So much has been said lately about native Japan Plums, that we have, since our last issue, referred to Franchet and Savatier's enumeration of the plants growing spontaneously in Japan, issued in 1875. Under the name of Prunus, these botanists include what we know as Cerasus or the cherries. They have in all ten species: P. tomentosa, Mume, Pseudo-Cerasus, Japonica, subhirsuta, incisa, Maximowiezii, macro-phylla, spinulosa, Ssiori.

Of these only the two first would be understood as true plums, and they are not regarded by the authors as native, but as having been introduced into Japanese gardens from China. The first has fruit no larger than a pea, so that may be eliminated from the Japan plum question, and we seem to be left to the second, Prunus Mume of Siebold and Zuccarrii as the probable species to which belong the Japan plums, if they are not really off shoots from the well-known species of our gardens, P. domes-tica. We have not their work to refer to, but Plate XL, Volume I., is cited as having an illustration of the species. In Thunberg's Flora Japonica, it is supposed to be the same as the apricot, Prunus Armeniaca of Linnaeus; but the authors of the work above cited say that it is distinct from that. Still we should suppose that the trees in foliage and fruit must somewhat resemble the apricot, or Thunberg could not have mistaken it. Not having seen living or dried specimens of the plant, we cannot tell how the Japan plums in cultivation in the South or California accord with this character.

Thunberg says in Japan this P. Mume makes a very large spreading tree, with leaves somewhat heart-shaped at the base, ovate, acuminate, unequally serrate and smooth. The flowers are sessile and appear alternately along the last year's branches; the petals obovate, concave, obtuse, white, spreading, and falling early; the white, erect filaments, shorter than the petals. He does not speak of the mature fruit, but the "germen " or lower portion of the pistil that ultimately becomes the fruit, is noted as being pilose, which is characteristic of allies of the apricot; the "germen " of the true plum being smooth. According to Thunberg it is known in Japan as Kjoo, and more commonly Kara Momu. The authors above cited call it Mume and Momi, which we see has been adopted for its specific scientific name. In this work no mention is made of Prunus domesti-ca, our garden plum, being in Japan. If they had been there many years, some plants would undoubtedly be by this time " spontaneous." Notwithstanding the seeming differences between the descriptions we read of Kelsey Plum and the Mume Plum, the indications are that the Japan Plum of our gardens is a form of this Chinese Plum, rather than of our garden plum.

Franchet and Savatier say that it is cultivated everywhere in Japan, and it seems to be the only 'plum of which this is said.