The prunes we buy are dried plums. For a century or two France has led
all countries in the prune industry. Now California leads. The kinds of
plums that can be dried are sweet and fleshy. Ordinary juicy plums cannot
be made into prunes. The hot sun of California soon takes all the
moisture out of the plums spread on tables to dry. There is no rain to
fear in the hot summer months.
Peaches, nectarines, and apricots are stone fruits, closely related to
the plums and peaches. These Old World fruits are grown in the warm parts
of this country. California raises them in quantities. The most
profitable of the stone fruits has woody flesh, and is raised for its
pit, which we eat. This is the sweet almond, a valuable nut. Its related
species, the bitter almond, yields almond oil and hydrocyanic acid, both
important drugs.