But even late in October
some other types are still found maturing their fruits.
Exact studies were made of fruit and stone variations, and their
characteristics as to color, weight, size, shape and consistency were
fully described. Similar variations have been observed, as is well
known, in the cultivated plums. Fine blue-black fruits were seen on some
shrubs and purplish or yellow fruits on others. Some exhibit a firmer
texture and others a more watery pulp. Even the stones show differences
which are suggestive of distinct races.
Recently Mr. Luther Burbank of Santa Rosa, California, has made use of
the beach-plum to produce useful new varieties. He observed that it is a
very hardy species, and never fails to bear, growing under the most
trying conditions of dry and sandy, or of rocky and even of heavy soil.
The fruits of the wild shrubs are utterly worthless for anything but
preserving. [58] But by means of crossing with other species and
especially with the Japanese plums, the hardy qualities of the
beach-plum have been united with the size, flavor and other valuable
qualities of the fruit, and a group of new plums have been produced with
bright colors, ovoid and globular forms which are never flattened and
have no suture. The experiments were not finished, when I visited Mr.
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