_Gillett_ 3, 14. _Hinckley_ 3, 6, 10, 14. Hinckley 5, 7.
_Isabel_ 3, 14. Minner 12. _Old Hickory_ 4, 10, 14. _Parsons_
?10, 14, 16. _Robinson_ 3, 14. _Townsend_ 3, 6, 14. _William
Dodd_ 4, 10, 14.
Miner has the distinction of being the first of the native plums to be
named and of being the typical plum in the sub-species to which its name
has been given. Though lacking but a few years of having been in the
hands of civilization a century (the Indians from whom it appears to have
been taken had possibly cultivated it longer), Miner is still a standard
variety and while not the best of the group of which it is the type, it
is one of the best. This variety has the further distinction of being,
after Wild Goose, the parent of more cultivated offspring than any other
of our native plums and must be credited with having transmitted its
characters, those of the tree being especially good, to a high degree.
Miner is one of the parents of more than two score of named native
plums in nearly all of which the resemblances to each other and to the
parent are very marked. The variety is not grown, so far as is known,
in New York and the trees on the grounds of this Station not being in
bearing, it was impossible to illustrate the fruit in _The Plums of New
York_ though to do so was greatly desired. In the Middle West, Miner is
probably as widely disseminated and as largely grown as any other plum,
being particularly adapted to the northern limits of the cultivation of
its species. The tree of this variety is robust, healthy, probably better
in habit of growth for orchard management than any other of the native
plums, and usually productive. The fruits are good in quality, attractive
in appearance, comparatively curculio-proof and are especially suited for
culinary uses. The variety is unproductive unless cross-fertilized.
Several accounts are given of the origin of Miner, none of which can be
accurately verified at this late date. When all of the data is compared
and that which is reliable is put together, the history of the variety
runs about as follows: In 1813 William Dodd, an officer under General
Jackson, found this plum growing in a Chicasaw Indian plantation at a
place called Horse Shoe Bend, on the Tallapoosa River, Alabama. The
plums were so attractive in size and excellent in quality that he saved
seeds of the variety and in 1814 planted them in Knox County, Tennessee.
When the trees came in bearing and their merits were discovered, the new
plum was at once in demand and was rather widely distributed in Knox
and neighboring counties under the names “Old Hickory” and “General
Jackson.” In 1823 or 1824, Dodd moved to Springfield, Illinois, taking
sprouts of this plum with him. Dodd’s young trees did not thrive and he
asked a brother in Tennessee who was moving to Illinois, to bring more
sprouts of the new plum. The brother, instead of going to Springfield,
went to Galena, Illinois, taking with him the sprouts of Old Hickory.
These fell into the hands of Judge Hinckley, who distributed them among
his friends, one of whom, a Mr. Townsend, propagated the variety rather
extensively. At Galena, from the circumstances just noted, the variety
was called “Hinckley” and “Townsend.” Meanwhile, the trees which the
first Mr. Dodd had taken to Springfield came into bearing and the variety
was propagated and distributed in the neighborhood as “William Dodd” and
“Chicasaw Chief.” A relative of the Townsends, at Galena, took trees of
this plum to Lancaster, Wisconsin, where they were propagated by a man
named Joel Barber. Barber named the plum after his father-in-law, a Mr.
Miner, and this name, out of the dozen or more that have been given it,
is the one under which the plum is now universally known. During the
process of dissemination the variety received several other local names
as Isabel, Gillett, Robinson and Parsons.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, hardy at Geneva, unproductive
unless cross-pollinized; branches smooth, reddish-brown,
thorny; branchlets slender, long, with long internodes,
greenish-red, changing to brownish-red, glossy, glabrous, with
numerous, small, grayish lenticels; leaf-buds small, short,
obtuse, appressed.
Leaves falling late, long-oval or obovate, peach-like, one
and five-eighths inches wide, four inches long, thick; upper
surface roughish, glabrous except for a few hairs on the
narrowly grooved midrib; lower surface very thinly pubescent;
apex acuminate, base abrupt and nearly acute, margin serrate,
with small glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, pubescent
on the upper surface, often tinged red, with from two to four
reniform or globose, dark amber glands usually on the stalk.
Flowers late, often self-sterile, medium to large.
Fruit somewhat late; medium in size, roundish-ovate or
roundish-oblong; cavity shallow, narrow, regular; suture
indistinct; apex pointed; color dull, dark red, appearing some
time before maturity, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous,
minute, yellowish, conspicuous at first, becoming duller; stem
slender, long, adhering strongly to the fruit; skin thick,
tough, somewhat astringent; flesh pale amber yellow, juicy,
nearly tender, mild, aromatic; good in quality; stone adhering,
small to medium, roundish-oval, flattened, pointed at the base
and apex, with nearly smooth surfaces.
MIRABELLE
_Prunus insititia_
=1.= Merlet _Abrege des bons fruits_ 1675. =2.= Rea _Flora_
207. 1676. =3.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ 68, 70. 1699. =4.=
Langley _Pomona_ 93, Pl. XXIII fig. VIII. 1729. =5.= Miller
_Gard. Dict._ =3=:1754. =6.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:95,
Pl. XIV. 1768. =7.= Knoop _Fructologie_ =2=:52, 58. 1771. =8.=
_Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 149. 1831. =9.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:76. 1832. =10.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =1=:1846. =11.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 282 fig. 110. 1845. =12.= Thomas _Am.
Fruit Cult._ 330. 1849. =13.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 518. 1859.
=14.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 371. 1866. =15.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S.
=15=:359. 1868. =16.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 14. 1871. =17.= Mas
_Le Verger_ =6=:13, fig. 7. 1866-73. =18.= Oberdieck _Deut.
Obst. Sort._ 425. 1881. =19.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 431, 432.
1889. =20.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ 93, Pl. 69. 1894. =21.=
_Guide Prat._ 163, 361. 1895. =22.= _Garden_ =50=:364. 1896.
=23.= _U. S. D. A. Div. Pom. Bul._ =10=:11. 1901. =24.= Baltet
_Cult. Fr._ 489, 492 fig. 326, 503. 1908.
_Aprikosenartige Mirabelle_ 16, 19, 20, 21. _Damascena
Armeniacea_ 21. _Damascena Armeniaca_ 19. _Damas Vert_ 7. _De
Mirabelle_ 21. _Gelbe Mirabelle_ 16, 17, 21. Gelbe Mirabelle
18, 19, 20. Geperlte Mirabelle 19. Green Damask? 3. _Kleinste
Mirabelle_ 19. _Kleine Mirabelle_ 19, 20, 21. _La Mirabelle_ 9,
19, 20, 21. _Lerchenei_ 19, 20. _Little Mirabelle_ 9, 19, 20.
_Mirababelle_ 20. Mirabel 3. _Mirabelle abricotée_ 16, 19, 20,
21. _Mirabelle_ 14, 17, 19, 21. Mirabelle Blanche 7. _Mirabelle
Blanche_ 14, 16, 19, 20, 21. _Mirabelle de Metz_ 15, 19, 20,
24. _Mirabelle de Vienne_ 14, 16, 19, 20, 21. _Mirabelle Jaune_
7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21. _Mirabelle Perle_ 14, 20.
_Mirabelle Perlée_ 7, 16, 19, 20, 21. _Mirabelle Petite_ 8, 9,
11, 13, 17, 19, 21. _Mirabelle précoce_ 16, 17, 19, 20?, 21?.
Mirabelle Petite 14. _Mirabelle Simple?_ 7. _Mirabelle Verte_
16, ?21. Mirabelle Verte ?7. _Petit Drap d’Or_ 9, 19, 20.
_Petite Mirabelle_ 9, 16, 19, 20. Petite Mirabelle 16, 17, 21,
24. _P. Damascena Armeniacea_ 16. _Prune de Mirabelle_ 9, 17,
19. Prune de Mirabelle 10. Small Mirabelle 9. _Small Mirabelle_
19, 20. _Syrische Pflaume_ 19, 20. The Green Damosine Plum ?2.
_White Mirabelle_ 14, 16, 19, 21. White Mirable 4. _Wiener
Mirabelle_ 19, 20.
Mirabelle, though described in an American fruit book as early as 1832
and mentioned in nearly every pomology since, is hardly known in America.
In Europe, especially in France, it is one of the favorite varieties and
is in great demand for canning, preserves, compotes, tarts and prunes.
The trees of this variety on the grounds of this Station grow very well,
producing fine crops of fruit, as it is probable they would do wherever
the Damsons can be grown. The small, round, yellow fruits are attractive
in appearance, and the sweet, pleasant flavor of the variety should fit
it admirably in this country for the purposes for which it is so largely
grown by the French. The trees are small but vigorous and healthy, the
last two qualities having suggested in Europe their use as stocks, to
which purpose they are sometimes put in France when a dwarfing stock is
needed. European writers say that the variety may be reproduced from seed.
Mirabelle is a very old plum; it was noted by the pomological writers in
the latter part of the Seventeenth Century and since that date it has
held a conspicuous place in all of the European plum literature. This
variety, though probably sparingly introduced in America at different
times, has never been widely cultivated and is not now offered for sale
by any of the nurserymen whose catalogs have been consulted for _The
Plums of New York_.
Tree small, round and open-topped, hardy; branches dark
ash-gray, smooth, with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets
slender, of medium length, dull brownish-red, thorny, glabrous,
with numerous, small, indistinct lenticels; leaf-buds of medium
size and length, conical, free.
Leaves falling early, one and one-half inches wide, three
inches long, folded upward, oval, rather thin; upper surface
medium green, smooth, with few hairs scattered along the
grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent;
apex acute, base abrupt, margin crenate, with small, black
glands; petiole one-half inch long, tinged red along one side,
glandless or with from one to three small, globose glands
usually on the stalk.
Flowers appearing in mid-season, after the leaves,
seven-eighths inch across, white with a yellow tinge as the
buds unfold; borne on lateral spurs and buds, in twos or
threes; pedicels three-quarters inch long, slender, thickly
pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, broadly obconic,
glabrous except at the base; calyx-lobes of medium width,
obtuse, glandular-serrate, pubescent on both surfaces;
reflexed; petals oval, crenate, tapering to short, broad claws;
anthers yellow with a tinge of red; filaments three-eighths
inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit mid-season, period of ripening of medium length;
seven-eighths inch in diameter, roundish-oval, slightly necked,
swollen on one side, compressed, halves equal; cavity very
shallow and narrow, abrupt; suture indistinct; apex roundish
or depressed; color light golden-yellow, sometimes blushed and
mottled with red on the exposed cheek, overspread with thick
bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish, inconspicuous, clustered
at the apex; stem slender, three-quarters inch long, pubescent,
adhering poorly to the fruit; skin thin, tough, not astringent,
separating readily; flesh light yellow, not very juicy, firm,
but tender, sweet, mild, but pleasant; good to very good; stone
free, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, oval,
blunt, broadly ridged along one edge, roughish.
MIRACLE
_Prunus insititia_ × _Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Rural N. Y._ =62=:594. 1903. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 25. 1904. =3.= _Rural N. Y._ =64=:280. 1905. 4. _Oregon
Nur. Cat._ =4.= 1906. =5.= DeVries _Pl. Br._ 228. 1907.
Unfortunately, so far as is known, this much-talked-of plum has not been
fruited in New York. About 1887, Luther Burbank imported from a French
nurseryman a tree of the Prunier San Noyeau or Stoneless plum known as
a curiosity in Europe for at least three centuries. With this fruit he
crossed several of the best European varieties, producing hybrids which
first fruited in 1893. Although there were several stoneless fruits in
this lot, none were of any value and it was not until 1899 that one
appeared worthy of consideration. In this seedling, developed from Agen
pollen, the stone is represented by a small, hard scale near the base
of the kernel. Burbank sold the new plum in 1903 to the Oregon Nursery
Company by whom it was introduced in 1906. The following description is
compiled:
Tree somewhat dwarfish, producing a roundish, compact head,
very productive. Fruit larger than Agen, oblong, dark blue
covered with thick bloom; cavity medium; stem short; flesh
yellow, sweet, juicy; good; stone lacking, the kernel lying
naked in the flesh.
MONARCH
[Illustration: MONARCH]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Gard. Chron._ =19=:815. 1883. =2.= _Rev. Hort._ 252,
Pl. 1892. =3.= _Guide Prat._ 163, 360. 1895. =4.= _Cornell
Sta. Bul._ =131=:181 fig. 40 V, 189. 1897. =5.= _Rural N. Y._
=57=:670, 671 fig. 310. 1898. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:242,
247. 1899. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1899. =8.= Waugh
_Plum Cult._ 116. 1901. =9.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ =4=:158
fig. 956. 1901. =10.= _Garden_ =62=:298. 1902. =11.= _Gard.
Chron._ =36=:282. 1904. =12.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:242 fig.,
256, 257. 1905.
Monarque 3. Prune Monarque 2.
No plum of recent introduction has so quickly attained popularity as
the Monarch. Of the great number of plums imported from the Old World,
this is one of the few which has proved worthy of a place with the best
American varieties for American conditions, an illustration of the
importance of testing all foreign fruits. The plate shows the fruit of
this variety well, though the plums look smaller in the illustration than
in nature—an illusion always accompanying the reproduction in exact size
of the photograph of a round object. The nicely turned form and the rich
purple color of this plum make it a handsome fruit. While the quality
is not of the best, Monarch ranks high among purple plums as a dessert
fruit, few plums of this color being especially palatable to eat out of
hand. The variety is not remarkable for any of its tree-characters, yet
they average well with other plums and, with those of the fruit, make
a variety quite above the average and give it a place among the best
commercial sorts. Monarch is now so widely disseminated and so largely
grown in New York, that we shall know shortly whether it is to hold the
high place it has so quickly taken among market plums in this State.
Monarch, a seedling of the Autumn Compote, was grown by Thomas Rivers,
Sawbridgeworth, England and was introduced by the originator in 1885.
English publications described and figured this variety in 1883 but there
are no notices of it in American pomological literature until 1897. Two
years later it was placed on the fruit list of the American Pomological
Society catalog and recommended for the north-eastern section of the
United States. Notwithstanding the fact that the variety is relatively
new, it is now offered for sale by nearly every nurseryman in this
country.
Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped,
hardy at Geneva, usually productive; branches ash-gray,
smooth, with small lenticels; branchlets of medium thickness
and length, with internodes of average length, greenish-red,
changing to brownish-drab, dull, thickly pubescent, with
obscure, small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, pointed,
appressed; leaf-scars somewhat swollen.
Leaves broadly oval, wide, medium in length, thick, somewhat
stiff; upper surface rugose, covered thinly with hairs; lower
surface pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, margin serrate or
crenate, eglandular; petiole short, thick, heavily pubescent,
lightly tinged red, glandless or with one or two large,
reniform or globose, greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.
Season of bloom intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing with the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across,
white; pedicels three-quarters inch in length, thick,
pubescent, green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, pubescent;
calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, thickly pubescent on both surfaces,
glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals oval, crenate, tapering
to short and very broad claws; anthers yellow; filaments
five-sixteenths inch long; pistil pubescent, longer than the
stamens.
Fruit late; two inches by one and three-quarters inches in
size, roundish-oval, halves unequal; cavity deep, medium to
narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, often a line; apex roundish or
flattened; color dark purplish-red, often with russet flecks
scattered over the surface, overspread with thick bloom; dots
numerous, small, reddish-brown, conspicuous, clustered about
the apex; stem thick, three-quarters inch long, pubescent,
adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tender, slightly
astringent, separating readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy,
somewhat fibrous, tender, sweet next to the skin, pleasantly
tart towards the center, aromatic; good; stone clinging, one
inch by five-eighths inch in size, long-oval, turgid, roughened
and pitted, pointed at the base, blunt at the apex; ventral
suture rather wide, shallowly furrowed, blunt; dorsal suture
with a wide, shallow groove.
MONROE
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 189, 210. 1856. =2.= Downing _Fr.
Trees Am._ 389. 1857. =3.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 356. 1867.
=4.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 414. 1883. =5.= _Guide Prat._ 163, 364.
1895. =6.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:189. 1897. =7.= Waugh
_Plum Cult._ 116. 1901. =8.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._
=2=:320. 1903.
Monroe Egg 1, 6. _Monroe Egg_ 2, 7, 8. _Monroe Gage_ 1, 2, 5,
7, 8. Monroe Gage 4. Reine-Claude de Monroe 5.
The fruit of Monroe is small and the trees produce well only in alternate
years, defects that its high quality cannot overcome. Monroe originated
with a Miss Durham, Penfield, Monroe County, New York, about the middle
of the last century. At one time it was quoted by nearly all nurserymen
but the variety is fast disappearing.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, productive;
branchlets covered with fine pubescence; leaves oval, one and
three-quarters inches wide, three and one-half inches long,
thick, rugose; margin finely serrate; petiole tinged red,
pubescent, with from one to three small glands.
Fruit matures in mid-season; one and three-eighths inches by
one and one-quarter inches in size, oval, sometimes necked,
golden-yellow, often mottled on the sunny side with red,
overspread with thin bloom; stem adhering poorly to the fruit;
flesh golden-yellow, tender, sweet, mild; of very good quality;
stone semi-free or free, three-quarters inch by one-half
inch in size, long and slightly irregular-oval, acute at the
base and apex, with nearly smooth surfaces; ventral suture
prominent, blunt.
MOREMAN
_Prunus hortulana_
=1.= _Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 91. 1885. =2.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =38=:49, 86. 1892. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =123=:20. 1895.
=4.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =11=:285. 1898. =5.= Bailey _Ev. Nat.
Fruits_ 177, 206. 1898. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40. 1899.
=7.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:280. 1900. =8.= _Kan. Sta. Bul._
=101=:135, 137. 1901, =9.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:256, 257.
1905.
Mooreman 1.
Moreman is the hardiest of the Hortulana plums and possibly worthy of
keeping before plum-growers for this reason. Its fruit-characters are
not as satisfactory as those of several other varieties of its species.
Dr. Wayland of Cadiz, Kentucky, according to T. V. Munson, grew a lot of
seedlings from pits of wild plums found in his vicinity and either from
this lot or from a seedling from them, came the Moreman. The variety
was introduced by W. F. Heikes in 1881. It was listed in the catalog of
the American Pomological Society in 1899. The following description is
compiled.
Tree vigorous, spreading, hardy, productive; leaves of medium
size, coarsely serrate; petiole usually glandless. Fruit late;
small, roundish, bright red, bloomless; stem long, slender;
dots numerous, yellow; flesh firm, yellow, pleasant in flavor;
quality fair; stone small, roundish, clinging.
MOROCCO
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 576. 1629. =2.= Rea _Flora_ 207.
1676. =3.= Ray _Hist. Plant._ =2=:1528. 1688. =4.= Langley
_Pomona_ 91, Pl. XX fig. III. 1729. =5.= Miller _Gard. Dict._
=3=:1754. =6.= Knoop _Fructologie_ 56. 1771. =7.= Abercrombie
_Gard. Ass’t_ 13. 1786. =8.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 19.
1803. =9.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:103. 1830. =10.= _Lond. Hort.
Soc. Cat._ 145, 146, 150. 1831. =11.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:82. 1832. =12.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 306. 1845. =13.=
Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 282, 382. 1846. =14.= Thomas
_Am. Fruit Cult._ 338. 1849. =15.= Loudon _Enc. Gard._ 921.
1834. =16.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 28. 1876. =17.= Hogg _Fruit
Man._ 714. 1884. =18.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 430. 1889.
Black Morocco 7. _Black Morocco_ 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18.
_Black Damask_ 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18. _Black Damascus_ 13.
_Damas Noir_ 5. Damas Noir Hâtif 6, 10. Damas Hâtif 10. _Damas
noir hâtif_ 11. Early Damask 5, 8. _Early Black Damask_ 9, 10,
13. Early Damson 10. _Early Morocco_ 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18.
_Early Damask_ 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18. Early Black
Damask 11. _Early Black Morocco_ 12, 18. Frühe Schwarze Pflaume
18. _Frühe Platte Damascene_ 18. _Italian Damask_ 12 incor.,
14. Mogul 16. _Morocco_ 16, 18. _Marokko Pflaume_ 18. Morocco
Plumb 4. _Morocco_ 5, 8, 9. _Noire Hâtif_ 18. _Saint Cyr_ 11.
This variety is not popular in New York nor does it deserve to be, as
there are many better plums of its season. Its faults are small size, an
insipid flavor and poor keeping qualities. Morocco is one of the oldest
of the cultivated plums. It has been known in Europe for three centuries
at least and is undoubtedly much older, its early history not having
been written. It is not known when the variety was introduced into this
country but it has been grown in the Southern States for many years under
the name Mogul. About 1894, it was reintroduced from England by the W. &
T. Smith Nursery Company of Geneva, New York, under the name Mogul.
Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, rather tender to cold,
productive; branchlets covered with heavy pubescence; leaves
oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, three inches long;
margin finely serrate or crenate; petiole short, thick, with
one or two globose glands usually at the base of the leaf;
blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across,
white or creamy as the buds unfold; borne on lateral buds and
spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit late, ripening period short; below medium in size, round
to oval or obovate, purplish-black, covered with thick bloom;
dots conspicuous; flesh light golden-yellow, rather dry,
moderately firm, sweet next to the skin, but rather acid near
the center; poor; stone clinging, medium to small, oval or
ovate, flattened, with rough surfaces.
MOTTLED PRUNE
_Prunus domestica_
This plum is placed among the leading varieties only that a full
description of it may be put on record. The fruit is attractive in
color but is inferior in quality. These defects are so prominent that
the variety can hardly become popular. The Mottled Prune originated in
Waterloo, New York, as a chance seedling in 1887; it was introduced by E.
Smith & Sons, Geneva, New York.
Tree large, round and open-topped, very productive; branches
stocky; branchlets heavily pubescent; leaves folded backward
or flattened, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches
wide, three and one-half inches long, thick and leathery,
rugose; margin crenate, with few, small, dark glands; petiole
thickly pubescent, dull dark red, glandless or with from one
to three smallish glands usually on the stalk; blooming season
intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the
leaves, one inch across, white; borne in scattering clusters
on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels very
pubescent.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and three-quarters
inches by one and one-half inches in size, ovate, dark
purplish-red, somewhat mottled, covered with thick bloom; dots
numerous, conspicuous; flesh pale yellow, juicy, firm, sweet,
mild; of fair quality; stone free, one inch by three-quarters
inch in size, oval, flattened, strongly roughened; ventral
suture deeply furrowed, often with a short wing; dorsal suture
with a narrow, shallow groove.
MYROBALAN
_Prunus cerasifera_
=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 576, 578. 1629. =2.= Gerard
_Herball_ 1498, 1500. 1636. =3.= Rea _Flora_ 209. 1676. =4.=
Ray _Hist. Plant._ =2=:1528. 1688. =5.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb.
Fr._ =2=:111, Pl. XX fig. 15. 1768. =6.= Knoop _Fructologie_
55, 56. 1771. =7.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 20. 1803. =8.=
Miller _Gard. Dict._ =3=:1807. =9.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_
232. 1817. =10.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 144, 150. 1831. =11.=
Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:80. 1832. =12.= Hoffy _Orch. Comp._
=2=:1842. =13.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 294. 1845. =14.=
Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 285. 1846. 15. Poiteau _Pom.
Franc._ 1. 1846. =16.= _Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc._ N. S. =15=:360.
1868. =17.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 690. 1884. =18.= _Gard. & For._
=1=:178. 1888. =19.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 448. 1889. =20.= _Cal.
State Board Hort._ 112, 113. 1891. =21.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=38=:66. 1892. =22.= _Rev. Hort._ 204. 1894. =23.= _Neb. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 177. 1895. =24.= _Guide Prat._ 157, 353. 1895. =25.=
Bailey _Ev. Nat. Fruits_ 190 fig. 27, 209. 1898. =26.= _Vt.
Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:211, 212, 215. 1899. =27.= _S. Dak. Sta.
Bul._ =93=:66. 1905.
_Arabische Kirsche_ 19. _Asiatische Kirsche_ 19. American
Cherry Plum 11. _Cerisette_ 11, 18, 19. _Cerizette_ 11.
_Ciriselle_ 6. Cerisette 6, 11. Cerisette Blanche 6. _Cerise_
19. _Cherry_ 1, 11. _Cherry Plum_ 7, 8, 11, 16, 19, 20. Cherry
13, 14, 17. Cherry Plum 9, 10, 18. _De Virginie_ 10, 13, 14.
Damasine 24. _D’Amerique Rouge_ 10, 13, 14. _Early Scarlet_
10, 11, 13, 17, 19. _European Cherry Plum_ 11. Muscadine ?1.
_Kirschpflaume_ 18, 19. _Kleine Kirschpflaume_ 24. Mirobalan 2.
Mirabilon 3. Mirabolan 5. _Myrobolan_ 13. _Mirabolanenpflaume_
19. Myrobalans 7. _Mirabolane_ 19. _Mirobalan_ 9, 11.
_Myrobalane_ 19. _Mirabolan_ 14. _Myrobalan_ 10, 11, 14, 17,
18, 19. _Mirabelle Rouge_ 24. Mirabelle Rouge 10. _Miser Plum_
19. _Miser_ 12, 13, 14, 17. _Prune d’Amerique Rouge_ 19. _Prune
Cerise_ 11. Prune Cerizette 8. _Prunus Myrobalana_ 11, 14, 19,
23. _Prunus Cerasifera_ 10, 11, 13, 14, 19. _Prune Ceriset_
11. _Prune de Virginie_ 19. Prunier Myrobolan 15, 22. _Prune
Cerisette_ 15. _Prunus Cerasifera fructu majore_ 19. _Prunus
Myrobolana_ 13. _Queene Mother_ ?1. Red Mirobalane 1. Rote
Kirschpflaume 19. Red Mirabelle 12. _Rothe Mirabelle_ 24.
_Stambul Erik oder Irek_ 19. _Türkische Kirsche_ 19. _Virginian
Cherry_ 10, 13, 14, 17, 19. White Mirobalane 1. The Myrobalane
Plum 4.
Myrobalan is a group name rather than a varietal one. Plums of this
group are grown from seeds and many varieties have appeared during the
last three centuries, differing in color, shape, stone and in many minor
characters. The red and reddish-purple plums and the round ones are
apparently the most numerous though there are frequent references to the
White Myrobalan and to heart-shaped fruits in this group. For a further
discussion of these plums see _Prunus cerasifera_. The Myrobalan plums
are used largely as stocks in the propagation of plums and closely allied
plants; occasionally they are used for culinary purposes though with
rather poor results.
NECTARINE
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:148. 1830. =2.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 150.
1831. =3.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 264. 1832. =4.= Downing _Fr.
Trees Am._ 306. 1845. =5.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:115. 1846. =6.=
_Cole Am. Fr. Book_ 215. 1849. =7.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 518.
1859. =8.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 448. 1889. =9.= _Guide Prat._
162, 365. 1895.
_Bradshaw_ 6. _Caledonian_ 1, 2, 3. _Calvel’s Pfirschenpflaume_
8. _Goliath of some_ 8. _Howel’s_ 3. _Howell’s Large_ 1, 2, 4,
7, 8. _Jenkin’s Imperial_ 2, 4, 7, 8, 9. _Louis Phillipe_ 4.
_Louis Philippe_ 6, 7, 8, 9. _Large Early Black_ 6. _Nectarine_
1, 8, 9. Nectarine Plum 3, 7. _Peach Plum_ 4, 7, 9. _Peach_
2, 8. _Prune Pêche_ 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8. _Pêche de Calvel_ 8.
_Prune d’Abricot_ 8. _Pêche_ of some 9. Rothe Nectarine 9. Rote
Nectarine 8. The Nectarine Plum 1.
Much confusion has existed regarding the identity of the Nectarine, Peach
and Goliath plums. These names have been interchanged indiscriminately
for the three plums and it is now difficult to separate the varieties,
especially as they are very similar. The Goliath, however, may be
separated from the other two by its pubescent shoots, which the others do
not have. The Peach plum is the largest of the three and has a reddish
cast whereas the Nectarine and Goliath are dark purple. The earlier
writers knew a Nectarine as a synonym of Peach but it was not until 1830
that the Nectarine was finally described as a separate variety. Nectarine
is of unknown origin. The following description is compiled.
Tree vigorous, round-topped, productive; leaves large, oval;
branches glabrous. Fruit early; large, roundish, flattened at
the ends, dark purple with thin bloom; flesh greenish-yellow,
tinged red at maturity, rather coarse, sprightly; fair to good;
stone of medium size, compressed, oval, semi-clinging.
NEWARK
_Prunus domestica_
This fruit has little to recommend it to the commercial plum-grower; it
is small in size and unattractive in color; the quality, however, is very
good and the variety is worth planting for home use. Newark originated in
Newark, New York, and in 1895 was bought by E. Smith & Sons of Geneva,
New York, who disseminated it two years later.
Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, rather
open, very productive; branches rough; branchlets marked by
scarf-skin, leaf-scars prominent; leaves flattened, somewhat
drooping, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches wide,
three and one-half inches long, thick, rugose; margin coarsely
serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole thick, pubescent,
glandless or with one or two smallish glands usually on the
stalk; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one inch or more across, white
with yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals; borne singly or
in pairs; anthers yellow with a trace of red.
Fruit early, season short; one and one-half inches by one and
three-eighths inches in size, oval, dull yellow mottled with
red at full maturity, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous,
conspicuous; flesh light greenish-yellow, rather dry, firm,
sweet, mild; good to very good; stone free, three-quarters inch
by one-half inch in size, irregular-oval, flat, with finely
pitted surfaces; ventral suture usually winged; dorsal suture
with a shallow, narrow, indistinct groove.
NEWMAN
[Illustration: NEWMAN]
_Prunus munsoniana_
=1.= _Horticulturist_ =22=:271. 1867. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 934. 1869. =3.= _Am. Jour. Hort._ =5=:142. 1869. =4.=
_Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 39. 1874. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36.
1875. =6.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 418. 1883. =7.= _Ia. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 286. 1887. =8.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:63, 86. 1892.
=9.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =123=:20. 1895. =10.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._
=63=:49. 1897. =11.= _Me. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:66. 1896. =12.=
Bailey _Ev. Nat. Fruits_ 200 fig., 201. 1898. =13.= _Rural N.
Y._ =59=:450. 1900. =14.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:282. 1900. =15.=
_Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:256, 257. 1905.
_Warren?_ 8.
Newman is one of the oldest but still one of the standard varieties of
its species. Its fruits are characterized by a firm, meaty flesh, which
fits it well for shipping and storing; the plums are also attractive in
shape and color but are too small and too low in quality to make the
variety a first-rate one. The trees are large and vigorous and in all
respects very satisfactory orchard plants. Both fruits and trees are
usually reported as fairly free from diseases and insects. While the
variety is gradually going out it still has some value for its crops
and ought to make a good parent from which to breed a race of vigorous,
firm-fleshed Munsonianas.
The origin of this plum is uncertain. In 1867 a Mr. Elliott of Cleveland,
Ohio, reported in the _Horticulturist_ that he had received samples of
the “Newman Plum” from D. L. Adair, Esq., of Hawesville, Kentucky, and
gave a brief description of the fruit which seems to tally with that of
the variety under discussion. The American Pomological Society added this
plum to its fruit catalog list in 1875 and removed it in 1891.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, low and flat, dense-topped,
hardy at Geneva, productive, subject to attacks of shot-hole
fungus, the trunk shaggy; branches dark ash-gray, rough and
shaggy, thorny, zigzag, with numerous, rather inconspicuous,
large, elongated lenticels; branchlets very slender, twiggy,
with internodes of average length, greenish-red, changing to
dark brown, glabrous, with few, conspicuous, large, raised
lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, nearly free.
Leaves lanceolate, peach-like, one and one-quarter inches
wide, four inches long, thin; upper surface smooth, glabrous,
with a grooved midrib; lower surface glabrous except along
the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base acute,
margin finely crenate, with small, amber glands; petiole
slender, seven-eighths inch long, lightly pubescent along one
side, reddish, glandless or with from one to four very small,
globose, yellowish-red glands on the stalk.
Blooming season late and long; flowers appearing after the
leaves, three-quarters inch across, in the buds tinged yellow,
changing to white on expanding, odor disagreeable; borne in
clusters on lateral spurs and buds, in twos or in threes;
pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch long, slender, glabrous,
greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
small, narrow, slightly obtuse, pubescent on the inner surface,
glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs, erect; petals ovate
or oval, crenate, tapering at the base into long, narrow claws;
anthers yellow, tinged with red; filaments five-sixteenths inch
long; pistil slender, glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period very long; one inch by
seven-eighths inch in size, strongly oval, not compressed,
halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring; suture
a distinct dark red line; apex depressed; color bright
currant-red, with thin bloom; dots grayish, rather conspicuous,
clustered near the apex; stem very slender, seven-eighths inch
long, glabrous, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, very
tough, astringent, separating readily; flesh deep yellow,
juicy, tender and melting, sweetish next to the skin, but tart
at the center; fair in quality; stone clinging, five-eighths
inch by three-eighths inch in size, long-oval, turgid, necked
at the base, blunt-pointed at the apex, with finely pitted
surfaces; ventral suture narrow, inconspicuous; dorsal suture
with a narrow, shallow groove.
NEW ULM
[Illustration: NEW ULM]
_Prunus americana_
=1.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 126. 1890. =2.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._
=63=:49 fig., 50. 1897. =3.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 111. 1899.
=4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1899. =5.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._
=46=:282 fig. 1900. =6.= _Waugh Plum Cult._ 158. 1901. =7.=
_Ont. Fr. Gr. Assoc._ 143. 1901. =8.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._
=93=:26. 1905. =9.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 422. 1905. =10.=
_Ia. Sta. Bul._ =114=:141. 1910.
Snooks 10.
New Ulm is worthy of attention because of its large, handsome,
well-formed fruits. The plums are further distinguished by a peculiar
flavor, somewhat suggesting that of the mandrake, pleasant to some but
disagreeable to others. The flesh is a little too juicy for pleasant
eating but the fruits ship well, the tough, thick skin firmly holding its
contents. The fruits, however, do not keep well, for, despite the thick
skin, the spores of the brown-rot find entrance and thrive so that the
variety rots badly. The trees are hardy and productive but ill-shaped and
hard to manage in either the orchard or the nursery for which reason the
culture of the variety is discouraged by nurserymen and it is now almost
impossible to buy New Ulm trees. The illustration of this variety shows
well the characters of the western type of _Prunus americana_ in leaf,
fruit and stone.
New Ulm was raised from seed of a wild variety that grew in the
neighborhood of the originator and introducer, C. W. H. Heideman, New
Ulm, Minnesota. The fruit was exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair in
1890 where it attracted much attention, being the largest plum of fifty
varieties exhibited. In 1899 the American Pomological Society placed the
variety on its fruit catalog list. The Minnesota State Horticultural
Society, in spite of the fact that this plum has gained a good reputation
for its size and productiveness, removed it from its recommended fruit
list in 1904 because of the difficulty of growing the trees in the
nursery.
Tree of medium size, spreading and drooping, irregular, low and
dense-topped, undesirable in habit of growth, hardy, usually
productive, subject to attacks of shot-hole fungus; branches
very rough and shaggy, zigzag, thorny, dark ash-gray, with
large lenticels; branchlets thick, long, willowy, with long
internodes, green, with a faint yellow tinge, changing to
light and dark, dull reddish-brown, glabrous, with numerous,
conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, pointed,
strongly appressed.
Leaves drooping, folded upward, oval or ovate, two inches wide,
four and three-eighths inches long, thin; upper surface dark
green, changing to reddish-yellow late in the season, glabrous,
with a grooved midrib; lower surface silvery green, lightly
pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base abrupt, margin coarsely
and doubly serrate, eglandular; petiole slender, five-eighths
inch long, pubescent, tinged with red which deepens in color
at the base, glandless or with from one to three globose,
greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.
Flowers intermediate in time and length of blooming season,
appearing after the leaves, showy on account of the numerous
pure white petals, one and one-sixteenth inches across, white;
borne in dense clusters on lateral spurs and buds, usually in
threes; pedicels seven-sixteenths inch long, thick, glabrous,
greenish; calyx-tube red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
long, narrowly obtuse, lightly pubescent on the inner surface,
thickly pubescent along the glandular-serrate margin, erect;
petals oval, entire or incised, tapering below to narrow
claws of medium length and with reddish base; anthers yellow;
filaments seven-sixteenths inch in length; pistil glabrous,
much shorter than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, intermediate in length of ripening period;
about one and three-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-ovate,
halves equal; cavity markedly shallow, very narrow; suture a
line; apex roundish or slightly pointed; color carmine over a
yellow ground, overspread with thin bloom; dots very numerous,
russet; stem five-eighths inch long, glabrous, adhering
somewhat to the fruit; skin thick and tough, astringent,
adhering strongly; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy and
fibrous, granular, tender and melting, sweet with a strong
aromatic flavor; good; stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by
nine-sixteenths inch in size, oval, slightly flattened, blunt
at the base, pointed at the apex, with smooth surfaces; ventral
suture distinctly winged; dorsal suture narrow, shallow,
grooved.
NICHOLAS
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 61. 1887. =2.= _Kan. Sta. Bul._
=101=:121, 124 fig. 1901. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._
327. 1903.
_Arab No. 2 Bielaya Nicholskaya_ 1. White Nicolas 1. White
Nicholas 2, 3.
Although a fairly good early dessert plum it is doubtful if Nicholas has
any commercial value as it is inferior in most characters of fruit and
tree to standard varieties; in particular it drops badly as it begins
to ripen. “White,” as formerly and usually now put in the name, is a
misnomer, as the fruit is red; how it came to be applied to this fruit
does not appear. Nicholas was imported from Dr. Regel of St. Petersburg,
Russia, by Professor J. L. Budd of the Iowa Experiment Station in the
winter of 1881-82 and in 1888 was sent out for testing under the name
Arab No. 2.
Tree of medium size, round-topped, productive; trunk
rough; branches smooth except for the raised lenticels and
longitudinal cracks in the bark; branchlets slender; leaves
falling early, folded upward, obovate or oval, one and
five-eighths inches wide, three and three-eighths inches long,
rugose; margin serrate, with few, small, dark glands; petiole
pubescent, tinged red, sometimes with several small glands;
blooming season intermediate in time, short; flowers appearing
after the leaves, one inch or more across, white, tinged with
yellow near the apex of the petals; borne on lateral buds and
spurs, in scattering clusters, singly or in pairs.
Fruit early, one and three-eighths inches by one inch in size,
long-oval, dark red, covered with thick bloom; stem adhering
poorly to the fruit; flesh light yellow, juicy, fibrous,
tender, sweet, mild; good; stone free, one inch by five-eighths
inch in size, flattened, oval, somewhat obliquely acute at the
base, with granular surfaces; ventral suture prominent, rather
narrow, blunt; dorsal suture with a narrow, shallow groove.
OCCIDENT
_Prunus triflora_
=1.= _Rural N. Y._ =57=:653. 1898. =2.= _Am. Gard._ =19=:826.
1898. =3.= Burbank _Cat._ 1899. =4.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._
=12=:229. 1899. =5.= _Rural N. Y._ =60=:658 fig., 662. 1901.
=6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 320. 1903. =7.= _Ga. Sta.
Bul._ =68=:11, 37. 1905. =8.= _Rural N. Y._ =65=:730. 1906.
_Burbank’s Sultan_ 6. Garnet 1. _Garnet_ 2. _Occident_ 8. Oval
Blood (unpublished). Sultan 2, 3, 5, 8. _Sultan_ 4, 7.
Occident differs little from Apple in horticultural characters and
need not be discussed at length as the reader can readily turn to the
color-plate and description of the last named variety. At best this sort
can hardly be called more than a curiosity, though an interesting one,
of use, if at all, only for cooking and as a long-keeping, rot-resistant
plum. It will add novelty to any amateur’s collection because of the
size, shape, color, flavor and red flesh of the fruits.
This variety was grown by Burbank and introduced by him in 1899 under the
name Sultan. H. E. Van Deman, in the _Rural New Yorker_ (References, 1),
says that Occident is a cross between Wickson and Satsuma and that the
name Garnet which he suggested, owing to the color of its flesh and skin,
had been accepted by Mr. Burbank. About two months later the Division of
Pomology of the United States Department of Agriculture called attention
to the fact that “Garnet” had been previously given to another variety
and the name was changed to Sultan. Waugh in 1899 substituted “Occident”
for Sultan as the latter is the name of a European plum; Waugh’s name
has been accepted by all recent writers. Occident undoubtedly contains
Satsuma blood but it has but few characters that suggest Wickson, and
if a cross, which is likely, the other parent is undeterminable. The
following description is compiled:
Tree vigorous, slow of growth, straggling, somewhat variable
in habit, late in coming into bearing, productive; leaves
numerous, large.
Fruit ripens with Burbank, keeps and ships unusually well,
resistant to rot; large, roundish; cavity of medium depth;
suture shallow, distinct; color dark red over a greenish
ground; dots many, yellowish; stem thick, short, adhering to
the fruit; skin somewhat thin, tough, slightly astringent;
flesh dark red, firm, sweet, rather acid, changing to subacid
as maturity advances, sprightly; good to very good; stone free
or semi-clinging, of medium size, roundish, turgid, winged,
rough.
OCHEEDA
_Prunus americana_
=1.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:41. 1892. =2.= _Wis. Sta. An.
Rpt._ =11=:344. 1894. =3.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =34=:112.
1899. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1899. =5.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 159. 1901. =6.= _Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ =43=:31. 1903.
=7.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 420. 1905. =8.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._
=93=:28. 1905.
Ocheda 7.
This variety is generally regarded as one of the valuable native plums
but in New York it is surpassed by a number of other plums of its species
in size of fruit and color though the quality is very good. We must rank
it in this State as second rate among Americanas. Ocheeda was found by P.
L. Hardow in 1872 growing wild on the banks of Ocheeda Lake, Minnesota,
and in 1892 was introduced by H. J. Ludlow of Worthington, Minnesota.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, unproductive;
branches shaggy, thorny, with large lenticels; branchlets
willowy, pubescent; leaves folded upward, oval, nearly
two inches wide, three and one quarter inches long; margin
coarsely and doubly serrate; petiole densely covered with
short hairs; blooming season intermediate in time and length;
flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across,
dull white; borne in scattering clusters almost entirely on
one-year-old wood, many lateral buds remaining undeveloped, the
bare limbs carrying tufts or clusters of blossoms, in threes or
fours; petals long-obovate, nearly three times as long as wide,
tapering to long claws, reddish at the base; stigma distinctly
reddish when the flowers first open.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; one inch by
seven-eighths inch in size, ovate or roundish-ovate, slightly
oblique, dull light to dark carmine over a yellow ground,
somewhat mottled, overspread with thick bloom; skin slightly
astringent; flesh dark golden-yellow, tender, melting, sweet,
aromatic, pleasant in flavor; fair to good; stone dark colored,
nearly free, three quarters inch by one-half inch in size,
roundish-oval, turgid with smooth surfaces; ventral suture
markedly winged.
OCTOBER
_Prunus triflora_
=1.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =106=:58. 1896. =2.= _Cal. State Bd.
Hort._ 52. 1897-98. =3.= _Am. Gard._ =20=:162 fig. 1899. =4.=
_Rural N. Y._ =59=:104, 690. 1900. =5.= _Am. Gard._ =21=:36,
660. 1900. =6.= _Nat. Nur._ =8=:109, 123. 1900. =7.= Waugh
_Plum Cult._ 139. 1901. =8.= _Rural N. Y._ =62=:756. 1903. =9.=
_Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:250 fig., 256, 257. 1905. =10.= _Mass.
Sta. An. Rp._ =17=:160. 1905.
October Purple 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. _October Purple_ 7.
There are but few late plums in _Prunus triflora_ worth cultivating and
one of the needs of horticulture is a late plum of superior quality in
this species. At present October is the nearest approach to the plum
desired but because of several faults it falls considerably short of
filling the need. The fruits are large, attractive-looking, fairly
suitable for dessert, very good for culinary purposes, hang well to the
tree and keep and ship much better than the average Triflora variety;
but still they are not far enough from mediocrity to make the variety
especially desirable. The trees are well shaped, usually robust and
healthy and the fruit is well borne on lateral spurs distributed over
the old wood; but in New York, at least, the trees are very tardy in
coming in bearing and cannot be depended upon to bear satisfactory crops
regularly—a fatal fault in a Triflora plum. October might be sparingly
planted in New York to the pleasure of the amateur and possibly to the
profit of the commercial fruit-grower who has a good local market.
October is said to be a cross of Satsuma and a seedling Triflora plum; it
was first fruited by Luther Burbank in 1892 and was introduced by Stephen
Hoyt’s Sons, New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1897. The variety was named
October Purple by Burbank but “Purple” has been dropped in accordance
with the rules of the American Pomological Society.
Tree variable in size and vigor, upright-spreading,
open-topped, hardy for a Triflora, not uniform in
productiveness, healthy; branches rough, dark, dull ash-gray,
with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets slender, long, with
internodes of average length, greenish-red changing to dull
reddish-brown, often with a green tinge on the winter shoots,
glabrous; lenticels numerous, small; leaf-buds small, short,
obtuse, free.
Leaves falling early, sparse, folded upward, oval or obovate,
one and three-eighths inches wide, three and one-quarter inches
long, thin and leathery; upper surface slightly rugose, with
a broad groove on the lightly pubescent midrib; lower surface
very thinly pubescent; apex and base acute, margin glandular,
doubly serrate or crenate; petiole one-half inch long, hairy
along the upper side, green, with from one to three small,
globose, yellowish glands variable in position.
Blooming season early to medium, of average length; flowers
appearing before the leaves, thirteen-sixteenths inch across,
white; borne in dense clusters on lateral spurs and buds,
in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long, slender, glabrous,
greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
obtuse, glandular-serrate, with numerous hairs along the edge,
pubescent, somewhat erect; petals broadly ovate, entire,
tapering to short, blunt claws; anthers yellow; filaments
three-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the
stamens.
Fruit mid-season or later, ripening period long; one and
seven-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-cordate or slightly
oblate, halves unequal; cavity deep, wide, flaring, with
streaks radiating from the cavity; suture shallow or a line;
apex roundish to slightly pointed; color dark red over a
yellowish-green ground, with bloom of medium thickness; dots
numerous, large, russet, conspicuous, clustered about the
apex; stem somewhat slender, five-eighths inch long, glabrous,
adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, sour, separating
readily; flesh light yellow frequently tinged with red, very
juicy, slightly fibrous, variable in firmness, sweet, mild,
lacking the strong characteristic Triflora flavor; good; stone
clinging, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size,
roundish-oval, blunt but with a small tip, somewhat rough,
ridged along the ventral, grooved on the dorsal suture.
OGON
_Prunus triflora_
=1.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 29. 1886. =2.= _Ibid._ 35, 58.
1888. =3.= _Ibid_. 53, 99. 1889. =4.= _Col., O., Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 81. 1892. =5.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =62=:27, 28 fig. 1894.
=6.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt_. 95. 1895. =7.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=106=:59. 1896. =8.= _Ibid._ =131=:194. 1897. =9.= _Ibid_. =139=:45.
1897. =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1897. =11.= _Rural N.
Y._ =57=:562. 1898. =12.= _Colo. Sta. Bul._ =50=:43. 1898. =13.=
_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:242, 249. 1899. =14.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=175=:138 fig. 1899. =15.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:157. 1899. =16.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 139. 1901. =17.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =68=:6 32.
1905. =18.= _Miss. Sta. Bul._ =93=:15. 1905.
_Ogan_ 5. Ogden 1. _Ogon_ 5. _Shiro Smomo_ 6. _Yellow Nagate_ 2.
Ogon, the Japanese for gold, is the name for one of the comparatively
few varieties of _Prunus triflora_ having a yellow color. This variety
is further distinguished by being the only freestone sort of its species
under cultivation in America. Ogon also has a flavor quite distinct,
resembling somewhat that of the apricot, which is agreeable to some and
not so to others; as the variety grows on the grounds of this Station it
cannot be considered of high quality even for an early plum. The fruits
crack rather badly on the tree and seem to be unusually susceptible to
the attacks of curculio. In some of the references given, it is reported
as making a poor tree and as having a weak constitution, and practically
all agree that the variety is unproductive. These faults preclude its
use in commercial plantations. The variety is distinct and interesting
not only in its fruits but in its flowers which bear comparatively few
stamens, many of which are abortive and show all degrees between perfect
stamens and perfect petals.
Ogon was imported from Japan by H. H. Berger and Company, San Francisco,
California. It was first mentioned as the Ogden in the Georgia
Horticultural Society Report for 1886 and in the 1888 report of the
same Society it was described as a new fruit. In 1897, the American
Pomological Society added Ogon to its fruit catalog list.
Tree medium to large, vigorous, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy
at Geneva, unproductive; branches slender, roughened by
numerous spurs, sparingly thorny, dark gray, with numerous,
small lenticels; branchlets sometimes swollen at the tips, of
medium thickness and length, with internodes of average length,
dark brown often with some green, partly overspread with gray
scarf-skin, glossy, glabrous; lenticels medium in number and
size, raised; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free.
Leaves few, oblanceolate, peach-like, variable in size,
averaging one and one-eighth inches wide, four inches long,
thin; upper surface light green, shining, glabrous, narrowly
grooved along the midrib; lower surface light yellowish-green,
glabrous except at the base of the veins; margin finely
crenate, with small, dark amber glands; petiole one-half inch
long, glandless or with from one to four globose, greenish
glands on the stalk.
Blooming season early and of medium length; flowers appearing
after the leaves, thirteen-sixteenths inch across, white;
borne in clusters on lateral spurs and buds, in threes or in
fours; pedicels five-sixteenths inch long, glabrous, greenish;
calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute,
slightly glandular-serrate, faintly pubescent, erect; petals
broadly ovate, entire, tapering below to short claws; anthers
yellowish, with a little pink; filaments three-sixteenths inch
long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit early, season short; one and one-quarter inches by one
and three-quarters inches in size, roundish-oblate, oblique,
halves equal; cavity narrow, regular, flaring; suture variable
in depth, prominent; apex roundish or slightly flattened; color
lemon-yellow, with thin bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish,
inconspicuous; stem slender, one-half inch long, glabrous,
separating readily; skin thin, tough, astringent, inclined to
crack, slightly adhering; flesh pale or amber-yellow, not as
juicy as many of the Trifloras, firm and meaty, sweet, mild; of
fair quality; stone free, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in
size, roundish-oval, turgid, blunt but with a small short tip,
oblique, slightly pitted; ventral suture faintly ridged and
furrowed; dorsal suture not grooved.
ORANGE
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 150. 1831. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 282. 1845. =3.= Cole _Am. Fr. Book_ 214. 1849. =4.= Mas
_Le Verger_ =6=:25. 1866-73. =5.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 442.
1889. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 320. 1903.
_Orange_ 5. _Orange Gage_ 2, 5, 6. Pomeranzen Zwetsche 5. Wager
5, 6.
Orange belongs to the Reine Claude group. Taking its characters all in
all it cannot compete with even the average varieties of the plums with
which it should be compared. This variety was introduced by A. J. Downing
who secured it from a Mr. Teller of Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York.
Although Rhinebeck is probably its place of origin, it is not likely that
Teller first grew the variety since it was quite generally disseminated
in that vicinity at the time of its introduction. It is fast passing from
cultivation.
Tree large, vigorous, upright, productive; branches roughened
by the raised lenticels; branchlets numerous, pubescent; leaves
oval or slightly obovate, two inches wide, four inches long,
thick; margin crenate or serrate, with small grands; petiole
tinged red, pubescent, with from two to three globose glands.
Fruit matures in mid-season; about one and one-half inches in
diameter roundish-truncate, light amber-yellow with a blush,
overspread with thin bloom; stem slender, adhering strongly to
the fruit; flesh pale yellow, firm, sweet; of good quality;
stone free or nearly so, one inch by five-eighths inch in
size, obovate, acute at the apex, blunt at the base, with
thickly pitted surfaces; ventral suture wide, usually blunt but
sometimes distinctly winged; dorsal suture with a deep groove.
OREN
[Illustration: OREN]
_Prunus americana_
=1.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:285 fig. 1900. =2.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 174. 1901. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 299. 1903.
_Bartlett_ 1. _Bingaman_ 1.
Waugh places Oren with the “Miner-like” plums but as the variety grows
here it is a typical western Americana—the characters of this species in
leaf, fruit and stone being well shown in the accompanying plate. It is
one of the best of the Americanas in both fruit and tree. The fruits are
large and of good shape, perhaps a little dull in color and not quite
as good in quality as a few other Americanas but still averaging very
well in all fruit-characters. The flesh is very nearly free from the
stone. The trees are typical of the species, shaggy of trunk and limb,
straggling and unkempt in growth of top, but hardy, robust, healthy and
reliable in bearing. It would seem as if this variety is rather too good
to be allowed to pass out of cultivation until there are more Americanas
that are better.
Oren was taken from the wild in Black Hawk County, Iowa, about 1878, by
J. K. Oren. Mr. Oren grew trees of this plum on his farm and permitted
all who came to take sprouts, cions and seed until the variety was very
generally disseminated locally. Who introduced it to the trade and when
is not known.
Tree small, spreading, low, dense-topped, hardy, often
unproductive; branches roughish, slightly zigzag, thorny, dark
ash-brown, with small lenticels; branchlets slender, long,
twiggy, with internodes of average length, green changing to
dark chestnut-brown, glabrous, with large, conspicuous, raised
lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, free.
Leaves falling early, oval or obovate, two inches wide,
three and three-quarters inches long; upper surface dark
green changing to golden-yellow late in the season, smooth
and shining, with a narrow, grooved midrib; lower surface
silvery-green, lightly pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base
abrupt, margin coarsely serrate, the serrations ending in sharp
points, eglandular; petiole five-eighths inch long, thick,
tinged red, thinly pubescent, glandless or with one or two
prominent, greenish-brown glands.
Blooming season late and of medium length; flowers appearing
after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white;
borne in clusters on lateral spurs and buds, in pairs or in
threes; pedicels five-eighths inch long, slender, glabrous,
green, tinged with red; calyx-tube red, campanulate, enlarged
at the base, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, somewhat obtuse,
pubescent on both surfaces and on the margin, reflexed; petals
ovate, somewhat crenate or fringed, tapering below to long,
narrow claws, sparingly hairy along the edge of the base;
anthers yellow; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil
glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; one
and three-sixteenths inches in diameter, roundish, usually
truncate and slightly oblique, compressed, halves equal;
cavity very shallow, flaring; suture a line; apex roundish
or flattened; color dull light or dark red over a yellow
ground, mottled, with thick bloom; dots numerous, very small,
light russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, five-eighths inch
long, glabrous; skin tough, astringent, adhering; flesh dark
golden-yellow, juicy, fibrous, soft and melting, sweet; fair to
good; stone semi-free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch
in size, irregularly roundish or ovate, flattened, blunt at the
base and apex, with smooth surfaces; ventral suture strongly
winged; dorsal suture acute, with a narrow and shallow groove.
ORLEANS
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ 68. 1699. =2.= Langley _Pomona_
91, Pl. XX fig. 4. 1729. =3.= Miller _Gard. Dict._ =3=:1754.
=4.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb._ Fr. =2=:78, Pl. VII. 1768. =5.= Knoop
_Fructologie_ =2=:52, 55, 56, 57. 1771. =6.= Forsyth _Treat.
Fr. Trees_ 19. 1803. =7.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =2=:32, Tab. 179
fig. 1. 1796. =8.= Brookshaw _Pom. Brit._ Pl. XI. 1817. =9.=
_Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 145, 150. 1831. =10.= Prince _Pom.
Man._ =2=:62, 67, 85. 1832. =11.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =1=:1846.
=12.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 289, 290, 383. 1846.
=13.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 339. 1849. =14.= _Elliott Fr.
Book_ 428. 1854. =15.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 519. 1859. =16.=
Downing _Fr Trees Am._ 935. 1869. =17.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:37,
fig. 19. 1873. =18.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875. =19.=
Oberdieck _Deut. Obst. Sort._ 414. 1881. =20.= Mathieu _Nom.
Pom._ 435. 1882. =21.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 715. 1884. =22.=
_Guide Prat._ 156, 360. 1895.
_Anglaise Noire_ 16, 17, 20, 21, 22. _Angloise Noire_ 5.
Brignole? 1. Brugnole? 1. _Brignole Violette_ 17, 20, 22.
Brignole Violette? 5. _Common Orleans_ 10, 16, 17, 20. _Damas
Rouge_ 10. Damas Rouge 5, 9. _Damas Violet?_ 5. _De Monsieur_
17, 22. Die Herrnpflaume 7. _English Orleans_ 10, 16, 17,
20. _French Orleans_ 8. _Hernnpflaume_ 17. Herrnpflaume 19.
_Herrnpflaume_ 22. _Herzog von Orleans_ 20, 22. _Italian
Damask_ of some 14. _Large Red Orleans_ 10. _Late Monsieur_
10, 16, 17, 20. Monsieur 4, 9, 10, 12, 17, 22. _Monsieur_ 10,
13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21. _Monsieur Ordinaire_ 9, 10, 14, 15,
16, 17, 20, 21, 22. _Old Orleans_ 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20,
22. _Orleans_ 17, 20, 22. _Orleans Red Damask_ 20. _Prune de
Monsieur_ 10, 16, 20. Prune de Monsieur 11. _Prune d’Orleans_
16, 17, 20, 21. _Prunelle?_ 5. _Prune Monsieur_ 7. Red Damask
10. _Red Damask_ 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22.
_Red Orleans_ 10, 16, 17, 20. Red Orleans Plum 6.
In Europe Orleans is one of the most renowned of the plums cultivated.
A proof of its popularity is the great number of names, as shown in
the synonymy given above, under which it passes in England and on
the continent. This variety, however, is almost unknown in America
though described by all of the older American pomologists and probably
introduced time and again during the last hundred years in our orchards.
The French fruit books say that the variety thrives better in southern
than northern France and nearly all of the European writers state that
it does best in high, dry, light, warm soils. It is likely that our
climate, and the soils in which plums are generally grown in America, are
not suited to this sort. Unfortunately this Station has no trees of this
variety and the brief description given is a compilation.
The Orleans has been cultivated for more than two hundred years. Langley
said of it in 1729 “The Orleans Plumb tho a common, is yet a very
valuable Plumb, as well for its fine firm juicy Pulp when well ripened,
as its being a constant and plentiful bearer.” The Red Damask and the
Brugnole mentioned by Quintinye in 1699 are probably the Orleans; but
the Prune de Monsieur of Knoop and the Monsieur of Tournefort, which are
yellow, are distinct. The variety is evidently of French origin. Mas
in his _Pomologie Generale_, 1873, states that it first bore the name
Brignole Violette, but later was given the name it now bears in honor of
Monsieur, Duke of Orleans, brother of Louis XIV. Damas Rouge is an old
synonym, though Duhamel described it as a distinct variety. Herrnpflaume
is the common name of the Orleans in Germany and Austria, while in
France, it is often called the Monsieur. It has never been common in
America, yet it was entered on the American Pomological Society catalog
list in 1875.
Tree large, vigorous, hardy, productive, bearing annually;
branches grayish, pubescent; leaves large, ovate, with crenate
margins; flowers large, blooming early; petals roundish,
imbricated.
Fruit early mid-season; medium in size, roundish-truncate,
sides unequal; cavity usually shallow, wide; suture distinct;
apex flattened; color dark or purplish-red, overspread with
thin bloom, with a sprinkling of pale reddish dots; stem thick,
short; skin tender; flesh yellowish, juicy, usually melting
when properly matured, sweet near the skin but sprightly toward
the center, pleasant-flavored; good; stone free, small, oval,
flattened, with roughish surfaces.
OULLINS
[Illustration: OULLINS]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 374. 1866. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
935. 1869. =3.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 15. 1871. =4.= _Mas Le
Verger_ =6=:43. 1866-73. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1877. =6.=
_Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 366. 1887. =7.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._
446. 1889. =8.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 117. 1901. =9.= Thompson
_Gard. Ass’t_ =4=:158. 1901.
_Massot_ 6, 7. _Monstrueuse d’Oullins_ 2, 7. _Ouillin’s Gage_
2, 7. Oullins Golden 1. Oullin’s Golden 2, 9. _Oullin’s Golden_
3, 4, 6, 7. _Oullin’s Golden Gage_ 2, 7. Oullins Golden Gage
5. _Oullin’s Green Gage_ 8. _Prune-Massot_ 3. _Reine-Claude
d’Oullins_ 1, 2, 7, 9. Reine-Claude D’Oullins 3, 4, 6.
_Reine-Claude Prêcoce_ 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9. Reine-Claude von
Oullins 7. _Roi-Claude_ 3, 7.
Oullins came to America with the best of recommendations from European
growers but it has fallen so far short of its reputation in Europe that
it was dropped from the fruit list of the American Pomological Society
and is gradually disappearing from cultivation. The fault is in the
fruit which is but indifferent in quality for a plum of the Reine Claude
group. In Europe the variety is rated as one of the best dessert sorts;
in America it is hardly second-rate in quality. This difference may be
due to differences in climate and soil; more probably, it is due to the
greater number of better Reine Claude varieties grown in America with
which it must compete. Hand, Jefferson, Washington, McLaughlin, Yellow
Gage, Spaulding and Imperial Gage, the cream of the Reine Claude plums,
are all Americans similar to Oullins but much better in quality. Oullins
is hardly surpassed by any of its group in tree-characters and might well
be used for breeding purposes as there are so few sorts of its kind
having satisfactory trees.
This variety, probably a Reine Claude seedling, was found at Coligny,
France, on the estate of M. Filliaud; it was propagated by M.
Corsaint, gardener to the Baron de Toisy, near Cuiseaux (Department of
Saone-et-Loire) and was introduced at Oullins (Department of Rhone) by
M. Massot, nurseryman. The name is seldom spelled correctly in American
fruit books, being either written with an apostrophe and s or with both
left off, these spellings coming from the supposition that the name comes
from that of a man, a mistake as the history shows. Oullins was placed
on the American Pomological Society catalog fruit list in 1875 but was
dropped when the catalog was revised in 1897.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy,
productive; branches ash-gray, somewhat rough, with numerous,
large, raised lenticels; branchlets stout, the bark rough,
medium to above in thickness, short, with short internodes,
greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, lightly pubescent,
overspread with faint bloom, with numerous, small lenticels;
leaf-buds large, long, pointed, free; leaf-scars swollen.
Leaves oval or obovate, two inches wide, four and one-quarter
inches long, thick; upper surface dark green, covered with fine
hairs, the midrib grooved; lower surface pale green, pubescent;
apex acute or abruptly pointed, base acute, margin serrate
or crenate, with small black glands; petiole three-quarters
inch long, thick, pubescent, tinged red, with from two to four
globose, greenish-brown glands variable in size, usually on the
stalk.
Blooming season medium to late, of average length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one and one-quarter inches across,
white, with a faint yellowish tinge; arranged on lateral spurs,
singly or in pairs; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch long,
pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent;
calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces,
glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals broadly obovate, crenate,
tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments
three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens
in length.
Fruit early, season short; medium to below in size, roundish,
halves equal; cavity shallow, below medium in width, abrupt;
suture an indistinct line; apex flattened or depressed; color
greenish-yellow changing to dull light yellow, overspread with
thin bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish, inconspicuous,
clustered about the apex; stem of medium thickness and length,
adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, slightly astringent,
separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow or pale yellow,
somewhat dry, firm, sweet, not high in flavor; good; stone
half-free or free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in
size, broadly oval, flattened, roughened and pitted, blunt at
the base and apex; ventral suture rather narrow, furrowed, with
a distinct but not prominent wing; dorsal suture broadly and
deeply grooved.
PACIFIC
[Illustration: PACIFIC]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 292. 1893. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._
150. 1895. =3.= _Oregon Sta. Bul._ =45=:31. 1897. =4.= _Oregon
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 474. 1898. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40. 1899.
=6.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 117. 1901. =7.= _Oregon Agriculturist_
=17=: No. 24, 370. 1908.
_Pacific_ 3. Pacific Prune 2, 3. Willamette 4, 5, 7. Willamette
Prune 3.
No part of America is so well adapted to plum culture as the Pacific
Coast and especially the inter-mountain valleys in Oregon. From the
last-named State, though fruit-growing is a very recent development, a
number of meritorious plums have been added to pomology. One of the best
of these, as they grow in New York, is the Pacific, the fruits of which
are well shown in the color-plate. Few purple plums are more beautiful
than this in color and shape, few equal it in size and very few of its
color excel it in quality. The trees are unusually robust, perfectly
hardy and productive. In Oregon the Pacific has not proved a good
prune-making plum but is reported as standing eastern shipment very well,
which, if true, indicates that this plum would succeed as a market fruit
in New York. Pacific is well worth trying in New York as a commercial
variety.
This plum is hopelessly confused with the Willamette. The following is
an abridged account of the two fruits as written us by H. M. Williamson,
Secretary of the Oregon State Board of Horticulture, and one of the
leading authorities on fruit-growing on the Pacific Coast.
“About 1875 Jesse Bullock of Oswego, Oregon, sent to Germany
for pits of the Italian or Fellenberg prune, and planted the
pits received in a nursery row. When the trees from these
began to bear, Mr. C. E. Hoskins went to Mr. Bullock’s place,
examined the fruit and selected trees which seemed promising,
giving to each tree a number. From at least six of these trees
he took scions, propagated them, and named them Bullock No. 1,
Bullock No. 2, etc. He finally decided that only two of these,
Bullock No. 1 and Bullock No. 6, were of sufficient value to
justify their further propagation. Bullock No. 1 was named
Champion and Bullock No. 6, Willamette. Mr. Hoskins told me
these names were given by the State Horticultural Society, but
I find no record of this action. He propagated and sold a good
many trees of both varieties, but more of the Willamette than
of the Champion.
“Mr. Hoskins was strongly of the opinion that the Pacific is
identical with the Willamette. I am as strongly of the opinion
that they are distinct varieties. I base my opinion, first,
upon the history of the origin of the Pacific given me by Henry
Freeboro, Portland, Oregon, who introduced it; and, second,
upon what appear to me to be marked differences in the two
prunes. A number of years ago I went to Mr. Freeboro’s place
when prunes were ripe and obtained from him a supply of Pacific
prunes grown on trees propagated by him from scions taken from
the original Pacific tree. I took these prunes to Springbrook
and compared them with the Willamette grown on Mr. Hoskins’
place. I was thoroughly convinced that the two were decidedly
different in character, but Mr. Hoskins did not think so. I
noticed first a marked difference in the habits of growth of
the trees. The Pacific trees were of unusually vigorous growth
and had a decided upright tendency. The Willamette trees
were very similar to the Italian in vigor and had the rather
spreading habit of growth of the Italian. The Pacific prunes
are larger in size than the Willamette and vary much more in
size. One of the most decided indications of difference is
the far greater tendency to brown-rot of the fruit of the
Pacific than is the case with the fruit of the Willamette.
This has been observed when scions of the Willamette and of
the Pacific have been grafted on the same tree for the purpose
of comparison. I have never seen a well dried specimen of the
Pacific, but this may have been the fault of the men who dried
the specimens I have seen. The Willamette dries easily for a
prune of its size and gives a larger percentage of dried to
fresh fruit than the Italian, according to Mr. Hoskins.
“I believe the Willamette is well worthy of more attention in
the Willamette Valley, whereas the Pacific, on account of its
extreme susceptibility to the brown-rot, does not appear to be
a safe variety here, although when perfect it is a magnificent
prune for eating fresh, and one of the very largest known. I am
told that in eastern Oregon where climatic conditions keep out
the brown-rot, the Pacific is proving one of the best varieties
for shipping fresh. At the present time the two varieties are
much confused. When the Pacific prune was introduced, Mr.
Hoskins and other recognized authorities, pronounced it the
Willamette, and nurserymen therefore obtained scions from
Willamette trees and sold the propagated trees as Pacifies, and
in a more limited way the reverse was done. The greater part of
the trees supposed to be Pacifics are in fact Willamettes.”
At this Station we have the two plums under discussion, the Pacific
having been obtained from Fred E. Young, nurseryman, Rochester, New York,
and the Willamette, under the name Pacific, from the Oregon Wholesale
Nursery Company, Salem, Oregon. The differences between the two plums in
New York are essentially those given by Mr. Williamson as distinguishing
characters in Oregon.
Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy,
productive; branches ash-gray, smooth, with small, raised
lenticels; branchlets above medium in thickness, short, with
short internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red,
covered with heavy bloom and sparingly pubescent, with
indistinct small lenticels; leaf-buds plump, of medium size and
length, obtuse, free.
Leaves obovate, two inches wide, four inches long, the oldest
thick and leathery; upper surface dark green, covered with fine
hairs, with a widely and deeply grooved midrib; lower surface
pale green, pubescent; apex acute or obtuse, base acute, margin
crenate, with small dark glands; petiole seven-eighths inch
long, thick, pubescent, tinged red, with from two to four
large, globose, yellowish-green glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season of medium length; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one and three-sixteenths inches across, white;
borne on lateral spurs and buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels
five-sixteenths inch long, thick, pubescent; calyx-tube
green, campanulate, pubescent only at the base; calyx-lobes
broad, obtuse, lightly pubescent on both surfaces but heavily
pubescent along the serrate margin, reflexed; petals oval,
dentate, tapering to short, broad claws; stamens inclined to
develop into rudimentary petals; anthers yellow; filaments
seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the
stamens in length.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season;
two inches by one and five-eighths inches in size, ovate,
halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring; suture shallow,
indistinct; apex bluntly pointed; color bluish, overspread with
thick bloom; dots small, brown, conspicuous, clustered about
the apex; stem thick, one-half inch long, pubescent, adhering
well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, separating readily;
flesh pale golden-yellow, juicy, firm, sweet, spicy; good;
stone free, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, flattened,
irregularly broad-oval, obliquely contracted at the base, blunt
at the apex, with rough and pitted surfaces; ventral suture
narrow, with numerous deep furrows, usually blunt; dorsal
suture widely and deeply grooved.
PALATINE
_Prunus domestica_
This plum, scarcely known outside of two counties in New York, is of
distinctly good quality and if all accounts are true is fairly immune to
black-knot. In size and appearance the fruits are superior to many other
Reine Claude plums, with which it must be compared, so much so that the
variety is probably worth growing outside the region where the following
interesting history shows it has been cultivated for nearly a century and
a half.
Palatine, according to Mr. Washington Garlock of New York, originated in
1760 when a family of Palatines by the name of Best came from Germany
to the United States and settled in Livingston Manor (East Camps) now
Columbia County, New York. They brought with them plum pits which they
planted and from them secured one tree. In 1762 they moved to Schoharie
County, New York, taking with them the seedling tree. In their new home
they propagated the variety, which they named Palatine, and disseminated
it so industriously that it became thoroughly established throughout
Montgomery and Schoharie counties and attained great popularity because
of its apparent freedom from black-knot. That this popularity is merited
is attested by the fact that after one hundred and fifty years it is
still extensively grown in that vicinity.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, productive;
branches thick; branchlets lightly pubescent; leaves flattened,
slightly drooping, obovate, one and five-eighths inches wide,
three and one-quarter inches long, thick, rugose; margin
coarsely crenate, eglandular or with few, small glands; petiole
pubescent, glandless or with one or two small glands; blooming
season intermediate in time, short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, more than one inch across, white with yellow tinge
at the apex of the petals; borne singly; calyx-lobes thickly
pubescent on both surfaces, strongly reflexed.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; about
one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish or roundish-oval,
dull yellowish-green becoming greenish-yellow at full maturity,
mottled and indistinctly blushed on the sunny side, overspread
with thin bloom; skin thin, slightly sour; flesh light
golden-yellow, juicy, fibrous, firm, sweet, pleasant in flavor;
good to very good; stone dark colored, free or nearly so,
seven-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval, with thickly
pitted surfaces; ventral suture blunt or with a short, narrow
wing; dorsal suture wide, shallow.
PAUL EARLY
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _N. Y. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =12=:611. 1893. =2.= _W. N. Y.
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =42=:83. 1897.
_Paul’s Earliest_ 1, 2.
This variety seems to be under test only at this Station where it
has fruited for a number of years. It is so similar to Early Rivers,
a variety of small account in America, as to be an almost worthless
addition to the list of plums. Paul Early originated with and was sent
out by J. M. Paul, North Adams, Massachusetts, about 1888.
Tree very large, vigorous, round-topped, dense, very
productive; branches covered with numerous fruit-spurs;
branchlets twiggy, thickly pubescent; leaf-buds strongly
appressed; leaves flattened, obovate or oval, two and
three-eighths inches wide, four inches long; margin crenate,
with few, small, dark glands; petiole reddish, pubescent,
glandless or with one or two large glands; blooming season
intermediate in time, short; flowers appearing before the
leaves, one inch across; borne in scattering clusters, usually
in pairs; pedicels very thick and pubescent; anthers tinged red.
Fruit very early, season short; one and three-eighths inches
by one and one-quarter inches in size, roundish-oval, dark
purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; skin tender,
slightly sour; flesh greenish-yellow becoming yellowish,
tender, sweet near the surface but sour next the pit, mild;
good; stone clinging, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch
in size, irregular-oval, with roughened and thickly pitted
surfaces; ventral suture prominent, seldom winged; dorsal
suture with a narrow, shallow groove.
PEACH
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _N. E. Farmer Dict._ 266. 1797. =2.= Prince _Treat.
Hort._ 27. 1828. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man_. =2=:106. 1832. =4.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 307. 1845. =5.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:113,
114 fig. 34, 147. 1846. =6.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =1=:1846.
=7.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 335, 336 fig. 262. 1849. =8.=
_Horticulturist_ =6=:132. 1851. =9.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 422.
1854. =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 367. 1857. =11.= Hooper
_W. Fr. Book_ 250. 1857. =12.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862.
=13.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 375. 1866. =14.= Mas _Le Verger_
=6=:73. Pl. XXXVII. 1866-73. =15.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No.
7. 1871. =16.= _Gard. Chron._ N. S. =17=:144. 1882. =17.=
_Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 466. 1883. =18.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_
353. 1891. =19.= _Wash. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 136. 1893. 20.
_Guide Prat._ 156, 361. 1895. =21.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_
462 fig. 1906.
_Apricot Plum_ 5 incor. _Caledonian_ 15, 20. _Calvels
Pfirschenpflaume_ 14, 20. _D’Abricot (of Streets of Paris)_
20. _Duane’s Purple_ 5 incor, 6, 11. _Howells Large_ 15, 20,
21. _Jenkin’s Imperial_ 15, 20. _Large Peach_ 16. Large Peach
Plum 3. _Nectarine_ 15, 20. _Nectarine Rouge_ 21. _Peach_ 15,
20. _Peach Plum_ 3, 5, 14, 20. Peach Plum 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,
17. Pêche 14, 15, 20, 21. _Pêche de Calvel_ 20. _Prune Pêche_
3, 7, 9, 10, 14, 18. Prune Pêche 4, 5, 6, 20. _Prune-Pêche De
Calvel_ 14. _Reine-Claude De Berger_ 13, 16. _Rothe Nektarine_
15, ?20.
Peach, the largest early plum, is not high in quality but is justly
esteemed where it can be grown for its earliness, large size and handsome
appearance. Unfortunately this variety is capricious beyond most other
plums as to climate and soils and refuses to thrive unless its needs are
very well supplied in the matter of environment. In America it seems to
find congenial soil and climate only on the Pacific Coast, and even then
refuses to bear well except on strong, rich soils. In New York, even when
grown upon soils similar to those upon which it does well elsewhere,
the fruits are few and lacking in quality, though the trees are large,
vigorous and about all that could be desired in a good plum tree. It may
be possible to grow Peach in favorable locations in the East; in which
case, a plum of its appearance and quality, coming as early in the season
as it ripens, would make a most desirable addition to the list of plums.
From its behavior elsewhere the situation that would suit it best in New
York is a sunny exposure with a warm, rich, clay loam.
The origin of the Peach is unknown. Poiteau was unable to find any
reference to it in the Eighteenth Century European literature and
thought, therefore, that it must have been unknown to this period. Samuel
Deane mentions a Peach plum in New England in 1797. It is doubtful,
however, whether it is the Peach of this discussion, the name having been
applied indiscriminately to several varieties, the Goliath, Nectarine
and Apricot in particular. Prince, in 1832, described a Large Peach Plum
which he said “had been introduced a few years since” but as his variety
is oval and a clingstone, it is not the same as the Peach of Poiteau, the
one discussed here, this plum being nearly round and a freestone. Judge
James C. Duane of Schenectady, New York, seems to have first imported
the Peach plum, with several others, from France, in 1820. The name of
this variety was lost during the shipment and as the invoice called
for an Apricot Plum, the names Apricot and Duane’s Plum became locally
applied to what afterwards turned out to be the Peach. C. H. Tomlinson
of Schenectady and A. J. Downing in 1846 made a careful study of these
imported plums and showed conclusively that this Apricot or Duane’s Plum
was the Peach of the French. In 1862, the American Pomological Society
added Peach to the fruit catalog list and recommended it for the eastern
and western sections of New York.
Tree large, very vigorous, spreading, round or flat-topped,
hardy, medium in productiveness; branches stocky, smooth, dark
ash-brown, with lenticels of medium number and size; branchlets
thick, with internodes one inch long, light brown, covered with
short, heavy pubescence; leaf-buds large, of medium length,
conical.
Leaves large, oval, of average thickness; upper surface dark
green; lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex obtuse, margin
doubly crenate, with small glands; petiole three-quarters inch
long, thick, pubescent, with a trace of red, usually with two,
small, globose, greenish glands at the base of the leaf.
Fruit early; thick-set, without a neck, one and seven-eighths
inches in diameter, roundish, slightly angular, halves equal;
cavity deep, wide, compressed; suture shallow, distinct; apex
flattened or depressed; color dark purplish-red, overspread
with thin bloom; dots numerous, large, conspicuous; stem
eleven-sixteenths inch long, glabrous, adhering well to the
fruit; skin tough, adhering; flesh golden-yellow, medium
juicy, firm, subacid, mild; good; stone free, one inch by
three-quarters inch in size, roundish-oval, flattened, with
rough and pitted surfaces, blunt at the base and apex; ventral
suture wide, prominent, often distinctly winged; dorsal suture
with a wide, deep groove.
PEARL
[Illustration: PEARL]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Burbank _Cat._ 5. 1898. =2.= _Am. Gard._ =21=:36. 1900.
=3.= _Waugh Plum Cult._ 118. 1901.
One can grow seedlings of some plums with considerable certainty of
getting respectable offspring—plums worth having in an orchard—but the
chances of growing a variety of superior qualities are small indeed.
It is a piece of good luck, a matter almost wholly of luck, when, as in
this case, but one parent is known, to secure as fine a fruit as the
Pearl plum. The variety now under notice is one to be pleased with if it
came as a chance out of thousands; its rich, golden color, large size,
fine form, melting flesh and sweet, luscious flavor, place it among the
best dessert plums. In the mind of the writer and of those who have
assisted in describing the varieties for _The Plums of New York_, it is
unsurpassed in quality by any other plum. The tree-characters, however,
do not correspond in desirability with those of the fruits. The trees,
while of medium size and seemingly as vigorous and healthy as any, are
unproductive. In none of the several years they have been fruiting at
this Station have they borne a large crop. If elsewhere this defect does
not show, the variety becomes at once one of great value. The fruits
of Pearl are said to cure into delicious prunes—to be readily believed
by one who has eaten the fresh fruits. This variety ought to be very
generally tried by commercial plum-growers and is recommended to all who
grow fruit for pleasure.
Pearl is a recent addition to the list of plums and though its history is
well known its parentage is in doubt. In 1898, Luther Burbank introduced
the variety as a new prune grown from the seed of the well-known
Agen. The male parent is not known but from the fruit and tree, one
at once surmises that it was some variety of the Reine Claude group,
its characters being so like those of the plum named that no one could
suspect that it came from the seed of a plum so far removed from the
Reine Claude as the Agen.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy,
unproductive; branches ash-gray, with numerous, small,
raised lenticels; branchlets twiggy, thick, long, with long
internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, very
pubescent early in the season becoming less so at maturity,
with numerous, small, raised lenticels; leaf-buds large, above
medium in length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.
Leaves broadly oval, one and seven-eighths inches wide, three
and one-half inches long, thick, leathery; upper surface dark
green, rugose, covered with fine hairs, with a grooved midrib;
lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed,
base abrupt, margin serrate or crenate, with small, black
glands; petiole seven-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent,
tinged red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose,
brownish glands on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, showy on account of their size,
averaging one and five-eighths inches across, white, with a
tinge of yellow at the apex of the petals; borne on lateral
spurs and buds, usually singly; pedicels one-half inch long,
thick, strongly pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent
on both surfaces, glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs,
strongly reflexed; petals obovate or oblong, entire, tapering
to short, broad claws; anthers yellow; filaments nearly
one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season;
one and three-quarters inches by one and one-half inches
in size, roundish-oval, compressed, halves unequal; cavity
shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture a line; apex depressed; color
golden-yellow, obscurely striped and splashed with dull green,
mottled, overspread with thin bloom; dots numerous, small,
whitish, inconspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem thick,
three-quarters inch long, thickly pubescent, adhering well to
the fruit; skin tough, separating readily; flesh deep yellow,
juicy, a little coarse and fibrous, firm but tender, very
sweet, with a pleasant, mild flavor, aromatic; very good to
best; stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths inch in size,
long-oval, slightly necked at the base, bluntly acute at the
apex, with rough surfaces; ventral suture broad, blunt; dorsal
suture with a wide, shallow groove.
PETERS
[Illustration: PETERS]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= Prince _Pom. Man._ 27. 1828. =2.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._
151. 1831. =3.= _Cultivator_ =8=:52 fig. 1860. =4.= Thomas Am.
_Fruit Cult._ 375 fig. 392. 1867. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
937. 1869. =6.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 289. 1889. =7.= _Mich.
Sta. Bul._ =103=:35. 1894. =8.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:190 fig.
45, 194. 1897. =9.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 118 fig. 1901. =10.=
Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 321, 322 fig. 1903.
Peter’s Large Yellow 1, 2. _Peter’s Yellow Gage_ 10. Peters’
Yellow Gage 3, 4, 6, 7. Peter’s Yellow Gage 5, 8. _Peters
Yellow Gage_ 9.
Peters is an excellent old plum probably ranking in quality with the best
varieties in the group to which it belongs—a sufficient recommendation
to make it desirable in any home collection of fruit. This variety,
however, is not equal in appearance to any one of several other sorts in
its group, lacking size and color. The trees are large, hardy, robust
and healthy, surpassing in these respects most of the other Reine Claude
sorts. The tree-characters have made this variety a prime favorite in
western New York for two generations, one pomologist after another
recommending it for this section. The fruits are not sufficiently
attractive to sell well, however, and the variety is now going out of
cultivation except for the amateur. While a very good plum it does
not appear to be worth growing in competition with Hand, Washington,
McLaughlin, Jefferson, Spaulding and the latest comer among these
high-quality plums, Pearl.
Of the origin of this old plum we have no certain information. William
Prince, the first pomologist to mention it, gave a brief description
of the variety in his “A Short Treatise on Horticulture” published in
1828 but says nothing in regard to its history. In 1831 the London
Horticultural Society listed it in its fruit catalog but otherwise the
variety is not mentioned in the European pomologies.
Tree very large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, hardy,
productive; branches thick, ash-gray, smooth except for the
numerous, rather large, raised lenticels; branchlets thick,
short, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark
brownish-drab, dull, pubescent throughout the season, with
numerous, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds medium in
size and length, pointed, free.
Leaves flattened, obovate or oval, two inches wide, four
inches long; upper surface covered with numerous hairs, with
a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface silvery-green,
heavily pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base rather
abrupt, margin slightly crenate, eglandular or with few, small,
dark glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, thick, tinged
red, pubescent, glandless or with one or two small, globose or
reniform, greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing with the leaves, one and one-eighth inches wide,
white, creamy at the apex; borne on lateral spurs or buds,
singly or in pairs; pedicels about one inch long, below
medium in thickness, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
obconic, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on
both surfaces, glandular-serrate and with fine marginal hairs,
reflexed; petals roundish-oval or obovate, dentate to slightly
crenate; anthers yellow, with a slight trace of red; filaments
three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the
stamens.
Fruit late, season rather short; about one and one-half inches
in diameter, roundish, compressed, halves equal; cavity very
shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow; apex flattened or
depressed; color dull yellowish-green, often blushed or mottled
on the sunny side, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous,
large, whitish, conspicuous; stem one and one-eighth inches
long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough,
separating readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, somewhat
fibrous, firm but tender, sweet next the skin but sour near the
center, with pleasant flavor; very good; stone clinging, one
inch by three-quarters inch in size, oval, turgid, somewhat
acute at the base and apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral
suture wide, indistinctly furrowed, often with a short wing;
dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.
POND
[Illustration: POND]
_Prunus domestica_
=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 151. 1831. =2.= _Mag. Hort._
=9=:165. 1843. =3.= _Horticulturist_ =6=:560 fig. 1851. =4.=
_Gard. Chron._ =13=:228. 1853. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 214.
1856. =6.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ 9, fig. 1857. =7.= _Cultivator_
=8=:52 fig. 1860. =8.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 343. 1867.
=9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 937 fig. 1869. =10.= _Pom.
France_ =7=: No. 2. 1871. =11.= Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:5, fig. 3.
1886-73. =12.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 466. 1883. =13.= Hogg
_Fruit Man._ 717. 1884. =14.= _Cal. State Bd. Hort. Rpt._ 292.
1885-86. =15.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 442. 1889. =16.= _Mich.
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 465. 1893. =17.= _Guide Prat._ 155, 366. 1895.
=18.= _Oregon Sta. Bul._ =45=:29 fig. 1897. =19.= _Cornell
Sta. Bul._ =131=:190. 1897. =20.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._
92. 1899. =21.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:160, Pl. XVI fig. 1899.
=22.= _Va. Sta. Bul._ =134=:44. 1902. =23.= Budd-Hansen _Am.
Hort. Man._ 322. 1903.
_Chili_ (Kerr unpublished). _Diamant_ 15 incor.
_Diamantpflaume_ 17 incor. _Dorr’s Favorite_ 12. English Pond’s
Seedling 3. _Farleigh Castle_ 13, 15. _Fonthill_ 4, 9, 10, 12,
13, 15, 17, 23. _Gros Prune_ 14. _Grosse Prune d’Agen_ 18,
20. Hungarian 18. _Hungarian_ 20. _Hungarian Prune_ 16, 19.
Hungarian Prune 14. _Oswego_ 20. Oswego 19. Plum de l’Inde ?3.
_Plum de l’Inde_ 9, 15. _Pond’s Purple_ 9, 10, 13, 15, 17.
_Pond’s Seedling_ (English) 11, 14, 17. Pond’s Seedling 1,
2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 21. Pond’s Seedling 14,
15, 17, 18, 19, 23. Pond Seedling 20. Pond’s Samling 15, 17.
_Pourprée de Pond_ 10, 15, 17. _Pride of Waterloo_ 20. _Semis
de Pond_ 10, 15. Semis de Pond 17.
Pond is preeminent among plums for its large size. It is distinguished
also by its form and its color, both being pleasing as well as
distinctive. The three characters, size, form and color make this one
of the handsomest of all plums. Despite the efforts of the color-plate
makers, the peculiar red of this plum is not well shown in the
illustration—to the disparagement of the fruit. At one time Pond was very
largely grown in New York but the fruits are not as perfect, grown here,
as on the Pacific Coast and the trees are not regular in bearing. The
eye is pleased with Pond but the palate is sadly disappointed; at best
it is not even second-rate. The fruits, however, ship and keep well, as
is demonstrated by the large quantities of this variety annually sent
from California to the East for sale on fruit-stands where its showiness
perennially beguiles the uninformed fruit-buyer. There is a fine
opportunity for some one to cross this splendid-appearing plum with one
of good quality in the hope of getting an offspring as handsome but of
better quality.
This variety was obtained from seed by Mr. Pond, an English amateur
grower of fruits, concerning whom there seems to be no further
information. The London Horticultural Society mentioned the variety as
long ago as in 1831. Another Mr. Pond, a nurseryman in Massachusetts,
grew a variety very similar in appearance to the English plum and
permitted his name to be given it to the great confusion of the
nomenclature of the two. The Hungarian prune of the Pacific Coast is
Pond, why so-called does not appear; with this as with several other
plums the Pacific Coast fruit-growers persist in using a name known to
have been wrongly applied to an old and well-known variety elsewhere
called rightly. Oswego, a supposed seedling grown in Oswego, New York,
is identical with the Pond as tested by this Experiment Station and by
local growers. The American Pomological Society placed this fruit on its
catalog list in 1856.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, hardy, variable in
productiveness; branches light gray, smooth, with small,
raised lenticels; branchlets of medium thickness and length,
with internodes of average length, greenish-red changing to
brownish-drab, dull, sparingly pubescent, with inconspicuous
small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, conical, free;
leaf-scars plump, often much enlarged at the apex of the twigs.
Leaves somewhat folded backward, oval, two and one-quarter
inches wide, four inches long, thick, leathery; upper surface
dark green, finely pubescent, rugose, with a grooved midrib;
lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed
or acute, base abrupt, margin crenate or serrate, with small
dark glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent,
tinged red, with one or two globose, yellowish glands variable
in size, usually on the stalk.
Season of bloom intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one and five-sixteenths inches
across, white; borne in thin clusters on lateral spurs and
buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels thirteen-sixteenths inch
long, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate,
pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, lightly pubescent on both
surfaces, margins with few glands and hairs, reflexed; petals
roundish, crenate, tapering to short, broad claws; filaments
seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to or
shorter than the stamens.
Fruit late, season short; two inches by one and three-quarters
inches in size, obovate or oval, frequently with a slight
neck, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture
very shallow, often a line; apex roundish; color varies from
reddish-purple to purplish-red, overspread with thick bloom;
dots numerous, small, reddish-brown, obscure, larger in size
but fewer in number towards the base; stem thick, seven-eighths
inch long, heavily pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin
tough, separating readily; flesh attractive golden-yellow, not
very juicy, fibrous, firm, of average sweetness, mild, not
highly flavored; fair in quality; stone semi-free to free, one
and one-sixteenths inches by nine-sixteenths inch in size,
long-oval, flattened, the surfaces roughened and deeply pitted,
tapering towards the base and apex; ventral suture heavily
furrowed, with a distinct but not prominent wing; dorsal suture
usually widely and deeply grooved.
POOLE PRIDE
_Prunus munsoniana_
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 108. 1885. =2.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=38=:50. 1892. =3.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 334. 1894. =4.= _Wis.
Sta. Bul._ =63=:24, 53. 1897. =5.= _Ibid._ =87=:15. 1901. =6.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 186. 1901. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._
299. 1903. =8.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:245 fig., 256, 257. 1905.
Kroh 1, 6. _Kroh_ 3, 7. Poole 2, 7. _Poole_ 6. Poole’s Pride 3,
4, 5. _Poole’s Pride_ 2, 6, 7.
As compared with other native plums growing on the grounds at this
Station, Poole Pride has considerable merit. It is very attractive in
appearance, it seems to have all the characters of a long-keeping and
a good-shipping sort of its species and the trees are large, vigorous,
hardy, healthy and productive. It is, however, lacking in the very
important character of flavor though the texture of the flesh is all that
could be desired. Its very peculiar flavor, incomparable with any other
plum or fruit, while disagreeable to the writer, might be liked by some.
The flesh of this plum is so transparent that the pit can be readily seen
when the skin is removed. To those growing native plums, Poole Pride is
recommended for trial.
This variety was raised by P. H. Kroh, Anna, Illinois, and was exhibited
by him under the name Kroh at the American Pomological Society meeting in
1885. Three years later the same plum was introduced by Stark Brothers,
Louisiana, Missouri, under the name of Poole’s Pride. The latter name has
been so much more widely used that it has been retained even though the
former is correct according to the rule of priority.
Tree large, vigorous, open and round-topped, hardy, productive,
healthy; branches rough, zigzag, with few thorns, dark
ash-gray, with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets twiggy,
slender, above medium in length, with short internodes,
greenish-red changing to light chestnut-red, glabrous, with
numerous, very conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds
small, short, obtuse, plump, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, ovate or obovate, peach-like, one and
three-eighths inches wide, three and one-half inches long,
thin and leathery; upper surface dull red late in the season,
smooth, glossy, with a narrow groove on the midrib; lower
surface lightly pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base rather
abrupt, margin finely crenate, with small dark glands; petiole
seven-eighths inch long, slender, hairy, light purplish-red,
with from one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands on
the stalk.
Blooming season late and long; flowers appearing after the
leaves, five-eighths inch across, white; borne in clusters on
short lateral spurs and buds; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch
long, very slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube greenish,
campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, heavily
pubescent within and along the margin which is serrate and
covered with reddish glands, erect; petals small, ovate
or roundish, crenate, tapering into long pubescent claws;
anthers yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil
glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit early, season very long; one inch in diameter,
roundish-oval, not compressed, halves equal; cavity very
shallow and narrow; suture a distinct line; apex roundish;
color clear, dark, currant-red, with thin bloom; dots few,
large, light russet, conspicuous, clustered about the apex;
stem slender, five-eighths inch long, glabrous, but overspread
with a grayish bloom, adhering to the fruit; skin thin,
tough, separating from the pulp; flesh semi-transparent, dark
amber-yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and melting, sweet,
with a strong, peculiar flavor not pleasant; of fair quality;
stone adhering, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in
size, long-oval, slightly flattened, compressed at the base,
pointed at the apex, roughish; ventral suture blunt, faintly
ridged; dorsal suture acute, entire.
POTTAWATTAMIE
[Illustration: POTTAWATTAMIE]
_Prunus munsoniana_
=1.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 287. 1887. =2.= _Pop. Gard._ =3=:27
fig. 1887. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:64. 86. 1892. =4.=
_Mich Sta. Bul._ =123=:20. 1895. =5.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =31=:346.
1895. =6.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =63=:53. 1897. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Cat._ 25. 1897. =8.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:156. 1899. =9.=
_Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:287. 1900. =10.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 199
fig. 1901. =11.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =67=:279. 1904.
The plum under notice is possibly of greater cultural value than any
other of its species especially for northern latitudes. It is of high
quality for a native plum, the texture of the fruit being especially
pleasing in eating, and though melting and juicy it keeps and ships
very well because of a tough skin. It escapes both the curculio and the
brown-rot to a higher degree than most of its kind. The trees, though
dwarfish at maturity, are vigorous, productive and among the hardiest
of the Munsoniana plums, growing without danger of winter injury to
tree or bud as far north as the forty-fourth parallel. Pottawattamie is
deservedly one of the best known of the native plums and if varieties of
its species are to be grown in New York, is as desirable as any.
Pottawattamie, according to the most authoritative accounts, was taken
from Tennessee to Iowa with a lot of Miner trees. It came under the
notice of J. B. Rice, Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1875, and was introduced
by him and named after one of the counties of his State.
Tree medium in size, strong and vigorous when young becoming
spreading and somewhat dwarfish when older, round-topped, hardy
at Geneva, usually productive; branches dark brown, zigzag,
thorny, roughened by the numerous, raised lenticels of various
sizes which are often narrow and much elongated; branchlets
slender, long, with internodes of medium length, greenish-red
changing to dark chestnut-red, glabrous, with numerous,
conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short,
obtuse, free.
Leaves flat or folded upward, lanceolate, peach-like, one and
one-eighth inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long,
thin; upper surface light green, reddish late in the season,
smooth, glossy, with a grooved midrib; lower surface pale
green, lightly pubescent along the midrib and larger veins;
apex taper-pointed, base abrupt, margin finely serrate or
crenate, with small, reddish glands; petiole one inch long,
slender, tinged red, thinly pubescent, glandless or with from
one to five very small, globose, reddish-yellow glands usually
on the stalk.