the leaves, white; borne in clusters on lateral spurs in pairs
or in threes; pedicels three-eighths inch long, pubescent,
greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, pubescent at the base;
calyx-lobes obtuse, glandular, somewhat serrate, pubescent at
the base, erect; petals broadly oval, entire, with narrow,
long claws; anthers shrivelled; filaments nearly sessile or
one-eighth inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens;
stigma small.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; one and five-eighths
inches in diameter, cordate or roundish, halves equal; cavity
deep, flaring, with concentric, russet rings; suture distinct;
apex roundish or pointed; color light and dark shades of red
over yellow, mottled, with occasional splashes of russet and
with a thick but delicate bloom; dots numerous, small, russet
or yellow, conspicuous unless obscured by the bloom, clustered
around the apex; stem thick, one-half inch long, adhering to
the fruit; skin medium in thickness, tender, bitter, separating
easily; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy, coarse and fibrous,
tender, somewhat melting when fully ripe, sweet, although
somewhat tart at the center, sprightly, with characteristic
Triflora flavor; good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by
one-half inch in size, oval, turgid, slightly necked, with
pitted surfaces; ventral suture wide; dorsal suture unfurrowed.
CHALCO
_Prunus simonii_ × _Prunus triflora_
=1.= Burbank _Cat._ 4. 1898. =2.= _Rural N. Y._ =57=:184, 653.
1898. =3.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._ =67=:8. 1898. =4.= _Vt. Sta. An.
Rpt._ =14=:273. 1901. =5.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =68=:12, 35. 1905.
Chalco has been extensively advertised by several nurseries but, from the
reports received, it is doubtful if it will ever be grown commercially.
The trees, in the East at least, are slow in coming into bearing; the
fruits are small; and the flavor such that consumers will have to learn
to like it although it is much better in quality than the Simon plum, one
of its parents, being quite free from the bitterness of this parent. The
tree is rather better than that of the Simon plum or of the Wickson, the
two plums with which it must be compared. The amateur may care to plant
Chalco but here its usefulness ends. Burbank in introducing this plum in
1898, stated that it was the first fruit offered after twelve years’ work
in crossing _Prunus simonii_ with _Prunus triflora_ and American species.
The parentage of Chalco is given as a Simon-Burbank cross. The following
description is compiled:
Tree vigorous, upright or somewhat vasiform, very productive;
leaves large, dark green. Fruit matures shortly before Burbank;
large when well grown, oblate, dark red; flesh yellowish, firm,
very juicy, aromatic, sweet; good; stone small, oval, slightly
flattened, semi-free.
CHAMBOURCY
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Rev. Hort._ 39. 1898. =2.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._
560, fig. 1904. =3.= _Can. Exp. Farms Rpt._ 433. 1905. =4.=
_Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 473 fig. 1906.
_Reine-Claude Tardive De Chambourcy_ 2. _Reine-Claude
Tardive Latinois_ 1. Reine-Claude Tardive de Chambourcy 1.
_Reine-Claude Latinois_ 2, 4. _Reine-Claude tardive_ 1.
_Reine-Claude Verte_ 4. Reine-Claude Tardive 2, 4. Reine-Claude
de Chambourcy 3. _Tardive de Chambourcy_ 4.
This fruit was found at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century at
Chambourcy, France, in the garden of M. Bourgeois; no record of its
parents seems to have been made. M. Latinois introduced it into commerce
in 1885-1886 and consequently his name became attached to the variety.
The plum is not well known in America, there being only one published
American reference. This Station received the variety for testing in 1899
from the United States Department of Agriculture. It has value on account
of its high quality and its lateness, and is worthy of extensive testing.
Tree small, upright-spreading, dense-topped, productive;
branchlets develop fruit-spurs near the base; leaf-buds
strongly appressed; leaves folded upward, long-oval or obovate,
one and five-eighths inches wide, three and three-quarters
inches long, somewhat leathery; margin doubly serrate or
crenate, with small dark glands; blooming season intermediate
in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, over
one inch across; borne in thin clusters on lateral buds and
spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit very late, season of medium length; nearly one and
one-half inches in diameter, roundish, slightly truncate,
yellowish-green, with a delicate bloom and a pink blush on the
exposed cheek; flesh greenish-yellow, very juicy, firm but
tender, sweet, aromatic, of high flavor; very good to best;
stone semi-free or free, three-quarters inch, by one-half inch
in size, irregular-oval, flattened, rather blunt at the base
and apex, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture strongly
furrowed, often with a distinct wing.
CHAMPION
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 360. 1891. =2.= _Oregon Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 147. 1893. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 150. 1895. =4.=
_Oregon Sta. Bul._ =45=:30. 1897.
Champion Prune, 1, 2, 3.
The Champion was introduced with the expectation that it would be a
valuable fruit for curing into prunes. It has not proved to be a good
plum for prune-making, as it is too juicy, about three-fourths of its
bulk evaporating, but the western plum-growers have found it a very
good plum for shipping in the fresh state. It is very attractive in
appearance, firm, free of stone, sweet and pleasant and withal of rather
high quality. The tree-characters, as the plums grow in Geneva, are in
the main very good, falling short, if at all, in productiveness. They
are such as to lead to the recommendation of a trial for this plum by
plum-growers in general in New York.
This variety is a seedling of the Italian Prune produced by Jesse
Bullock, Oswego, Oregon, about 1876, and introduced by C. E. Hoskins,
Springbrook, Oregon. Since the Italian Prune comes nearly true to seed it
is very doubtful if this variety is a pure-bred seedling judging from the
characters of the fruit as given below:
Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped,
hardy, productive, an early bearer, subject to sun-scald;
branches ash-gray, rather smooth, with few, small lenticels;
branchlets short, with very short internodes, greenish-red
changing to brownish-red, dull, sparingly pubescent throughout
the season, with few inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds
below medium in size, short, obtuse, free, plump.
Leaves folded upward, oval, one and five-eighths inches wide,
three inches long; upper surface somewhat rugose, covered with
numerous, fine hairs, with a shallow groove on the midrib;
lower surface silvery-green, pubescent: apex abruptly pointed
or acute, base acute, margin crenate, with small black glands;
petiole one-half inch long, green, pubescent, with from one to
three medium to large, globose, brownish glands mostly at the
base of the leaf.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one inch across, white with a
yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals; borne on lateral
spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch long,
with a few scattering hairs, green; calyx-tube greenish,
campanulate, sparingly pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse, pubescent
on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed; petals
roundish, crenate, tapering to short, broad claws: anthers
yellow; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous,
slightly shorter or equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit earlier than Italian Prune; about one and one-half
inches in diameter, roundish, compressed, halves equal;
cavity very shallow, abrupt, narrow, regular; suture shallow;
apex roundish, with a slight depression at the pistil-point;
color dark purplish-black, with thick bloom; dots small,
russet, somewhat conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem
five-eighths inch long, sparingly pubescent, parting readily
from the fruit; skin thick, tough, sour, adhering but little;
flesh attractive yellow, juicy, firm, sweet, pleasant flavor;
very good; stone free, the cavity larger than the pit,
three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, irregular-oval,
the surface distinctly roughened and pitted; ventral suture
swollen, rather narrow, often with a wing; dorsal suture with a
shallow, narrow, indistinct groove.
CHENEY
[Illustration: CHENEY]
_Prunus nigra_
=1.= _Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 15, 38. 1885. =2.= _Minn. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 126. 1890. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:36, 86.
1892. =4.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =31=:346. 1895. =5.= _Wis. Sta.
Bul._ =63=:24, 31 fig. 13. 1897. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24.
1897. =7.= _Gard, & For._ =10=:367. 1897. =8.= _Colo. Sta. Bul._
=50=:33. 1898. =9.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 412. 1899. =10.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 169. 1901. =11.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort.
Man._ 294. 1903. =12.= _Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ =43=:29. 1903.
=13.= _Ia. Hort, Soc. Rpt._ 488. 1904. =14.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._
=162=:254, 255. 1905. =15.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._ =93=:11. 1905.
=16.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =114=:129. 1910.
_Cherry_ 16 incor.
Cheney is of little value except towards the northern limits of fruit
culture in America where, because of its great hardiness, it is a most
desirable fruit-plant. Of the varieties illustrated and described among
the leading plums in this text, Cheney is the sole representative of
_Prunus nigra_, the wild plum of Canada and of northern United States.
The accompanying description shows that while the fruit of this variety
is not such as to recommend it where other species can be grown, the tree
has some characters most desirable wherever plums are grown—hardiness,
vigor, productiveness and good form—so that this variety might well be
used in breeding plums. The trees are very ornamental whether in flower,
full leaf or fruit, but especially when in full bloom as they bear a
great profusion of large white flowers which change to a pleasing pink
before falling.
This plum, according to a letter from the discoverer, E. Markle, of
La Crosse, Wisconsin, was found in the brush on a ridge, in Vernon
County, Wisconsin, about twenty-five or thirty years ago. Mr. Markle
thought it must have sprung from a seed dropped by an early voyager of
the Mississippi River as there were no similar plums in the region.
Noting its good qualities Mr. Markle introduced the variety, the date of
introduction being about 1887. The American Pomological Society added
Cheney to its fruit catalog list in 1897, where, however, it remained but
two years.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, hardy,
productive, bears early, somewhat susceptible to disease;
branches numerous, dark brownish-gray, very thorny, with large
lenticels; branchlets long, with long internodes, greenish-red
changing to dull reddish-brown, dull, thickly pubescent
early in the season, the pubescence decreasing at maturity,
with raised lenticels which are variable in size; leaf-buds
smallish, short, conical, free.
Leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide,
three and five-eighths inches long, thin; upper surface dark
green, nearly smooth, pubescent only along the midrib which
is deeply grooved; lower surface yellowish-green, pubescent
along the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, margin
crenate, usually in two series, sometimes with small, dark
glands; petiole one-half inch long, rather slender, pubescent,
tinged red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose,
greenish-yellow glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, showy, about one inch across, white
changing to pink; borne in clusters on lateral spurs, in pairs
or in threes, very fragrant; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch
long, pubescent, green with a trace of red; calyx-tube obconic,
glabrous, red on the outer surface but green within and pinkish
along the margin; calyx-lobes obtuse or acute, serrate, with
small red glands and with marginal hairs, narrow, sparingly
pubescent on the inner surface, reflexed; petals broadly oval,
crenate, often toothed, tapering below to long narrow claws;
anthers yellowish; filaments nearly one-half inch in length;
pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period very long; medium in size,
irregular roundish-oval, strongly oblique, halves equal; cavity
shallow, regular, flaring; suture shallow or a line; apex
roundish, somewhat oblique; color at first yellowish-green with
a light carmine blush changing to deep carmine on a yellow
ground, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous, very small,
russet, inconspicuous, densely clustered about the apex; stem
slender, five-eighths inch in length, slightly pubescent,
adhering to the fruit; skin thick, tough, sour, separating
readily; flesh deep yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and
melting, sweet next to the skin but tart at the center, not
high in flavor; fair in quality; stone adhering, seven-eighths
inch by five-eighths inch in size, broadly oval, distinctly
flattened, blunt-pointed, with ridged and furrowed surfaces;
ventral suture acute, narrow; dorsal suture slightly furrowed.
CLIMAX
[Illustration: CLIMAX]
_Prunus triflora_ × _Prunus simonii_
=1.= _Rural N. Y._ =57=:653, 818. 1898. =2.= _Cal. State Board
Hort._ 52. 1897-98. =3.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._ =67=:9. 1898. =4.=
_Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:222. 1899. =5.= _Burbank Cat._ =2.=
1899. =6.= _Nat. Nur._ =8=:117. 1900. =7.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._
=14=:273. 1901. =8.= _Rural N. Y._ =62=:643. 1903. =9.= _Mich.
Sta. Sp. Bul._ =30=:18. 1905. =10.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =68=:8, 35.
1905. =11.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 66. 1907.
Royal 1. _Royal_ 1, 3, 4.
It is hard to judge as to the merits of this variety. From the behavior
of the trees on the grounds of this Station where we have had fruit of
it for eight years, we should say at once that Climax has no place in
the plum-growing regions of the East but others who have grown it speak
so well of it, the fruit in particular, that the unfavorable opinion
of the variety formed here may be unjust. Some of the expressions
regarding this fruit in the foregoing references may be dismissed at
once as the most wildly extravagant and absurd to be found in plum
literature. From its behavior on these grounds and in the plum-growing
regions of the East in general, it seems certain that Climax cannot
stand the vicissitudes of the climate, suffering both in winter and
summer. The trees, in size, vigor and habit of growth, are inferior to
those of most Triflora varieties, and those under observation in this
part of New York are not as productive as the standard Trifloras with
which Climax must be compared. The fruit is handsome in shape and color,
more so in color than the accompanying illustration shows, and is of
good quality. Unfortunately it is very susceptible to the brown-rot, so
much so that because of this defect alone Climax could hardly become a
profitable commercial plum in this region. It has been quite well tested
in various parts of New York and has proved so uniformly disappointing in
tree-characters, in particular, that it cannot be recommended as other
than a plum for the home collection where, because of its beauty and
quality, it is most desirable.
Climax is another of Luther Burbank’s plums, having been introduced in
1899. The originator states that it is a selected hybrid between the
Simon and Botan plums. The variety was first described as the Royal but
since this name had been previously given to a European plum it was
renamed Climax.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, somewhat straggling,
dense-topped, semi-hardy, medium productive; branches dark
ash-gray, short and stout, with numerous lenticels; branchlets
short, with very short internodes, brownish chestnut-red,
glossy, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised
lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free.
Leaves folded upward, oblanceolate, peach-like, one and
one-quarter inches wide, three and three-eighths inches long,
thin; upper surface light green, smooth, with a grooved midrib,
glabrous; lower surface light green, glabrous except on the
midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base cuneate,
margin finely serrate or crenate, with small, dark brown
glands; petiole nine-sixteenths inch long, sparsely pubescent,
tinged red, glandless or with from one to seven small, globose
or slightly compressed, reddish glands.
Blooming season early and of medium length; flowers appearing
with the leaves, white; borne in clusters of three, on lateral
spurs; pedicels, long, thick, glabrous, green; calyx tube
greenish, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, with a few
hair-like glands, glabrous, erect; petals roundish-oval,
entire; anthers deep yellow; filaments short; pistil glabrous,
equal to the stamens in length; stigma very small.
Fruit very early, season short; one and three-quarters inches
in diameter, cordate or roundish, slightly compressed, halves
unequal; cavity deep, abrupt, regular, marked with faint,
reddish, radiating streaks; suture deep, broad; apex pointed;
color dark red, mottled; bloom of medium thickness; dots
numerous, variable in size, russet, conspicuous, clustered
about the base; stem thick, nine-sixteenths inch long,
glabrous, parting readily from the fruit; skin thick, bitter,
with a tendency to crack, separating easily from the pulp only
when fully ripe; flesh yellowish, very juicy, somewhat fibrous,
tender and melting, sweet, pleasant flavored, aromatic; good;
stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in
size, somewhat long-oval, pointed, roughish, conspicuously
winged and grooved on the ventral suture; dorsal suture
slightly grooved.
CLING STEM
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _N. Y. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:347. 1890.
This plum belongs to the Reine Claude group, a group in which there is
room for new varieties only at the top. Cling Stem is inferior, falling
short chiefly in quality, for a plum of its type, and it is doubtful if
it is worth general planting. This Station alone seems to have tested
the variety, hence the rather full description which follows of a plum
which cannot be recommended. The variety was sent here in 1890 from North
Ferrisburg, Vermont, by L. M. Macomber.
Tree large and vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, very
productive; branches rough, the bark marked by concentric
rings, with numerous spurs and with many, small, raised
lenticels; branchlets short, pubescent; leaf-scars swollen;
leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches
wide, three inches long, rather thick and leathery; margin
doubly crenate, eglandular or with small, dark glands; petiole
pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to three
globose glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season
of medium length; flowers over one inch across, white with
yellowish tinge near the apex of the petals; borne on lateral
buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit mid-season; one and one-half inches by one and
five-eighths inches in size, nearly roundish, dull light
yellow, sometimes mottled with red on the exposed cheek,
overspread with thin bloom; skin thin, sour; flesh
greenish-yellow, tender and melting, sweet near the surface
but acid at the center, mild, pleasant, but not high-flavored;
stone clinging, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in
size, nearly round, turgid; surfaces pitted; ventral suture
broad, heavily furrowed, with a short, distinct wing.
CLYMAN
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 574. 1888. =2.= _Cal. State Board
Hort._ 236, 239, Pl. II figs. 3 and 4. 1890. =3.= _Wickson
Cal. Fruits_ 358. 1891. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 25. 1897.
=5.= _N. Mex. Sta. Bul._ =27=:124. 1898. =6.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._
=113=:158. 1899. =7.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 98. 1901. =8.= _Ohio
Sta. Bul._ =162=:236, 237 fig., 254, 255. 1905.
Clyman has special merit as one of the earliest good Domesticas. The
fruit resembles that of Lombard somewhat, but is smaller and is much
better in quality. As grown in California the Clyman commands high prices
for shipping eastward. Whether it could be grown profitably in the East
remains to be seen but it deserves to be rather widely tested for an
early home and market plum. In New York it has a few serious faults:
the plums are susceptible to rot, they drop as soon as ripe and the
trees seem not to be quite hardy at Geneva; though in the Ohio reference
given above they are said to be “rather hardier than those of most other
European sorts.” Otherwise than in hardiness the trees at this place are
quite satisfactory. The variety is characterized by very long stamens.
Clyman is well deserving of trial with the possibility that it may prove
to be the best of our early Domesticas.
This plum was raised from a Peach plum stone planted in 1866, by Mrs.
Hannah Clyman, Napa City, Napa Valley, California. The original tree
was cut down but several suckers were taken from the roots and planted
in an orchard. These bore fruit for many years, never failing to mature
a crop. In 1886, Leonard Coates, a nurseryman and fruit-grower of Napa
City, became interested in the plum on account of its extreme earliness
and offered it to his customers. The American Pomological Society added
Clyman to its fruit catalog list in 1897.
Tree rather large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, semi-hardy
in New York, productive; branches ash-gray, nearly smooth, with
numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, rather
long, with internodes of medium length, greenish-red changing
to brownish-red, dull, heavily pubescent throughout the season,
with numerous, indistinct, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium
size and length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.
Leaves folded backward, obovate, one and seven-eighths inches
wide, three and one-quarter inches long; upper surface dark
green, rugose, sparingly hairy; lower surface pale green,
pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin
serrate or crenate, covered with small dark glands; petiole
nearly seven-eighths inch long, pubescent, reddish, glandless
or with from one to three globose, greenish-yellow glands
variable in size and position.
Blooming season early and short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white, the
buds creamy at the apex when unfolding; borne in clusters on
lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels about one-half
inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, pubescent
on both surfaces, serrate, reflexed; petals obovate, dentate,
tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellow; filaments about
seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil pubescent near the base,
equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit very early, season short; one and one-half inches by one
and three-eighths inches in size, oval, halves equal; cavity
narrow, abrupt, regular; suture shallow and often indistinct;
apex roundish or slightly depressed; color dark purplish-red,
covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet,
inconspicuous; stem five-eighths inches long, pubescent,
adhering poorly to the fruit; skin tender, sour, separating
readily; flesh pale yellow, dry, firm, sweet, mild but
pleasant; of good quality; stone free, seven-eighths inch by
five-eighths inch in size, somewhat flattened, irregular-oval,
with pitted surfaces, tapering abruptly at the base, nearly
acute at the apex; ventral suture of medium width, usually
rather blunt; dorsal suture with a wide, deep groove.
COLUMBIA
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =8=:90. 1842. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
292. 1845. =3.= Cole _Am. Fr. Book_ 216. 1849 =4.= Thomas _Am.
Fruit Cult._ 334. 1849. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862.
=6.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:159. 1873. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 691.
1884. =8.= _Wash. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 135. 1893.
_Columbian Gage_ 2, 4. _Columbia Pflaume_ 6. _Columbia Gage_ 7.
When grown on strong soils and in some climates, Columbia is possibly
a plum of value and sometimes of superiority, but in New York in the
average plantation it falls far short of other fruits of its type—that
of the Reine Claude. The trees are productive and the fruit large and
handsome but not of highest quality and moreover drops badly and is very
susceptible to the brown-rot. Columbia originated early in the second
quarter of the Nineteenth Century with L. V. Lawrence of Hudson, New
York, from seed of Reine Claude.
Tree large, medium in vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped,
productive; trunk stocky, rough; branches thick; branchlets
pubescent; leaves folded upward, one and seven-eighths inches
wide, four and one-quarter inches long, oval, thick, leathery;
upper surface rugose; margin serrate or crenate, with small,
dark glands; petiole thick, tinged red, pubescent, with from
one to three globose glands.
Fruit mid-season; when well grown nearly one and one-half
inches in diameter, roundish-oval, the smaller specimens rather
ovate, dark purplish-red, overspread with thick bloom; stem
surrounded by a fleshy ring at the cavity; skin tender, sour;
flesh golden-yellow, dry, firm, sweet, mild; of good quality;
stone semi-free or free, seven-eighths inch by three-quarters
inch in size, roundish-oval, flattened; ventral suture
prominent; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.
COMPASS
_Prunus besseyi_ × _Prunus hortulana mineri_
=1.= _Northwestern Agr._ 348. 1895. =2.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._
=67=:10. 1898. =3.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:266. 1900. =4.=
Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 294. 1903. =5.= _S. Dak. Sta.
Bul._ =93=:13. 1905.
_Compass Cherry_ 2. _Heideman Sand Cherry._
In 1891 H. Knudson of Springfield, Minnesota, pollinated the Sand Cherry
with pollen from the Danish Morello cherry and the Miner plum. The seed
of the resulting cross, beyond question that of the Sand Cherry and
the plum, was planted on August seventh of the same year and, in 1894
produced fruit for the first time. In 1893 C. W. H. Heideman of New Ulm,
Minnesota, secured a cion from this tree and another the following year.
In 1895 Heideman introduced as his own, under the name of Heideman Sand
Cherry, a hybrid between the Sand Cherry and a plum. In the controversy
which followed it developed that the two hybrids were identical and that
Knudson was the real originator. Subsequently C. W. Sampson of Eureka,
Minnesota, introduced Knudson’s plum under the name Compass. The variety
is of interest to plant-breeders and may have some commercial value in
the Northwest but is worthless for its fruit in New York.
Tree inferior in size, spreading, open-topped, productive;
branches and branchlets slender, the branchlets marked by very
conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds plump; leaves
folded upward, one and one-eighth inches wide, three inches
long; margin serrate; petiole tinged red, glandless or with
from one to three globose glands usually on the base of the
leaf; blooming season late, of medium length; flowers appearing
after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across, creamy-white as
the buds unfold; borne on lateral spurs, in threes and fours.
Fruit early, season short; seven-eighths inch by three-quarters
inch in size, ovate or roundish-oval, light red changing
to dark red at maturity, the skin speckled with small red
dots before fully ripe; skin tough, astringent; flesh light
greenish-yellow, very juicy, melting, subacid except near the
skin; poor; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by three-eighths
inch in size, large, elongated-oval, with smooth surfaces.
COPPER
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 234. 1817. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:93. 1832. =3.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 425. 1854. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 906. 1869. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875.
=6.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:183. 1897. =7.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 98. 1901.
_Copper_ 2. _French Copper_ 3, 4. French Copper 1, 2, 6.
It is supposed that Copper came from France but very little is actually
known regarding its history. The round early variety described by Coxe
and Prince is distinct from the Copper now grown in this country. It
is probable that the Copper of Downing and of the American Pomological
Society are either distinct, or are early strains of the fruit described
here, since both are mid-season plums while the variety of the following
description is distinctly late. This old sort has been recommended of
late by nurserymen and some plum-growers and it may be worth putting on
the markets again as the trees are extremely productive, the fruit ships
well, and its extreme lateness might extend the plum season. The fruit
is not fit for dessert but makes an attractive, dark red, well-flavored
sauce.
Tree variable in size and vigor, round and dense-topped,
productive; branches numerous, with large lenticels; branchlets
twiggy, marked with scarf-skin, glabrous throughout the season;
leaves folded upward, obovate or oval, one and one-half inches
wide, three and one-half inches long; upper surface rugose;
margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark
glands; petiole pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with one or
two globose glands; blooming time mid-season, short; flowers
appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across; borne
singly or in pairs.
Fruit very late, season of medium length; one and one-half
inches by one and three-eighths inches in size, roundish-oval,
slightly necked; cavity almost lacking; color a metallic
brownish-purple, overspread with thick bloom; skin thick,
tough, somewhat astringent; flesh dull yellow, medium juicy,
firm, moderately sweet; poor; stone free, seven-eighths inch by
one-half inch in size, irregular-ovate, abruptly contracted at
the base, with roughened surfaces; dorsal suture prominent.
CRITTENDEN
_Prunus insititia_
=1.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 695. 1884. =2.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 426.
1889. =3.= _Am. Gard._ =14=:146. 1893. =4.= _Guide Prat._ 163,
353. 1895. =5.= _Rural N. Y._ =55=:622. 1896. =6.= _Cornell
Sta. Bul._ =131=:184. 1897. =7.= _Garden_ =53=:266. 1898. =8.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 127, 128. 1901.
Crittenden’s Damson 2. _Crittenden’s Prolific Damson_ 2.
Crittenden’s 1. _Crittenden’s Prolific_ 1. _Cluster_ 1. Cluster
3, 8. _Cluster Damson_ 2. Cluster Damson 4. _Damson Cluster_
4. Farleigh Damson 6. _Farleigh Prolific_ 7. Farleigh 5.
_Prolific_ 1. _Prolific Damson_ 2.
This Damson came to notice early in the last century in the orchard
of James Crittenden of East Farleigh, Kent, England. In both Europe
and America it seems to be as well known under the names Farleigh and
Cluster as under its true name. Crittenden ranks high among the Damsons
in England but in America it is not a great favorite; just why is hard
to say. It is likely that it fails in some tree-character, for, with the
exception of being a little too tart, the fruit has few faults.
Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, open-topped,
productive; branches very thorny and spinescent; branchlets
pubescent throughout the season; leaf-buds plump; leaves folded
upward, obovate or oval, one and one-eighth inches wide, two
and one-half inches long, thin; margin finely serrate, with
small dark glands; petiole one-half inch long, glandless or
with one or two glands; blooming season intermediate in time
and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths
inch across, densely clustered; borne usually in twos, fragrant.
Fruit late, season of medium length; seven-eighths inch
by three-quarters inch in size, oval, slightly necked,
purplish-black, overspread with very thick bloom; flesh
greenish-yellow, medium juicy, firm but tender, sour,
sprightly; probably good for preserves; stone clinging,
five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, oval, acute at
the base, with surfaces nearly smooth.
CZAR
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 693. 1884. =2.= Ellwanger & Barry _Cat._
27. 1886. =3.= _Gard. Chron._ =10=:333. 1891. =4.= _Guide
Prat._ 153, 359. 1895. =5.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:183.
1897. =6.= Rivers _Cat._ 34. 1898. =7.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._
=169=:242, 244. 1899. =8.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:159. 1899.
=9.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 99. 1901. =10.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_
=4=:157. 1901. =11.= Nicholson _Dict. Gard._ =3=:166. =12.=
_Garden_ =68=:303. 1905. =13.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:236, 237
fig., 254, 255. 1905.
Le Czar 4. The Czar 2, 6, 11. _The Czar_ 4.
Czar seems to have a very good reputation in Europe, in England
especially, as a culinary fruit but in America it is but second rate for
cooking and cannot be called a dessert plum at all. Its earliness might
make it valuable were it not for the fact that Clyman is as early and in
nearly all other respects is a better plum. The Czar, like Clyman, is
not quite hardy and lacks somewhat in productiveness. The stone of Czar
is usually covered with a granular, gummy exudation about the apex and
its flowers are peculiar in being more or less doubled. It is doubtful
if this variety is worth planting in New York. This plum was raised by
Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, from a Prince Englebert seed
fertilized by Early Prolific. It first fruited in 1874 and was named for
the Czar of Russia who visited England during the same year. Ellwanger &
Barry, of Rochester, New York, offered it for sale in the United States
in 1886.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, round and open-topped,
not always hardy, moderately productive; branches covered
with many fruit-spurs, smooth except for the numerous raised
lenticels and transverse cracks in the bark; branchlets covered
with thick pubescence throughout the season, with numerous
small lenticels; leaf-buds large, strongly free; leaves folded
upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, three inches
long; petiole one-half inch long, thick, pubescent, eglandular
or with one or two large, yellowish-green glands at the base
of the leaf; blooming season intermediate in time, short;
flowers appearing after the leaves, one inch or more across,
white, with a yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals; borne
in clusters on lateral spurs, in pairs or in threes; filaments
five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous except at the base,
slightly longer than the stamens.
Fruit very early, season short; one and one-half inches
in diameter, irregular roundish-oval, compressed, dark
purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; flesh yellow,
coarse and somewhat granular, fibrous, tender, sweet, pleasant
flavor; good; stone free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths
inch in size, oval or slightly ovate, blunt at the base,
somewhat acute at the apex, with ridged and roughened surfaces;
ventral suture wide, broadly furrowed, with a short blunt wing;
dorsal suture acute or with a narrow, shallow, indistinct
groove.
DAMSON
_Prunus insititia_
=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 578. 1629. =2.= Gerard Herball 1496,
1498. 1636. =3.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ 67. 1699. =4.= Langley
_Pomona_ 94. 1724. =5.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 21. 1803.
=6.= _Am. Gard. Cat._ 588. 1806. =7.= Phillips _Com. Orch._
306. 1831. =8.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 145, 146. 1831. =9.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 297. 1845. =10.= Thomas _Am. Fruit
Cult._ 342. 1849. =11.= _Pom. Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862. =12.= Hooper
_W. Fr. Book_ 244. 1857. =13.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:69. 1873.
=14.= Manning _Hist. Mass. Hort. Soc._ 4. 1880. =15.= Hogg
_Fruit Man._ 695. 1884. =16.= De Candolle _Or. Cult. Plants_
212. 1885. =17.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 438. 1889. =18.= _Am.
Gard._ =14=:146, 147. 1893.
_August Pflaume_ 17. Blacke Damascene ?1. Blew Damson 1. Black
Damascene 5. Black Damson ?8. _Black Damson_ 9, 11, 17. _Blew
Damask_ 3. Black Damosine 4. _Blue Damson_ 10, 11. _Bullace_
17. Common Damson 6, 15. _Common Damson_ 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17.
Damascene 2. _Damascene_ 7, 16. _Damson_ 17. Damas Noir ?8.
Damascus ?8. Damas Commun 13. _Early Damson_ of many 9, 10,
17. _Haber Pflaume_ 17. _Hafer Schlehe_ 17. _Jakobs Pflaume_
17. _Kleine Blaue Julians Pflaume_ 17. _Kreke_ 17. Krieche
17. _Purple Damson_ 9, 10, 17. _Prunus Insititia_ 17. _Round
Damson_ 8, 15. Round Black Damson ?8. _Small Round Damson_
8. _Sankt-Julians Pflaume_ 17. _Schlehen Pflaume_ 17. _Wahre
Schlehen Damascene_ 17. _Zipperle_ 17. _Zipperlein_ 17.
The common Damson, the Damson of the ancients, probably little changed
since before Christ’s time, is still worthy of cultivation even though
a score or more of its offspring are offered to take its place. In
productiveness, vigor of tree and hardiness it is scarcely surpassed by
any of its kind and while its fruits are smaller and more astringent
than the best of its offspring they are not surpassed for the chief use
of all Damsons—the making of preserves. The chief asset of the Damson
is its great adaptability to various soils and climates, surpassing all
newcomers of its type in this respect. So while undoubtedly some of
the improved Damsons surpass the parent variety under many conditions,
there yet remain localities in which the original stock is possibly most
valuable.
The Damson takes its name from Damascus from whence it was brought into
Italy at least a century before the Christian era. What is a Damson?
In England and America it is an oval, usually black, Insititia. The
European continental countries have an entirely different conception of
a Damson from that of the English and Americans. The Germans speak of
our common plums as Damson-like, while the French use the term Damas
indiscriminately. The English, however, have not always made a sharp
distinction for Parkinson in 1629 speaks of the great Damaske or Damson
Plummes as sweet prunes imported from France and Gerard in 1636 described
the Damson tree as synonymous to the Plum. The term Damson is applied to
a group as well as to a variety. For a further history of this plum in
Europe and America see the index for references to the Damson in Chapter
I.
DAWSON
_Prunus domestica_
_Dawson Seedling._ _American Prune._
Dawson is a prune-like plum characterized by an elongated neck, a
peculiar putty-like color of flesh and by large size. The quality is very
good and the trees in all characters are well up to the average of those
of the plums on the Station grounds. The plum is worthy a more extensive
trial than it has yet had. The following history of the variety is given
by its originator: In 1884, P. P. Dawson of Payette, Idaho, planted a
lot of Italian prune pits. In 1891 one of the seedlings produced fruit
which was so distinct as to size that Mr. Dawson deemed it worthy of
propagation. The variety was introduced by Mr. Dawson and A. F. Hitt,
Weiser, Idaho, about 1898.
Tree above medium in size, vigorous, round and dense-topped,
productive; branchlets thick, short, twiggy, marked with
scarf-skin; leaf-scars prominent; leaves flattened, oval, two
and one-quarter inches wide, four inches long, dark green,
rugose; margin doubly crenate, eglandular or with small dark
glands; petiole pubescent, glandless or with one or two small
glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season late,
short; flowers appearing with the leaves, white with yellowish
tinge; petals fringed at the apex.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; medium in size,
strongly obovate, distinctly necked, dark reddish-purple,
overspread with medium thick bloom; flesh light but dull
yellow, tinged red near the surface, dry, firm, medium sweet,
mild but pleasant; of good quality; stone clinging, above
medium in size, long-oval or ovate, flattened, distinctly
necked, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture broad, blunt.
DECAISNE
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Gard. Chron._ =23=:461. 1863. =2.= Mas _Pom. Gen._
=2=:43. 1873. =3.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 411. 1887. =4.=
_Guide Prat._ 159. 1895.
_Decaisnes Pflaume_ 2. Prune Decaisne 1, 2.
Though a supposed seedling of Golden Drop this variety has all of the
ear-marks of one of the Reine Claude group. It is inferior to several
other plums of the last named group and is not worth recommendation.
Decaisne was originated about 1846 by Jamin and Durand, nurserymen, at
Bourg la-Reine, near Paris, France, from seed of Golden Drop. In the
United States, it has been mainly distributed by Ellwanger & Barry of
Rochester, New York, and by the California Nursery Company of Niles,
California.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, upright-spreading, rather
open-topped, productive; trunk rough; leaves two inches wide,
four inches long, oval, thick, leathery; upper surface rugose;
lower surface thinly pubescent; petiole with from two to three
large, globose or reniform glands.
Fruit mid-season or later; one and seven-eighths inches by one
and five-eighths inches in size, oblong-oval, greenish-yellow,
overspread with thin bloom; skin sour; flesh greenish-yellow,
tender, mild; good; stone clinging, one inch by seven-eighths
inch in size, broad-oval, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture
rather prominent, heavily grooved, with a short but distinct
wing; dorsal suture wide, deep.
DE CARADEUC
[Illustration: DE CARADEUC]
_Prunus cerasifera_
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 86. 1871. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._
38. 1877. =3.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 418. 1883. =4.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =38=:66, 71, 86. 1892. =5.= Bailey _Ev. Nat. Fruits_ 212.
1898. =6.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =13=:369. 1900. =7.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 230. 1901. =8.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 310. 1903.
=9.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =67=:274. 1904. =10.= _Ga. Hort. Soc.
Cat._ 13. 1905.
Caradeuc 1.
De Caradeuc is without value in this climate for its fruit and is
described at length and illustrated in _The Plums of New York_ only
because it is one of the few representatives of _Prunus cerasifera_
cultivated for its fruit. The plums are garnet-red, very attractive in
appearance and are borne so much earlier than those of other species
that the variety may be worth planting in home orchards to lengthen the
season and for the sake of variety. This plum is grown rather commonly
in the South where the fruits are said to keep well and not rot. The
trees are handsome ornamentals bearing remarkably rich, green foliage and
a profusion of white flowers which are followed by beautifully colored
fruits. The variety can be recommended for lawn or park where a small,
compact, flowering tree is wanted.
De Caradeuc originated with A. De Caradeuc, Aiken, South Carolina,
between 1850 and 1854. Mr. De Caradeuc brought plum trees from France
and planted them in the vicinity of several native plum trees. From the
seed of the former he produced this variety. The originator believed
his new plum to be a hybrid but practically all students of plum botany
think that it is a pure offshoot of _Prunus cerasifera_. The variety was
introduced by P. J. Berckmans of Augusta, Georgia. In 1877 De Caradeuc
was placed on the American Pomological Society fruit catalog list where
it is still maintained.
Tree very large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, variable
in productiveness; trunk rough; branches slender, roughish or
smooth, dark ash-gray, with numerous, large, raised lenticels;
branchlets very numerous, twiggy, slender, medium to long, with
long internodes, tinged with red when young, changing to dull
reddish-brown, glossy, glabrous, with few, small lenticels;
leaf-buds very small and short, obtuse, appressed.
Leaves numerous on the branchlets, becoming scattering in the
interior of the tree, folded upward, oval, one and one-eighth
inches wide, two inches long, thin; upper surface dark green,
sparingly pubescent, smooth, with broadly grooved midrib;
lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex acute, base broadly
cuneate, margin often in two series of fine serrations,
without glands; petiole slender, one-half inch long, slightly
pubescent, tinged red, eglandular or with one or two very
small, globose, greenish glands usually at the base of the leaf.
Blooming season rather early, short; flowers appearing
after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across, white; borne
on lateral buds and spurs; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch
long, below medium in thickness, glabrous, green; calyx-tube
reddish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse,
slightly glandular-serrate, pubescent, strongly reflexed;
petals roundish or ovate, crenate, not clawed; anthers yellow;
filaments one-quarter inch in length; pistil glabrous, longer
than the stamens, somewhat defective.
Fruit very early, season short; one and one-quarter inches
in diameter, roundish, halves usually equal; cavity shallow
and narrow, abrupt, regular; suture a dark red line; apex
roundish; color light or dark crimson-red over a yellow ground,
overspread with thin bloom; dots few, light russet, clustered
about the apex; stem slender, eleven-sixteenths inch in length,
glabrous, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, parting
readily; flesh medium yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender
and melting, slightly sweet, lacking in flavor; inferior in
quality; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half inch
in size, roundish-oval, turgid, blunt, with somewhat pitted
surfaces; ventral suture acute, furrowed; dorsal suture
distinctly and broadly grooved.
DE SOTO
[Illustration: DE SOTO]
_Prunus americana_
=1.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 225. 1877. =2.= _Ia. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 356. 1879. =3.= _Ibid._ 159. 1880. =4.= _Ibid._ 237.
1882. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 42. 1883. =6.= _Ia. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 366. 1883. =7.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 63. 1890.
=8.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:37, 86. 1892. =9.= _Wis. Sta.
Bul._ =63=:24, 35, 36, fig. 16. 1897. 10. Waugh _Plum Cult._
147. 1901. 11. Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 295. 1903. =12.=
_Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ =43=:30. 1903. =13.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._
=93=:15. 1905.
Traer 3. Trayer 4.
De Soto probably holds first place among the Americana plums in the favor
of fruit-growers. The qualities which commend it are: A tree rather
better suited to the orchard than other varieties of _Prunus americana_
having little of the waywardness of most sorts of its species and
somewhat the manner of growth of the European plums. The trees, too, are
enormously productive, so much so that in many cases their vitality is
weakened by over-bearing unless thinned. The fruits of De Soto, while not
as large nor as brilliantly colored as some of the Americanas, are not
surpassed by any of the native plums in quality and keep and ship as well
as any. The variety becomes, therefore, a market sort of value in some
regions. The fruits are a little more subject to curculio than those of
most of the native plums and the trees blight in the South somewhat and
do not stand the drouths of the Mississippi Valley as well as some other
varieties. Notwithstanding these defects, speaking generally, the De Soto
may be recommended as one of the best of its species.
De Soto was found on the bank of the Mississippi River near De Soto,
Wisconsin. The first settler to call attention to the plum was a Mr.
Tupper who settled on the land where it was found in 1853 or 1854. The
Trayer Brothers bought the place in 1855 and in clearing the farm they
removed all the plum trees except a grove of what was at first called
Trayer, afterwards De Soto. Later Stephen Heal came into possession
of the property and in 1864 Elisha Hale, Lansing, Iowa, commenced to
cultivate and disseminate the variety. De Soto was placed on the American
Pomological Society fruit catalog list in 1883, dropped in 1891, and
restored again in 1897.
Tree small, intermediate in vigor, spreading, open-topped,
perfectly hardy, produces heavy crops annually, bears young;
branches rough and shaggy, somewhat zigzag, thorny, dark
ash-brown, with inconspicuous, small, raised, lenticels;
branchlets numerous, long, green, changing to dull
reddish-brown, pubescent at first, becoming glabrous late
in the season, with conspicuous, large, raised lenticels;
leaf-buds below medium in size, pointed, appressed.
Leaves falling early, folded upward, oval, one and
three-quarters inches wide, four inches long; upper surface
dark green changing to greenish-yellow, glossy, with scattering
hairs and a narrow, grooved midrib; lower surface finely
pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base somewhat abrupt, margin
very coarsely and deeply doubly serrate, petiole five-eighths
inch long, of medium thickness, pubescent, tinged red,
glandless or with one or two globose, brownish glands on the
stalk.
Blooming season medium to late and of average length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across,
white; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, in twos and
threes; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch in length, below medium
in thickness, covered with short, thick pubescence, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes somewhat
acute, eglandular, thickly pubescent on both surfaces, with a
swollen ring at the base of the lobes, semi-reflexed; petals
oblong or ovate, erose, tapering abruptly into long, narrow
claws; anthers yellowish; filaments three-eighths inch in
length; pistil glabrous, equal to or shorter than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and one-half
inches in diameter, roundish, varying to oval or ovate,
compressed, often strongly truncate at the base; cavity shallow
or medium, abrupt; suture very shallow or a line; apex roundish
or somewhat pointed; color yellowish-red becoming a light or
dark crimson over an orange-yellow ground, overspread with thin
bloom; dots very numerous, small, light russet, inconspicuous;
stem rather slender, three-quarters inch long, sparingly
pubescent; skin thick, tough, very astringent, clinging to the
pulp; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and
melting, of medium sweetness, mild; fair to good; stone nearly
free, seven-eighths inch in size, oval, turgid, blunt-pointed,
smooth; ventral suture bluntly acute and with slight furrows;
dorsal suture acute, not furrowed.
DIAMOND
[Illustration: DIAMOND]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 146. 1831. =2.= Kenrick _Am.
Orch._ 259. 1832. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 298. 1845. =4.=
Lee _Gen. Farmer_ =6=:141. 1845. 5. _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 222,
244. 1858. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 696. 1884. =7.= _Mich. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 327. 1889. =8.= _Guide Prat._ 159, 355. 1895. =9.=
_Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 382. 1895. =10.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=131=:183, fig. 40 VI. 1897. =11.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 25.
1897. =12.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:214, 217. 1899. =13.=
_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:244. 1899. =14.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 92. 1899. =15.= _Garden_ =56=:168. 1899. =16.= _Can. Exp.
Farm Bul._ =43=:33. 1903. =17.= _Can. Exp. Farms Rpt._ 423.
1903.
Black Diamond 9. _Black Diamond_ 11, 13. _Diamant_ 8.
_Diamantpflaume_ 8. Dymond 15. Kentish Diamond 17. Kingston 14
incor. Smith’s Prune 7. _Smith Prune_ 14.
To judge Diamond by appearance would be a grievous error. It is a large,
beautifully colored, well-formed plum, tempting the palate; but one taste
out of hand is a sufficiency. The flesh is coarse and the flavor not at
all pleasant to one accustomed to good plums. Hogg says, in the reference
given, that Diamond is one of the best preserving and cooking plums but
in this case we doubt Hogg’s judgment unless, as may be, Diamond is much
better in England than in America. The firm flesh and tough skin of the
variety commend it as a market plum and the trees are above the average
in size, vigor, hardiness and productiveness—all characters excepting
quality bespeaking the favor of plum-growers. It is planted largely for
the markets where, of course, it sells upon its appearance.
According to Downing, this variety was raised from seed by an Englishman,
in Kent, named Diamond. Kenrick and Hogg, however, state that it was
raised in the nursery of a Mr. Hooker, in Kent. The London Horticultural
Society briefly described this variety in its fruit catalog for 1831 so
that its origin antedates that year. The American Pomological Society
rejected Diamond for its catalog in 1858 but placed it in its fruit list
in 1897.
Tree above average in size and vigor, upright-spreading,
somewhat dense-topped, hardy, very productive; branches
ash-gray, roughish, with numerous, small lenticels, the bark
marked with transverse lines; branchlets of medium thickness
and length, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to dark
brownish-red, dull, somewhat pubescent, with numerous, small
lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, pointed, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, obovate or oval, one and seven-eighths
inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long; upper surface
dark green, with few hairs and with a grooved midrib; lower
surface pubescent; apex obtuse to acute, base acute, margin
serrate, with small, brown glands; petiole five-eighths inch
long, slender, pubescent, reddish, with from one to four small,
globose or reniform, greenish-yellow glands on the stalk or
base of the leaf.
Blooming season early or medium, short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one inch across, the buds yellow-tipped changing
to white on expanding; borne on lateral spurs, in pairs;
pedicels five-eighths inch long, somewhat slender, pubescent,
green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes
broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate,
reflexed; petals broadly oval or roundish, entire or slightly
crenate, tapering to short, broad claws; anthers roundish,
yellow; filaments five-sixteenths inch in length; pistil
lightly pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and seven-eighths
inches by one and three-quarters inches in size, oval, slightly
necked, swollen on the ventral side, compressed; cavity
very narrow and abrupt; suture shallow, often a line; apex
roundish or pointed; color deep reddish-purple changing to
dark purplish-black at full maturity, with thick bloom; dots
numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one inch
long, finely pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin,
rather sour, separating readily; flesh pale or golden-yellow,
sometimes with a faint red tinge next the skin, not juicy,
coarse, firm but rather tender, mild subacid to nearly sweet,
not high in flavor; of fair quality; stone with a trace of red,
semi-clinging, one and one-eighth inches by five-eighths inch
in size, long-oval, necked at the base, abruptly sharp-pointed
at the apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture rather broad,
lightly furrowed; dorsal suture widely grooved.
DOUBLE FLOWERING GAGE
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:92. 1768. =2.= Knoop
_Fructologie_ 57. 1771. =3.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =2=:32, Tab.
179 fig. 2. 1796. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:49. 1832. =5.=
_Mag. Hort._ =9=:165. 1843. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 316.
1845. =7.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =1=:1846. =8.= Mas _Pom. Gen._
=2=:47. 1873. =9.= _Guide Prat._ 163, 363. 1895.
Die grosse Königin Klaudia Pflaume mit halbgefullter Bluthe 3.
_Dauphin à Fleurs semi-doubles_ 5. _Dauphin à Fleurs doubles_
5. _Dauphin à fleurs semi-doubles_ 5. _Double-blossomed_ 5.
Double-blossomed Plum 6. _Gelbe Reneclode Mit Gefullter Bluthe_
8. _Prune à Fleurs Doubles_ 8. Prunier à fleurs semi-double
8. Prunier à fleur semi-double 1, 7. Prune à Fleurs Doubles
2. _Prunier à fleur semi-double_ 4. _Prune Semi-double_ 4.
_Prune à fleurs semi-double_ 4. _Reine-Claude Semi-Double_ 8.
_Reine-Claude à fleur semi-double_ 4. _Reine-Claude à Fleurs
Semi-double_ 5, 9. _Reine-Claude mit Halbgefullter Bluthe_ 9.
_Semi-double flowering Reine Claude_ 4.
This is an ornamental variety of the Reine Claude type first noted by
Duhamel in 1768. It was probably well known in Europe at this time for a
little later it was mentioned by Knoop of Holland and Kraft of Austria.
Duhamel described two varieties; one with small fruit which was insipid
when over-ripe, and the other large and of good flavor. In 1846, Poiteau
thought the latter was probably identical with a variety growing at
Luxembourg but he did not think the former was extant. In the third
edition of the London Horticultural Society’s catalog, yellow and purple
forms were mentioned, showing that the variety has been represented by
more than one type. It is worthy of note that the double blossoms,
except in strong soils, are apt to degenerate and become single. The
following description is compiled.
Tree irregular and spreading, unproductive; branches brown
on the shaded side and blood-red on the sunny side; flowers
large, semi-double, with from twelve to eighteen petals; fruit
mid-season; large, spherical; suture shallow, sometimes a line;
flesh greenish-yellow, tender, soft, juicy, sweet, agreeably
aromatic; clingstone.
DOWNING
[Illustration: DOWNING]
_Prunus munsoniana_
=1.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 287, 1887. =2.= _Ibid._ 275, 448.
1893. =3.= _Ibid._ 334. 1894. =4.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =63=:24,
30. 1897. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1897. =6.= _Waugh Plum
Cult._ 185. 1901. =7.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =87=:12. 1901. =8.=
_Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:269. 1900. =9.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 445.
1903. =10.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:247 fig., 254, 255. 1905.
=11.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._ =93=:15. 1905.
Charles Downing 1, 2, 3, 4, 7. _Charles Downing_ 5, 6, 8, 11.
Downing is one of the best varieties of its species. The trees are large,
usually productive, not often sterile as are some of its near of kin
sorts and for a southern plum the variety is remarkably hardy, never
having suffered in Geneva from cold. The only fault that can be found
with the tree is that the foliage is quite susceptible to the shot-hole
fungus. The fruit is particularly attractive with its bright, solid,
garnet-red skin, golden flesh and sweet, pleasant flavor. Unfortunately
the flesh is a little too fibrous and clings too tenaciously to the stone
for pleasant eating. Downing adds a pleasing variety to any collection of
plums and in some regions ought to sell with profit to the grower for the
markets.
H. A. Terry of Crescent, Iowa, grew Downing from seed of the Wild Goose,
which the originator thinks was fertilized by some Americana variety.
The Downing, however, shows no traces of Americana parentage. It is
reported as originating in 1882 and first fruiting in 1885. The American
Pomological Society placed this variety on its fruit catalog list in 1897.
Tree large, spreading, flat-topped, hardy in New York, variable
in productiveness; branches rough, dark gray, with a few large
lenticels; branchlets slender, with very short internodes,
greenish-red changing to dull reddish-brown, glossy, somewhat
pubescent, with numerous, small, slightly raised lenticels;
leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, broadly lanceolate, peach-like, one and
three-eighths inches wide, three inches long, thin; upper
surface reddish late in the fall, smooth, glabrous, with
deeply grooved midrib; lower surface glabrous except along
the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, margin very
finely serrate, eglandular or sometimes with small dark glands;
petiole thirteen-sixteenths inch long, slender, tinged with
red, pubescent along one side, glandless or with from one to
five small, globose, yellowish-red glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season medium to late, long; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one and one-sixteenth inches across, the buds
yellow-tipped changing to white when expanded, with a strong,
disagreeable odor; borne in dense clusters on lateral buds
and spurs, in threes; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch in
length, very slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green,
obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes below medium in width, acute,
finely pubescent on the inner surface only, somewhat reflexed,
glandular-serrate, the glands numerous and dark colored;
petals oval, narrow, long, crenate, tapering beneath to long,
narrow claws; anthers pale yellow, with a faint reddish tinge;
filaments seven-sixteenths inch in length; pistil slender,
glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; about one and
one-eighth inches in diameter, rather large for its class,
roundish-ovate, not compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow,
narrow, flaring; suture very shallow and obscure; apex roundish
or slightly conical; color garnet-red, with thin bloom; dots
numerous, variable in size, grayish-yellow, conspicuous,
clustered around the apex; stem slender, about three-eighths
inch in length, glabrous, parting readily from the fruit;
skin thin, slightly astringent, adhering but little; flesh
golden-yellow, juicy, coarse, fibrous, tender and somewhat
melting, very sweet next the skin but tart toward the center,
aromatic; good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by one-half
inch in size, oval, somewhat oblique, turgid, roughish; ventral
suture narrow, strongly winged; dorsal suture acute, unfurrowed.
DRAP D’OR
[Illustration: DRAP D’OR]
_Prunus insititia_
=1.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ =2=:69. 1699. =2.= Langley _Pomona_
94, 97, Pl. 24 fig. 5. 1729. =3.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._
=2=:96. 1768. =4.= Knoop _Fructologie_ 57. 1771. =5.= Coxe
_Cult. Fr. Trees_ 233 fig. 2. 1817. =6.= _Lond. Hort. Soc.
Cat._ 146. 1831. =7.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:75. 1832. 8. Kenrick
_Am. Orch._ 261. 1832. 9. _Mag. Hort._ =9=:163. 1843. 10.
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 274. 1845. =11.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._
=1=:1846. =12.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 297, 383.
1846. =13.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 516. 1859. =14.= Hogg _Fruit
Man._ 359, 371, 387. 1866. 15. _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 12. 1871.
=16.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875. =17.= _Cat. Cong. Pom.
France_ 350. 1887. =18.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 428. 1889. =19.=
_Guide Prat._ 153, 359. 1895. =20.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France
Pom._ 538 fig. 1904. =21.= Baltet _Cult. Fr._ 489, 503. 1908.
_Cloth of Gold_ 2, 5, 7, 12, 14, 18, 19. _Cloth of Gold Plum_
15. _Damas Jaune_ 15, 18, 19. Doppelte Mirabelle 18. Drap
d’Or 1, 2. _Drap d’Or Pflaume_ 15. _Drap d’Or_ 7, 15, 18,
19, 20, 21. _Double Drap d’Or_ 17. _Double Mirabelle_ 17.
_Glauzende gelbe Mirabelle_ 15. _Glänzende Gelbe Mirabelle_
18, 19. _Gold Pflaume_ 18. _Goldfarbige Pflaume_ 15, 18, 19.
_Goldstoff_ 18. _Goldzeng_ 18. _Grosse Mirabelle_ ?7, 15,
18, 19, 21. Grosse Mirabelle 8, 21. _Grosse Mirabelle Drap
d’Or_ 18, 19. _Mirabelle_ 15, 17. Mirabelle Double 19, 21.
_Mirabelle Double_ 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 18. _Mirabelle
Double de Metz_ 20. _Mirabelle de Nancy_ 19, 21. Mirabelle de
Nancy 14, 18. _Mirabelle Drap d’Or_ 15, 18, 19. Mirabellen 15.
_Mirabelle grosse double de Metz_ 15, 18, 19. _Mirabelle Grosse
de Nancy_ 20. Mirabelle Grosse 15, 17, 20, 21. _Mirabelle la
grosse_ 7, 15, 18, 19. _Mirabelle Grosse_ 6, ?7, 10, 13, 14,
15, 19. _Mirabelle Perlée_ 15, 18, 19. _Mirabelle von Metz_
15. _Perdrigon Hâtif_ 15, 20, of some 17, 18, 19. _Perdrigon
Jaune_ 20. Yellow Damask ?14. _Yellow Damask_ 14, 18. _Yellow
Gage_ of some 5, 7. _Yellow Perdrigon_ 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18,
19.
Drap d’Or represents a type of the plum hardly known in America but very
popular in continental Europe and most popular of all plums in France,
the chief plum-growing country of the Old World. It is probable that the
division of _Prunus insititia_ represented by Drap d’Or, the Mirabelle
plums, will thrive in America as well as the commonly grown Damsons of
the same species. These plums certainly deserve to be far more generally
planted than they now are. It is certain from the behavior of the few
trees of the Mirabelle group now growing in New York that they have very
decided merit. Drap d’Or is probably not the best of the yellow, sweet
Insititias but it is at least well worth trial.
According to _Pomologie De La France_, this variety was cited by Merlet
in 1675 and is of old and uncertain origin. Merlet placed the Mirabelle
and the Drap d’Or in the Damas class, but Poiteau thought that the
latter was probably a cross between Reine Claude and Mirabelle since
it resembled the former in quality and shape and the latter in color
and size. Yellow Damask, Mirabelle de Nancy, Yellow Perdrigon, Gross
Mirabelle and others have proved to be identical with the Drap d’Or as
tested in Europe. Whether all of the other synonyms mentioned are the
true Drap d’Or is a question; their number indicates that there are many
variations in this type of the plum. The American Pomological Society
placed Drap d’Or in its catalog list in 1875 and withdrew it in 1899.
Tree small, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive;
branches ash-gray, with a brownish tinge, smooth, with very
few, small lenticels; branchlets of average thickness and
length, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, sparingly
pubescent throughout the entire season, with few, obscure,
small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and length, conical,
appressed.
Leaves folded upward, oval, one and one-fourth inches wide, two
and one-half inches long; upper surface slightly roughened,
covered with numerous hairs, the midrib grooved; lower surface
silvery-green, pubescent; apex pointed or acute, base abrupt,
margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark
glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged red,
glandless or with from one to three globose, greenish-yellow
glands usually on the stalk.
Flowers fifteen-sixteenths inch across, the buds creamy
changing to white when expanded; borne in clusters on lateral
spurs, usually in pairs; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch long,
sparingly pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate,
nearly glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, pubescent on both
surfaces, glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed; petals broadly
oval, crenate or sometimes notched at the apex, tapering
below to short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments
five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the
stamens in length.
Fruit mid-season; one and one-eighth inches by one inch in
size, roundish-oval, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow,
narrow, flaring; suture very shallow, often a line; apex
roundish or depressed; color greenish-yellow changing to
golden-yellow, somewhat mottled and blotched, occasionally with
a faint bronze blush on the exposed cheek, overspread with
thin bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish, inconspicuous; stem
slender, sparingly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin
thin, separating readily; flesh light golden-yellow, moderately
juicy, coarse, firm but tender, sweet, mild; of good quality;
stone free, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval,
flattened, nearly smooth, blunt at the base and apex; ventral
suture wide, blunt, smooth; dorsal suture shallowly grooved.
DUANE
[Illustration: DUANE]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 25. 1828. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._
260. 1832. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:100. 1832. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 297. 1845. =5.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:115, 116
fig. 36. 1846. =6.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 419. 1846.
=7.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 343. 1849. =8.= Elliott _Fr.
Book_ 418. 1854. =9.= _Horticulturist_ =10=:253. 1855. =10.=
_Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 191. 1856. =11.= Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 244,
250. 1857. =12.= Bridgeman _Gard. Ass’t_ =3=:127. 1857. =13.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 910. 1869. =14.= _Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt._
303, 1878. =15.= Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:77, fig. 39. 1866-73,
=16.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =103=:32. 1894. =17.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =131=:184. 1897. =18.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:254, 255.
1905. =19.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 100, 102 fig. 1901.
_Apricot_ 5 incor. _Dame Aubert Violet_ 12. Duane’s Plum 5
incor. Duane’s Purple 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17.
_Duane’s Purple_ 15, 19. Duane’s Purple French 1, 2, 3, 4.
Duane’s French Purple 12. _Duane’s Large Purple_ 3. _Duane’s
Large Orleans_ 3. _Duane’s Purple French_ 8, 9. _English Pond’s
Seedling_ 8. Pourprée De Duane 15. _Pourprêe Duane_ 13. _Purple
Magnum Bonum_ of some 12, 13. _Purple Egg_ of some 12. Red
Magnum Bonum of some 9.
This handsome, purple plum, very well shown in the color-plate, is one of
the half-dozen leading fruits of its kind grown in New York, favorably
known the country over and in Europe as well. Its popularity is due to
its large size, well-turned shape, royal purple color, and firm, golden
flesh, characters which fit it admirably for the store and the stand.
But appearance is the only asset of the fruit so far as the consumer
is concerned—the flesh is dry, tough, sour and clings to the stone,
making a plum unfit for dessert though it does very well for culinary
purposes. The fruit ripens slowly and colors a week or more before ripe;
it is at its best only when fully mature. The trees excel in size, vigor
and productiveness and are usually hardy and bear their crops well
distributed and not clustered as in most varieties of plums. In minor
characters, the trees are distinguished by large leaves, pubescence on
the under side and by grayish-drab shoots covered with dense pubescence.
Duane is generally found to be a very profitable market plum and if it
were only better in quality we could heartily join in recommending it.
Duane originated as a seedling in the garden of James Duane, Duanesburgh,
New York, about 1820. For several years, the variety was distributed by
the Prince nurseries under the name Duane’s Purple French. This error
was caused by Judge Duane’s accidentally sending William Prince, of
Flushing, grafts of this seedling instead of a French plum[210] which he
had imported in 1820. When this mistake was discovered by Downing and
Tomlinson about 1846, the word French was dropped and the plum became
known as Duane’s Purple and later, according to the rules of the American
Pomological Society, as Duane. In 1856, it was listed by the American
Pomological Society as promising well and in 1862 it was placed on the
list of the fruit catalog.
Tree large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, hardy and
productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous
small, raised lenticels; branchlets medium to thick, variable
in length, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark
brownish-drab, dull, thickly pubescent, with raised lenticels
intermediate in number and size; leaf-buds of average size and
length, conical or pointed, free.
Leaves folded backward, obovate or oval, one and one-half
inches wide, three and one-half inches long; upper surface
dark green, pubescent, rugose, with a narrow groove on the
midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex acute,
base cuneate, margin serrate, eglandular or with small amber
glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged with red,
eglandular or with one or two small, globose, greenish-brown
glands on the stalk or base of the leaf.
Blooming season rather early, of average length; flowers
appearing before the leaves, one inch across, white; developing
from lateral buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels nine-sixteenths
inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent
on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, erect; petals roundish,
entire, short-clawed; anthers yellowish; filaments one-quarter
inch long; pistil pubescent on the ovary, longer than the
stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period of average length; one and
three-quarters inches by one and five-eighths inches in size,
broadly oblong-oval or obovate, compressed, halves unequal;
cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture variable in depth; apex
roundish or depressed; color dark reddish-purple changing to
purplish-black on the sunny side, overspread with thick bloom;
dots numerous, light russet; stem three-quarters inch long,
pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin below medium in
thickness, tough, sour, separating readily; flesh pale yellow,
lacking in juice, firm, sour unless fully ripe; of fair
quality; stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths
inch in size, oval, with pitted surfaces, blunt at the base and
apex; ventral suture wide, blunt; dorsal suture with a broad,
deep groove.
EARLIEST OF ALL
_Prunus triflora_
=1.= _Gard. Mon._ 368. 1887. =2.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =62=:32,
1894. =3.= Normand _Cat._ =2.= 1895-96. =4.= Thomas _Am. Fruit
Cult._ 516. 1897. =5.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =175=:130, fig. 24.
1899. =6.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 135. 1901.
_Earliest of All_ 4. _Wasse Sumomo_ 5, 6. Wasse Sumomo 3.
Yosobe 1. Yosete 4. _Yosebe_ 5, 6. _Yosobe_ 2. Yosebe 2.
Earliest of All was imported by H. H. Berger of San Francisco from Japan
under the name Yosebe, which later became changed to Yosobe, and in 1897
L. H. Bailey gave the variety the name Earliest of All to avoid the
confusion in the earlier nomenclature. The Wasse Sumomo introduced by
J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, in 1895, is the Earliest of All.
The variety may have some value because of its extreme earliness. It is,
however, too small, too unattractive in color and too poor in quality
ever to be other than a kitchen plum.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, vasiform, unproductive;
branchlets dark red, marked with thick scarf-skin; leaf-scars
prominent; leaves reddish late in the season, narrow-obovate,
one and one-half inches wide, three inches long; margin finely
serrate, with small, reddish-black glands; petiole tinged red,
glandless or with from one to seven glands usually on the
stalk; blooming season early; flowers appearing before the
leaves, white with a little pink; borne in threes and fours.
Fruit very early; one inch in diameter, roundish or
roundish-oblong, light or dark pinkish-red, covered with thin
bloom; flesh light yellow, rather dry, soft, inferior in
flavor; of poor quality; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by
three-eighths inch in size, flattened, oval.
EARLY ORLEANS
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:80, Pl. XX fig. 1. 1768.
=2.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 21. 1803. =3.= _Lond. Hort.
Soc. Cat._ 150, 151. 1831. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:62, 68.
1832. =5.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 260, 269. 1832. =6.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 304. 1845. =7.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch.
Gard._ 286, 289, 294, 382, 383. 1846. =8.= Poiteau _Pom.
Franc._ =1=:1846. =9.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 516. 1859. =10.=
Hogg _Fruit Man._ 360. 1866. =11.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 16.
1871. =12.= Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:85. 1866-73. =13.= Mathieu
_Nom. Pom._ 430. 1882. =14.= _Traité Prat. Sech. Fruits_ 172.
1893. =15.= _Guide Prat._ 152, 360. 1895. =16.= _Soc. Nat.
Hort. France Pom._ 542 fig. 1904.
_Altesse du Roi_ 16. _Damascena Dominicalis Praecox_ 13, 15.
De Monsieur 16. _De Monsieur Hâtive_ 15. _Du Roi_ 15. _Early
Monsieur_ 12. Early Monsieur 4, 5. _Early Orleans_ 11, 12, 13,
15. Frühe Herrnpflaume 13. _Frühe Herrnpflaume_ 11. _Frühe
Herzogspflaume_ 11, 13, 15. _Frühe Hernnpflaume_ 12. _Frühe
Herrnpflaume_ 15. _Grimwood Early Orleans_ 10, 13. _Grimwood’s
Early Orleans_ 3, 6, 9, 11, 15. _Hampton Court_ 3, 6, 7, 9, 10,
11, 13, 15. _Königspflaume_ 11, ?13, ?15. _Monsieur_ 11, 13 &
15 incor. Monsieur Hâtif 1, 7, 11, 12, 15. _Monsieur Hâtif_ 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16. _Monsieur Hâtive_ 4. _Monsieur
Hâtif de Montmorency_ 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15. _New Early
Orleans_ 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15. _New Orleans_ 3, 6, 9, 10,
13, 15, 16. _New Orleans_ 11. _Orleans_ 3. _Prune de Monsieur
Hâtif_ 13. Prune de Monsieur Hâtif 8. _Prune de Monsieur
Hâtive_ 12. _Prunus damascena dominicalis praecox_ 11. Prune
du Roi 14. _Prune du Roi_ 11, 13. _Red Orleans_ 11, 13, 15.
Wilmot’s Early Orleans 4, 7. _Wilmot’s Early Orleans_ 3, 9, 10,
11, 13, 15. _Wilmot’s Large Orleans_ 3, 4, 6. _Wilmot’s Late
Orleans_ ?7. Wilmot’s New Early Orleans 3, 5, 6. _Wilmot’s New
Early Orleans_ 7. _Wilmot’s Orleans_ 3, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15.
Early Orleans has been planted very little in America and then chiefly
because of its reputation in Europe. While it appears to be a very
good plum in most respects as it grows on the Station grounds, being
attractive in appearance, of good flavor, a freestone and firm enough
to ship well, it surpasses in none of these characters and the fruit is
so small as to make it a poor competitor among the purple plums of its
season. It does not deserve the reputation in America that pomologists
have given it in Europe. In France the Early Orleans, under the name of
Prune du Roi, is used in prune-making but it seems not to have been so
used in America.
Early Orleans is old and of unknown origin. Duhamel in 1768 considered
it a variety of the Orleans, differing only in the time of ripening but
there are additional differences as can be seen in the descriptions of
the two. It is true, however, that these two plums are very similar.
According to Kenrick, Wilmot’s New Early Orleans was raised by John
Wilmot, an Englishman. Though it may be of separate origin it is
practically identical with the Early Orleans.
Tree small, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; branches
ash-gray, smooth, with small, inconspicuous, oval lenticels;
branchlets thick, with rather short internodes, covered with
thin bloom and marked with scarf-skin, dull brownish-drab,
pubescent, with a medium number of small, raised lenticels;
leaf-buds intermediate in size and length, conical, free,
plump; leaf-scars enlarged.
Leaves folded upward, two and one-quarter inches wide, four
inches long, roundish-oval or obovate, thick; apex abruptly
pointed, base acute, margin crenate and with small, dark
glands; upper surface light green, sparingly pubescent and
with a grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent;
petiole three-quarters inch long, thick, pubescent, faintly
tinged red, with from one to three large, globose glands mostly
on the stalk.
Season of bloom intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, nearly one-half inch across, white,
the buds yellow-tipped as they unfold; borne in clusters on
short lateral spurs, in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long,
thick, pubescent, green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate,
thinly pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glandular,
pubescent on both surfaces, reflexed; petals roundish, entire,
not clawed; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil
glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit early, season short; one and one-quarter inches in diameter,
roundish-oval, slightly truncate, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow,
abrupt; suture shallow or a line; apex roundish to flattened or sometimes
depressed, often oblique; color dark reddish-purple, covered with thick
bloom; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem of average
thickness, five-eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit;
skin thin, tough, not astringent, separating readily; flesh lemon-yellow,
juicy, coarse, firm, sweet, mild but pleasant; very good; stone free,
three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, slightly oblique,
blunt-pointed, with rough and slightly honeycombed surfaces.
EARLY RIVERS
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 314, 1845. =2.= _Horticulturist_
=4=:40. 1849. =3.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 419. 1854. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am_. 912. 1869. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 99.
1871. =6.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:117. 1873. =7.= _Jour. Hort._
=30=:273. 1876. =8.= Oberdieck _Deut. Obst. Sort._ 409, 411.
1881. =9.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 699. 1884. =10.= Mathieu _Nom.
Pom._ 447. 1889. =11.= Lucas _Vollst. Hand. Obst._ 470. 1894.
=12.= _Guide Prat._ 152, 356. 1895. =13.= Rivers _Cat._ 35.
1898.
_Early Fruchtbare_ 12. Early Prolific 4. _Early Rivers_ 4, 10,
12. _Early Prolific_ 2, 3, 6, 10, 12, 13. _Fertile Précoce_ 10.
Fertile Précoce 6, 12. _Frühe Fruchtbare_ 6. Frühe Fruchtbare
8. _Prolifique Hâtive_ 10, 12. _Rivers’ Early No. 2_ 1, 2, 3,
4, 10. Rivers’ Early Prolific Plum 2. _Rivers’ Early Prolific_
4, 9, 10, 12. _Rivers’ Early_ 6. River’s Early 5. Rivers’ Blue
Prolific 7. _Rivers’ No. 2_ 9, 10, 12. Rivers Frühpflaume 8,
11. Rivers’ Frühe Fruchtbare 10.
Early Rivers is widely known because of its earliness, productiveness,
regularity of bearing and desirability for culinary purposes. In New
York, however, the plums are so small and drop so badly as they ripen
that the variety is worthless for commercial purposes. Hogg, in the
reference given above, notes the following peculiarity of the trees of
this variety: “The original tree throws up suckers, which, when removed
and planted out, do not bloom for several years; but scions taken from
the original tree and grafted, bloom the second year. A curious fact is
that the grafted trees fruit abundantly, and the branches are so brittle
they break off; in those raised from suckers the branches never break.
The grafted trees in spring are full of bloom, sparing of shoots, and
very few leaves; the suckers are more vigorous in growth, have no bloom,
but an abundance of foliage, even when six years old.” This variety is
a seedling of Early Tours raised by Thomas Rivers of Sawbridgeworth,
England, about 1834. It was first disseminated under the names Early
Prolific and Rivers’ Early No. 2 but, in 1866, Hogg with the permission
of the originator, renamed it Early Rivers under which name it is now
generally known.
Tree medium in size and vigor, round-topped, productive;
branchlets thick, short, pubescent throughout the season;
leaves roundish-oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches
wide, nearly three inches long, leathery; margin crenate or
serrate, with few, small, dark glands; petiole pubescent, with
from one to three small glands usually on the stalk; blooming
season intermediate, short; flowers appearing after the leaves,
seven-eighths inch across; borne on lateral buds and spurs,
singly or in twos; petals roundish.
Fruit early, season short; one and one-quarter inches by one
and one-eighth inches in size, roundish-oval or ovate, dark
purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; flesh dull yellow,
firm, sweet, mild, pleasant; of good quality; stone semi-free,
three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, rather flat,
oval, with rough and pitted surfaces.
EARLY ROYAL
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 153. 1831. =2.= _Mag. Hort._
=6=:93. 1840. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 313. 1845. =4.=
Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 341, fig. 260. 1849. =5.= _Am. Pom.
Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862. =6.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 452. 1889. =7.=
Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ =4=:159. 1901.
_Early Royal_ 3, 4, 6. _Marian_ 6. _Mirian_ 3, 4. _Mivian_ 2.
_Miviam_ 6. _Miriam_ 7. Royal Hâtive 1, 2, 5, 7. Royale Hâtive
3, 4. _Royale Hâtive_ 6. Violette Königspflaume 6.
While the fruits of Early Royal are not remarkably attractive in color,
shape or size, the quality is high and its flesh is so firm that
the variety should ship well. This sort is worthy of more extensive
trial than it has yet had in America. Early Royal is a French variety
introduced by M. Noisette of Paris, about 1830. Thompson made the first
complete description of the variety in 1839 from the fruits of a tree in
the gardens of the London Horticultural Society. Although recommended in
the catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1862 it has not been
extensively planted in this country.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, rather open, productive;
branches and trunk roughish; branchlets thickly pubescent;
leaf-scars enlarged; leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one
and three-quarters inches wide, three and three-eighths inches
long; margin serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole thickly
pubescent, with one or two smallish glands; blooming season
intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing with the
leaves, one inch across, white, tinged yellow at the apex of
the petals; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; about one and
three-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-ovate, dark
reddish-purple, marked by irregular russet streaks, covered
with thick bloom; dots conspicuous; stem thick, pubescent;
flesh greenish-yellow, rather dry, firm, very sweet, mild,
pleasant flavor; very good; stone nearly free, three-quarters
inch by five-eighths inch in size, roundish-oval, blunt at the
apex and base, with but slightly roughened surfaces; ventral
suture prominent and with short wing; dorsal suture with a
wide, shallow groove.
EARLY TOURS
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:67, 69. 1768. =2.= Kraft
_Pom. Aust._ =2=:31, Tab. 177 fig. 2. 1796. =3.= _Lond. Hort.
Soc. Cat._ 151. 1831. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:64. 1832.
=5.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 265. 1832. =6.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._
=1=:1846. =7.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 282, 283. 1846.
=8.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 376. 1866. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 937. 1869. =10.= Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:143. 1866-73. =11.=
Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 443. 1889. =12.= _Guide Prat._ 156, 361.
1895.
_Blue Perdrigon_ of some 3, 9, 11, 12. Die frühe Pflaume von
Tours 2. _De Monsieur_ 12 incor. _Damas de Tours_ 8, 9, 11.
_Early de Tours_ 5. _Early Tours_ 7, 9, 11. _Early Violet_ 3,
7, 9, 11, 12. Gros Damas de Tours 1. _Hâtive de Tours_ 12.
_Madeleine_ 11, ?12. _Monsieur_ 11 incor. _Noire Hâtive_ 3, 8,
9, 11, 12. _Perdrigon Violet_ of some 3, 9, 11, 12. Précoce
de Tours 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. _Précoce de Tours_
2, 4. _Prune de la Madeleine_ 4, 9, 11. _Prune noire Hâtive_
4. _Prune de Gaillon_ 8, 9, 11. _Prune de Monsieur_ 11 incor.
_Saint Jean_ ?11, 12. _Violette de Tours_ 8, 11. _Violette
Hâtive_ 9, 11. _Violet de Tours_ 9, 11, 12. _Violette Hâtive_
7. _Violet_ 7.
Duhamel described this variety, Gros Damas de Tours and Gros Noire
Hative in the same publication, his descriptions of the three varieties
being nearly identical. Following Duhamel many horticultural authorities
continued to separate the varieties, but Downing, Floy-Lindley and
Mathieu give Damas de Tours as a synonym of Early Tours, and Thompson,
Hogg, Downing, Mathieu and the _Guide Pratique_ give Noire Hative as a
synonym, while Prince holds Prune Noire Hative to be synonymous.
With this great similarity in the names and descriptions, it seems
doubtful if these are separate varieties, but not having the fruit of the
three to compare, it has been thought best in _The Plums of New York_ to
follow the nomenclature of the oldest authorities. Several writers have
also named the Blue Perdrigon and the Perdrigon Violet as identical with
Early Tours but neither can be, as all descriptions indicate that both
are at least a month later in ripening than the variety under discussion.
Early Tours is considered in continental Europe one of the best early
plums for dessert. It is said when fully ripened to be a veritable
sweetmeat. As the variety grows in the Station collection it can hardly
be lauded as highly as in Europe. Yet it is at least worthy of a place in
a home orchard as a delicious early plum.
Tree intermediate in size, upright-spreading, rather
open-topped, productive; branchlets thickish, pubescent;
leaves falling early, folded upward, obovate or oval, one
and seven-eighths inches wide, three and one-quarter inches
long; margin crenate; petiole pubescent, glandless or with
from one to three glands usually on the stalk; blooming season
intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the
leaves, one and one-eighth inches across; borne on lateral
spurs or from lateral buds.
Fruit very early; one and one-quarter inches by one and
one-eighth inches in size, slightly oval, dark purplish-black,
covered with thick bloom; skin thick, tough, sour; flesh
greenish-yellow, firm, sweet, pleasant flavored; good to very
good; stone semi-free, three-quarters inch by one-half-inch in
size, irregular oval.
EARLY YELLOW
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 575, 576. 1629. =2.= Rea _Flora_
206, 207. 1676. =3.= Ray _Hist. Plant._ =2=:1688. =4.=
Quintinye _Com. Gard._ 70. 1699. =5.= Langley _Pomona_ 90, Pl.
20 fig. 1. 1729. =6.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:66. 1768.
=7.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 19. 1803. =8.= Floy-Lindley
_Guide Orch. Gard._ 297, 382. 1846. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 925. 1869. =10.= _Country Gent._ =41=:518. 1876. =11.=
Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 424. 1889. =12.= _Guide Prat._ 152, 354.
1895.
Amber Primordian 1, 2. _Amber Primordian_ 3, 8, 9, 11, 12.
_Avant Prune blanche_ 9, 11, 12. _Bilboa_ 9, 11. Catalonia
1, 2, 3, 12. Castellan 4. _Catalonian_ 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
_Cerisette Blanche_ 9, 11, 12. _Castelane_ 11, 12. _Catalane_
11, 12. _Catalonische Pflaume_ 11, 12. _Catalonischer Spilling_
12. Catalonischer Spilling 11. _Catalonische Kricke_ 11. _De
Catalogne_ 6, 11. De Catalogne 12. _D’Avoine_ 9, 12. _Die gelbe
frühzeitige Pflaume_ 12. _Early Yellow_ 9, 10, 11, 12. _Early
John_ 9, 11. _Early White Plum_ 11, 12. _Gelbe Spindel Pflaume_
11. _Gelber Kleiner Spilling_ 11. _Gelbe Frühzeitige_ 11.
_Gelbe frühe Pflaume_ 11, 12. _Jaune précoce_ 11, 12. _Jaune
de Catalogne_ 9, 11, 12. Jaune Hâtive 6, 8. _Jaune Hâtive_ 11,
12. Jaunhâtive 7. _Jean Hâtive_ 9. Jean-hâtive 5. _Jean White_
11, 12. _Kleine gelbe Früh Pflaume_ 11, 12. _London Plumb_ 5.
_London Plum_ 9, 11, 12. Monsieur Jaune 11 incor., 12. _Prune
de Catalogne_ 8, 9, 11. _Prune de St. Barnabe_ 8, 9. _Prune
d’Avoine_ 11. _Pickett’s July_ 9, 11, 12. _Prune Monsieur
Jaune_ 9. _Prune d’Altesse blanche_ 9,? 11. Primordian 10, 11,
12. _Prunus Catalana_ 11, 12. _Prunus Catelana_ 11. _Prunus
Catalonica_ 11, 12. _St. Barnabée_ 9. _Saint Barnabe_ 11, 12.
_Siebenbürger Pflaume?_ 11, 12.
The Early Yellow goes back as far as the history of plum-growing in
northwestern Europe is recorded. Because of its synonyms it is thought to
have originated in Spain whence it was gradually taken northward, crossed
the boundary and spread through the fertile valleys of France. Early in
the Seventeenth Century it was firmly established in England and was
described by Tradescant and Parkinson. From that time till the present
it has kept a place in European and American horticulture, in spite of
the introduction of hundreds of improved varieties. It is described as
follows:
Tree hardy, moderately vigorous and productive; branches
long, slender, upright until bent down with fruit; branchlets
pubescent. Fruit very early, small, obovate; stem short,
slender; color pale yellow, with thin bloom; flesh yellow,
tender, sweet, moderately juicy, pleasant; good; freestone.
EMPIRE
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt._ =9=:347. 1890. =2.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =131=:184. 1897. =3.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:241 fig.,
254, 255. 1905. =4.= Rice Bros. _Cat._ 15. 1908.
Empire State 4. _Rood_ 1, 2.
It is possible that Empire deserves more attention from fruit-growers
than it has had. It is attractive in appearance, pleasant in flavor and
gives promise of shipping well. Wherever the variety proves productive,
as it is to a fair degree on the grounds of the Station, this plum might
well be grown. Empire was grown by Ezra Rood, Cortland, New York, about
1875, from seed purchased at the State Fair. In 1890, E. Smith & Sons
of Geneva found this plum in Mr. Rood’s yard and procured cions of it,
afterwards introducing the variety under the name Rood. The year that
they made the discovery, John Hammond, also of Geneva, found the same
variety at another place in Cortland and secured cions from which he
subsequently disseminated the plum under the name Empire, by which it is
now generally known.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, spreading, open-topped,
productive; branches covered with short, thick, fruit-spurs;
branchlets short and stubby, pubescent throughout the season;
leaf-scars prominent; leaves folded upward, oval or obovate,
one and one-half inches wide, three and one-quarter inches
long, thick, stiff; margin crenate, eglandular or with small
dark glands; petiole thick, reddish, with a few large, globose
or reniform glands; blooming season intermediate in time and
length; flowers appearing after the leaves, over one inch
across, yellowish-white; borne singly or in twos.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period very long; about one and
five-eighths inches in diameter, round, dark reddish-purple,
covered with medium thick bloom; dots numerous, conspicuous;
stem thick, surrounded by a fleshy ring at the cavity; skin
sour; flesh golden-yellow, dry, firm but tender, sweet, mild,
pleasant in flavor; of good quality; stone nearly free,
seven-eighths inch by three-quarters inch in size, oval,
turgid, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture broad, with
short but distinct wing; dorsal suture wide, deep.
ENGLEBERT
[Illustration: ENGLEBERT]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Horticulturist_ =10=:71. 1855. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 392. 1857. 3. _Cultivator_ =6=:312 fig. 1858. =4.= Hogg
_Fruit Man._ 376. 1866. =5.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 344.
1867. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1871. =7.= Mas _Le Verger_
=6=:61. 1866-73. =8.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 415. 1883. =9.= _Cat.
Cong. Pom. France_ 357. 1887. =10.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 354.
1891. =11.= _Guide Prat._ 154, 361. 1895. =12.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =131=:190. 1897. =13.= _N. Mex. Sta. Bul._ =27=:125.
1898. =14.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:242, 244. 1899. =15.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 101, 103 fig. 1901. =16.= _Va. Sta. Bul._
=134=:42. 1902.
_Englebert_ 9. Prince Englebert 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11,
12. Prince Engelbert 10, 13. _Prince Englebert_ 15, 16. _Prinz
Engelbert_ 11.
In common parlance Englebert is a prune, its origin, shape, color and
firm golden-yellow flesh all marking it as such, but in prune-making
regions it is usually marketed in the green state, if grown at all, and
is little used in curing. It cannot be said to be much more popular as a
plum than it is as a prune, chiefly because it is not of high quality,
but also because it is none too attractive in color, size or shape,
cutting a rather poor figure in comparison with a great number of other
Domestica plums. The variety fails in tree as well as in fruit. The trees
are variable in size, suffer from cold in exposed situations and while
rather productive bear their crops in clusters hard to pick and well
placed to insure infection from brown-rot when that disease is epidemic.
For some reason the fruit of this variety shrivels at this Station not
only after being picked, but while still on the tree. In New York,
Englebert has been thoroughly tested, has been found wanting and is not
now recommended.
This variety was obtained from a seed of the “Date Prune,” by M.
Scheidweiler, Professor of Botany at Ghent, Belgium.[211] The date
of origin has not been given, but it was probably produced about the
middle of the last century since it was described as a new fruit in
the _Horticulturist_ for 1855. Englebert was added to the American
Pomological Society catalog fruit list in 1871 under the name Prince
Englebert, but in 1897, according to the rules of the Society, the name
was simplified to Englebert.
Tree variable in size, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy except
in exposed locations, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth
except for the numerous, long-oval, raised lenticels;
branchlets thick, rather short, with internodes above medium
in length, green changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, heavily
pubescent throughout the season, with few, inconspicuous, small
lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one and seven-eighths
inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long; upper
surface covered with very fine hairs, with a shallow groove
on the midrib; lower surface pale green, finely pubescent;
apex roundish-pointed, base obtuse, margin finely crenate,
eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole three-quarters
inch long, pubescent, faintly tinged red, glandless or with one
or two small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of
the leaf.
Blooming season early to medium, of average length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, about one inch across, white except
for a yellowish tinge near the apex of the petals; borne in
clusters on lateral buds and spurs, usually in pairs; pedicels
one-half inch long, below medium in thickness, pubescent,
greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes
obtuse, sparingly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate
and with marginal hairs; petals broadly oval or roundish,
crenate, abruptly tipped with short, broad claws; stamens often
inclined to revert to petals; anthers yellowish; filaments
five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the
stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and five-eighths
inches by one and three-eighths inches in size; oval, swollen
on the suture side, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow,
abrupt; suture a line; apex bluntly pointed or roundish;
color dark purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; dots
numerous, russet; stem three-quarters inch long, pubescent,
adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, sourish, separating
readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, coarse, rather firm,
sweet, pleasant-flavored, sprightly; good; stone one and
one-eighth inches by five-eighths inch in size, oval or broadly
ovate, strongly flattened, with roughened and deeply pitted
surfaces, blunt at the base and apex; ventral suture narrow,
strongly grooved, not prominent; dorsal suture acute, with a
shallow, often indistinct groove.
ENGRE
_Prunus triflora_
=1.= Normand _Cat._ 1891. =2.= Kerr _Cat._ 1894-1900. =3.=
Cornell _Sta. Bul._ =175=:131. 1899. =4.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._
=32=:488. 1899.
This variety is one of the earliest of the Triflora plums and although
the flavor is not as agreeable as that of the best sorts of its species,
as Burbank or Abundance, it is much better than that of Earliest of All,
with which it competes in season. Almost nothing is known regarding
the history and origin of Engre. It was first mentioned in 1890 in the
catalog of J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, and in all probability
is one of his numerous importations from Japan. The origin of the name is
not known.
Tree of medium size, vasiform, dense-topped, productive;
branches slightly thorny, with numerous fruit-spurs; branchlets
very short and stubby, glabrous; leaf-buds plump; leaves
reddish when young, oblanceolate, one and three-eighths inches
wide, three inches long; margin doubly crenate, with small
brownish glands; petiole tinged red, glandless or with one
or two small, reniform glands on the stalk; blooming season
early; flowers appearing with the leaves, five-eighths inch
across; borne on lateral buds and spurs, in twos or in threes;
calyx-lobes red at the margin; anthers pinkish.
Fruit very early; about one and one-quarter inches in diameter,
roundish; cavity deep; color dark pinkish-red, covered with
thin bloom; dots numerous, conspicuous; skin astringent; flesh
yellowish, tender and melting, sweet near the surface, but sour
next the pit, low in flavor; poor; stone clinging, five-eighths
inch by one-half inch in size, roundish-oval, turgid; ventral
suture broad, blunt.
ESPEREN
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =15=:298. 1849. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
380. 1857. =3.= _Flor. & Pom._ 4, Pl. 1863. =4.= Downing _Fr.
Trees Am._ 916. 1869. =5.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 1. 1871. =6.=
Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:65. 1866-73. =7.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ 12.
1882.
_Cloth of Gold Esperen_ 4. _Cloth of Gold_ 2, 7. Drap d’Or
of Esperin 1, 2. _Drap d’Or d’Esperen_ 3, 6, 7. _Drap d’Or
Esperen_ 4. Drap d’Or d’Esperen 5. _Drap d’Or of Esperen_ 6.
Esperen’s Goldpflaume 7. _Golden Esperen_ 5, 7. Golden Esperen
4. Golden Esperen Plum 3.
Were there not so many handsome, well-flavored plums of the Reine Claude
group, Esperen might well be recommended to the amateur at least, for it
is first class in appearance and quality. But the fruits are small and
the tree-characters are not such that the variety can compete with the
standard Reine Claude plums. Esperen was produced from seed in 1830 by
Major Esperen of Malines, Belgium; it was first fruited in 1844, and was
introduced in 1847 by Louis Van Houtte of Ghent, Belgium. It obtained the
designation Drap d’Or from its close resemblance to that variety.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk
stocky, rough; branches rough, with numerous, large, raised
lenticels; branchlets brash; leaves flattened, two and one-half
inches wide, five inches long, obovate or oval; margin serrate;
petiole thick, tinged red, pubescent, with from two to five
large, globose glands.
Fruit mid-season; about one and one-half inches in diameter,
roundish-oval; cavity shallow, narrow, often lipped; color
yellow streaked and mottled with green, overspread with thin
bloom; skin thin, tender, rather sour; flesh yellow, tender,
sweet, aromatic; of good quality; stone free, one inch by
five-eighths inch in size, oval, with pitted surfaces; ventral
suture blunt; dorsal suture wide, deep.
EXCELSIOR
_Prunus triflora_ × _Prunus munsoniana_
=1.= _Glen St. Mary Cat._ 1891-2. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat_. 26.
1897. =3.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._ =67=:11. 1898. =4.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._
=68=:9, 36. 1905.
Excelsior has not fruited on the Station grounds and is placed in the
list of leading varieties because of the prominence given it in the above
references. The variety was originated by G. L. Tabor, Glen Saint Mary,
Florida, in 1887, from seed of Kelsey supposed to have been pollinated by
Wild Goose, although some authorities believe De Caradeuc to have been
the male parent. It seems to be a promising variety and was mentioned in
the last three catalogs of the American Pomological Society.
Tree vigorous, vasiform; branches slender; leaves of medium size, narrow;
margin finely crenulate, glandular; petiole short, with from one to three
small glands; flowers small, scattered; fruit early; of medium size,
roundish, dark red with heavy bloom; skin tough; flesh firm, yellowish
with red tinge towards the center; quality good; stone of medium size,
compressed, clinging.
FIELD
[Illustration: FIELD]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 288. 1889. =2.= _Am. Gard._
=14=:50, 395. 1893. =3.= _Rural N. Y_. =55=:622. 1896. =4.=
_Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:184. 1897. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._
=169=:244. 1899. =9.= _Ibid._ =187=:77, 78. 1901. =7.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 101, 104 fig. 1901. =8.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._
=162=:239, 240 fig., 254, 255. 1905.
_Early Bradshaw_ 2.
This offspring of Bradshaw resembles its parent in tree, and in size,
color and shape of fruit, though not so closely as to be readily mistaken
for the older variety. Differences which distinguish the fruits of the
two are: The Field is a trifle smaller, the fruit is more nearly round,
lacking the prolonged neck of Bradshaw and is more plump at the base,
the parent plum being markedly obovate; Field is earlier than Bradshaw,
the latter difference accounting for the synonym, “Early Bradshaw.” The
quality is not such as to commend either of these plums, but of the two
Field is slightly the better. In tree-characters, Bradshaw excels in
having a larger tree and in being more productive. The foliage of Field
is very good, it ripens its wood well and begins to bear while young,
but it is inclined to a biennial bearing habit which makes the average
in quantity of fruit a little too low for a market plum which Field is,
if worth planting at all. A good quality of this variety is that it
withstands the brown-rot very well. It is doubtful if Field is worthy
of a place in the fruit-growing regions of New York, unless, perhaps,
where a plum of the Bradshaw type, but a little earlier, is wanted. Like
Bradshaw, Field is comparatively little attacked by San José scale.
Field is a seedling of Bradshaw grown in Schoharie County, New York. It
was first noted by S. D. Willard of Geneva, New York, in 1889, as “a
variety worthy of cultivation.”
Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, dense-topped,
hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the
numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, short,
with internodes of medium length, greenish-red changing to
brownish-drab, with a trace of red, dull, pubescent becoming
slightly less so at maturity, with numerous, inconspicuous,
small lenticels; leaf-buds below medium in size, short, obtuse,
appressed.
Leaves folded backward, obovate, two and one-sixteenth inches
wide, four and three-eighths inches long; upper surface dark
green, nearly glabrous, with shallowly grooved midrib; lower
surface sparingly pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base acute,
margin serrate, with a few, smallish, black glands; petiole
seven-eighths inch long, thick, tinged with red, sparingly
pubescent.
Season of bloom intermediate, short; flowers appearing
after the leaves, one inch across, white, with a yellowish
tinge at the apex of the petals; scattered on lateral buds
and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch
long, thick, with few, short, scattering hairs, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes above
medium in width, obtuse, slightly pubescent on both surfaces,
glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed; petals broadly oval,
entire, tapering below to short, broad claws; anthers
yellowish; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous,
shorter than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, period of ripening short; one and
seven-eighths inches by one and five-eighths inches in size,
oblong-oval, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow,
narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, broad; apex roundish; color
dark purplish-red, overspread with very thick bloom; dots
numerous, small, russet, clustered about the apex; stem
three-quarters inch long, sparingly pubescent, adhering well to
the fruit; skin thin, slightly sour, separating readily; flesh
greenish-yellow, medium juicy, sweetish, mild; of fair quality;
stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, ovate
with roughened and deeply pitted surfaces, blunt at the apex
and base; ventral suture broad, distinctly furrowed; dorsal
suture acute.