Chapter III: Leading Varieties of Plums (3)

Fruit earlier than Italian Prune; about one and one-half
inches in diameter, roundish, compressed, halves equal;
cavity very shallow, abrupt, narrow, regular; suture shallow;
apex roundish, with a slight depression at the pistil-point;
color dark purplish-black, with thick bloom; dots small,
russet, somewhat conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem
five-eighths inch long, sparingly pubescent, parting readily
from the fruit; skin thick, tough, sour, adhering but little;
flesh attractive yellow, juicy, firm, sweet, pleasant flavor;
very good; stone free, the cavity larger than the pit,
three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, irregular-oval,
the surface distinctly roughened and pitted; ventral suture
swollen, rather narrow, often with a wing; dorsal suture with a
shallow, narrow, indistinct groove.

CHENEY

_Prunus nigra_

=1.= _Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 15, 38. 1885. =2.= _Minn. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 126. 1890. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:36, 86.
1892. =4.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =31=:346. 1895. =5.= _Wis. Sta.
Bul._ =63=:24, 31 fig. 13. 1897. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24.
1897. =7.= _Gard, & For._ =10=:367. 1897. =8.= _Colo. Sta. Bul._
=50=:33. 1898. =9.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 412. 1899. =10.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 169. 1901. =11.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort.
Man._ 294. 1903. =12.= _Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ =43=:29. 1903.
=13.= _Ia. Hort, Soc. Rpt._ 488. 1904. =14.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._
=162=:254, 255. 1905. =15.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._ =93=:11. 1905.
=16.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =114=:129. 1910.

_Cherry_ 16 incor.

Cheney is of little value except towards the northern limits of fruit culture in America where, because of its great hardiness, it is a most desirable fruit-plant. Of the varieties illustrated and described among the leading plums in this text, Cheney is the sole representative of _Prunus nigra_, the wild plum of Canada and of northern United States. The accompanying description shows that while the fruit of this variety is not such as to recommend it where other species can be grown, the tree has some characters most desirable wherever plums are grown—hardiness, vigor, productiveness and good form—so that this variety might well be used in breeding plums. The trees are very ornamental whether in flower, full leaf or fruit, but especially when in full bloom as they bear a great profusion of large white flowers which change to a pleasing pink before falling.

This plum, according to a letter from the discoverer, E. Markle, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, was found in the brush on a ridge, in Vernon County, Wisconsin, about twenty-five or thirty years ago. Mr. Markle thought it must have sprung from a seed dropped by an early voyager of the Mississippi River as there were no similar plums in the region. Noting its good qualities Mr. Markle introduced the variety, the date of introduction being about 1887. The American Pomological Society added Cheney to its fruit catalog list in 1897, where, however, it remained but two years.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, hardy,
productive, bears early, somewhat susceptible to disease;
branches numerous, dark brownish-gray, very thorny, with large
lenticels; branchlets long, with long internodes, greenish-red
changing to dull reddish-brown, dull, thickly pubescent
early in the season, the pubescence decreasing at maturity,
with raised lenticels which are variable in size; leaf-buds
smallish, short, conical, free.

Leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide,
three and five-eighths inches long, thin; upper surface dark
green, nearly smooth, pubescent only along the midrib which
is deeply grooved; lower surface yellowish-green, pubescent
along the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, margin
crenate, usually in two series, sometimes with small, dark
glands; petiole one-half inch long, rather slender, pubescent,
tinged red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose,
greenish-yellow glands usually on the stalk.

Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, showy, about one inch across, white
changing to pink; borne in clusters on lateral spurs, in pairs
or in threes, very fragrant; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch
long, pubescent, green with a trace of red; calyx-tube obconic,
glabrous, red on the outer surface but green within and pinkish
along the margin; calyx-lobes obtuse or acute, serrate, with
small red glands and with marginal hairs, narrow, sparingly
pubescent on the inner surface, reflexed; petals broadly oval,
crenate, often toothed, tapering below to long narrow claws;
anthers yellowish; filaments nearly one-half inch in length;
pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period very long; medium in size,
irregular roundish-oval, strongly oblique, halves equal; cavity
shallow, regular, flaring; suture shallow or a line; apex
roundish, somewhat oblique; color at first yellowish-green with
a light carmine blush changing to deep carmine on a yellow
ground, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous, very small,
russet, inconspicuous, densely clustered about the apex; stem
slender, five-eighths inch in length, slightly pubescent,
adhering to the fruit; skin thick, tough, sour, separating
readily; flesh deep yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and
melting, sweet next to the skin but tart at the center, not
high in flavor; fair in quality; stone adhering, seven-eighths
inch by five-eighths inch in size, broadly oval, distinctly
flattened, blunt-pointed, with ridged and furrowed surfaces;
ventral suture acute, narrow; dorsal suture slightly furrowed.

CLIMAX

_Prunus triflora_ × _Prunus simonii_

=1.= _Rural N. Y._ =57=:653, 818. 1898. =2.= _Cal. State Board
Hort._ 52. 1897-98. =3.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._ =67=:9. 1898. =4.=
_Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:222. 1899. =5.= _Burbank Cat._ =2.=
1899. =6.= _Nat. Nur._ =8=:117. 1900. =7.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._
=14=:273. 1901. =8.= _Rural N. Y._ =62=:643. 1903. =9.= _Mich.
Sta. Sp. Bul._ =30=:18. 1905. =10.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =68=:8, 35.
1905. =11.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 66. 1907.

Royal 1. _Royal_ 1, 3, 4.

It is hard to judge as to the merits of this variety. From the behavior of the trees on the grounds of this Station where we have had fruit of it for eight years, we should say at once that Climax has no place in the plum-growing regions of the East but others who have grown it speak so well of it, the fruit in particular, that the unfavorable opinion of the variety formed here may be unjust. Some of the expressions regarding this fruit in the foregoing references may be dismissed at once as the most wildly extravagant and absurd to be found in plum literature. From its behavior on these grounds and in the plum-growing regions of the East in general, it seems certain that Climax cannot stand the vicissitudes of the climate, suffering both in winter and summer. The trees, in size, vigor and habit of growth, are inferior to those of most Triflora varieties, and those under observation in this part of New York are not as productive as the standard Trifloras with which Climax must be compared. The fruit is handsome in shape and color, more so in color than the accompanying illustration shows, and is of good quality. Unfortunately it is very susceptible to the brown-rot, so much so that because of this defect alone Climax could hardly become a profitable commercial plum in this region. It has been quite well tested in various parts of New York and has proved so uniformly disappointing in tree-characters, in particular, that it cannot be recommended as other than a plum for the home collection where, because of its beauty and quality, it is most desirable.

Climax is another of Luther Burbank’s plums, having been introduced in 1899. The originator states that it is a selected hybrid between the Simon and Botan plums. The variety was first described as the Royal but since this name had been previously given to a European plum it was renamed Climax.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, somewhat straggling,
dense-topped, semi-hardy, medium productive; branches dark
ash-gray, short and stout, with numerous lenticels; branchlets
short, with very short internodes, brownish chestnut-red,
glossy, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised
lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free.

Leaves folded upward, oblanceolate, peach-like, one and
one-quarter inches wide, three and three-eighths inches long,
thin; upper surface light green, smooth, with a grooved midrib,
glabrous; lower surface light green, glabrous except on the
midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base cuneate,
margin finely serrate or crenate, with small, dark brown
glands; petiole nine-sixteenths inch long, sparsely pubescent,
tinged red, glandless or with from one to seven small, globose
or slightly compressed, reddish glands.

Blooming season early and of medium length; flowers appearing
with the leaves, white; borne in clusters of three, on lateral
spurs; pedicels, long, thick, glabrous, green; calyx tube
greenish, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, with a few
hair-like glands, glabrous, erect; petals roundish-oval,
entire; anthers deep yellow; filaments short; pistil glabrous,
equal to the stamens in length; stigma very small.

Fruit very early, season short; one and three-quarters inches
in diameter, cordate or roundish, slightly compressed, halves
unequal; cavity deep, abrupt, regular, marked with faint,
reddish, radiating streaks; suture deep, broad; apex pointed;
color dark red, mottled; bloom of medium thickness; dots
numerous, variable in size, russet, conspicuous, clustered
about the base; stem thick, nine-sixteenths inch long,
glabrous, parting readily from the fruit; skin thick, bitter,
with a tendency to crack, separating easily from the pulp only
when fully ripe; flesh yellowish, very juicy, somewhat fibrous,
tender and melting, sweet, pleasant flavored, aromatic; good;
stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in
size, somewhat long-oval, pointed, roughish, conspicuously
winged and grooved on the ventral suture; dorsal suture
slightly grooved.

CLING STEM

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _N. Y. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:347. 1890.

This plum belongs to the Reine Claude group, a group in which there is room for new varieties only at the top. Cling Stem is inferior, falling short chiefly in quality, for a plum of its type, and it is doubtful if it is worth general planting. This Station alone seems to have tested the variety, hence the rather full description which follows of a plum which cannot be recommended. The variety was sent here in 1890 from North Ferrisburg, Vermont, by L. M. Macomber.

Tree large and vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, very
productive; branches rough, the bark marked by concentric
rings, with numerous spurs and with many, small, raised
lenticels; branchlets short, pubescent; leaf-scars swollen;
leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches
wide, three inches long, rather thick and leathery; margin
doubly crenate, eglandular or with small, dark glands; petiole
pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to three
globose glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season
of medium length; flowers over one inch across, white with
yellowish tinge near the apex of the petals; borne on lateral
buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.

Fruit mid-season; one and one-half inches by one and
five-eighths inches in size, nearly roundish, dull light
yellow, sometimes mottled with red on the exposed cheek,
overspread with thin bloom; skin thin, sour; flesh
greenish-yellow, tender and melting, sweet near the surface
but acid at the center, mild, pleasant, but not high-flavored;
stone clinging, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in
size, nearly round, turgid; surfaces pitted; ventral suture
broad, heavily furrowed, with a short, distinct wing.

CLYMAN

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 574. 1888. =2.= _Cal. State Board
Hort._ 236, 239, Pl. II figs. 3 and 4. 1890. =3.= _Wickson
Cal. Fruits_ 358. 1891. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 25. 1897.
=5.= _N. Mex. Sta. Bul._ =27=:124. 1898. =6.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._
=113=:158. 1899. =7.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 98. 1901. =8.= _Ohio
Sta. Bul._ =162=:236, 237 fig., 254, 255. 1905.

Clyman has special merit as one of the earliest good Domesticas. The fruit resembles that of Lombard somewhat, but is smaller and is much better in quality. As grown in California the Clyman commands high prices for shipping eastward. Whether it could be grown profitably in the East remains to be seen but it deserves to be rather widely tested for an early home and market plum. In New York it has a few serious faults: the plums are susceptible to rot, they drop as soon as ripe and the trees seem not to be quite hardy at Geneva; though in the Ohio reference given above they are said to be “rather hardier than those of most other European sorts.” Otherwise than in hardiness the trees at this place are quite satisfactory. The variety is characterized by very long stamens. Clyman is well deserving of trial with the possibility that it may prove to be the best of our early Domesticas.

This plum was raised from a Peach plum stone planted in 1866, by Mrs. Hannah Clyman, Napa City, Napa Valley, California. The original tree was cut down but several suckers were taken from the roots and planted in an orchard. These bore fruit for many years, never failing to mature a crop. In 1886, Leonard Coates, a nurseryman and fruit-grower of Napa City, became interested in the plum on account of its extreme earliness and offered it to his customers. The American Pomological Society added Clyman to its fruit catalog list in 1897.

Tree rather large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, semi-hardy
in New York, productive; branches ash-gray, nearly smooth, with
numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, rather
long, with internodes of medium length, greenish-red changing
to brownish-red, dull, heavily pubescent throughout the season,
with numerous, indistinct, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium
size and length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves folded backward, obovate, one and seven-eighths inches
wide, three and one-quarter inches long; upper surface dark
green, rugose, sparingly hairy; lower surface pale green,
pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin
serrate or crenate, covered with small dark glands; petiole
nearly seven-eighths inch long, pubescent, reddish, glandless
or with from one to three globose, greenish-yellow glands
variable in size and position.

Blooming season early and short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white, the
buds creamy at the apex when unfolding; borne in clusters on
lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels about one-half
inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, pubescent
on both surfaces, serrate, reflexed; petals obovate, dentate,
tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellow; filaments about
seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil pubescent near the base,
equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit very early, season short; one and one-half inches by one
and three-eighths inches in size, oval, halves equal; cavity
narrow, abrupt, regular; suture shallow and often indistinct;
apex roundish or slightly depressed; color dark purplish-red,
covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet,
inconspicuous; stem five-eighths inches long, pubescent,
adhering poorly to the fruit; skin tender, sour, separating
readily; flesh pale yellow, dry, firm, sweet, mild but
pleasant; of good quality; stone free, seven-eighths inch by
five-eighths inch in size, somewhat flattened, irregular-oval,
with pitted surfaces, tapering abruptly at the base, nearly
acute at the apex; ventral suture of medium width, usually
rather blunt; dorsal suture with a wide, deep groove.

COLUMBIA

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =8=:90. 1842. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
292. 1845. =3.= Cole _Am. Fr. Book_ 216. 1849 =4.= Thomas _Am.
Fruit Cult._ 334. 1849. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862.
=6.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:159. 1873. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 691.
1884. =8.= _Wash. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 135. 1893.

_Columbian Gage_ 2, 4. _Columbia Pflaume_ 6. _Columbia Gage_ 7.

When grown on strong soils and in some climates, Columbia is possibly a plum of value and sometimes of superiority, but in New York in the average plantation it falls far short of other fruits of its type—that of the Reine Claude. The trees are productive and the fruit large and handsome but not of highest quality and moreover drops badly and is very susceptible to the brown-rot. Columbia originated early in the second quarter of the Nineteenth Century with L. V. Lawrence of Hudson, New York, from seed of Reine Claude.

Tree large, medium in vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped,
productive; trunk stocky, rough; branches thick; branchlets
pubescent; leaves folded upward, one and seven-eighths inches
wide, four and one-quarter inches long, oval, thick, leathery;
upper surface rugose; margin serrate or crenate, with small,
dark glands; petiole thick, tinged red, pubescent, with from
one to three globose glands.

Fruit mid-season; when well grown nearly one and one-half
inches in diameter, roundish-oval, the smaller specimens rather
ovate, dark purplish-red, overspread with thick bloom; stem
surrounded by a fleshy ring at the cavity; skin tender, sour;
flesh golden-yellow, dry, firm, sweet, mild; of good quality;
stone semi-free or free, seven-eighths inch by three-quarters
inch in size, roundish-oval, flattened; ventral suture
prominent; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.

COMPASS

_Prunus besseyi_ × _Prunus hortulana mineri_

=1.= _Northwestern Agr._ 348. 1895. =2.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._
=67=:10. 1898. =3.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:266. 1900. =4.=
Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 294. 1903. =5.= _S. Dak. Sta.
Bul._ =93=:13. 1905.

_Compass Cherry_ 2. _Heideman Sand Cherry._

In 1891 H. Knudson of Springfield, Minnesota, pollinated the Sand Cherry with pollen from the Danish Morello cherry and the Miner plum. The seed of the resulting cross, beyond question that of the Sand Cherry and the plum, was planted on August seventh of the same year and, in 1894 produced fruit for the first time. In 1893 C. W. H. Heideman of New Ulm, Minnesota, secured a cion from this tree and another the following year. In 1895 Heideman introduced as his own, under the name of Heideman Sand Cherry, a hybrid between the Sand Cherry and a plum. In the controversy which followed it developed that the two hybrids were identical and that Knudson was the real originator. Subsequently C. W. Sampson of Eureka, Minnesota, introduced Knudson’s plum under the name Compass. The variety is of interest to plant-breeders and may have some commercial value in the Northwest but is worthless for its fruit in New York.

Tree inferior in size, spreading, open-topped, productive;
branches and branchlets slender, the branchlets marked by very
conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds plump; leaves
folded upward, one and one-eighth inches wide, three inches
long; margin serrate; petiole tinged red, glandless or with
from one to three globose glands usually on the base of the
leaf; blooming season late, of medium length; flowers appearing
after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across, creamy-white as
the buds unfold; borne on lateral spurs, in threes and fours.

Fruit early, season short; seven-eighths inch by three-quarters
inch in size, ovate or roundish-oval, light red changing
to dark red at maturity, the skin speckled with small red
dots before fully ripe; skin tough, astringent; flesh light
greenish-yellow, very juicy, melting, subacid except near the
skin; poor; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by three-eighths
inch in size, large, elongated-oval, with smooth surfaces.

COPPER

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 234. 1817. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:93. 1832. =3.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 425. 1854. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 906. 1869. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875.
=6.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:183. 1897. =7.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 98. 1901.

_Copper_ 2. _French Copper_ 3, 4. French Copper 1, 2, 6.

It is supposed that Copper came from France but very little is actually known regarding its history. The round early variety described by Coxe and Prince is distinct from the Copper now grown in this country. It is probable that the Copper of Downing and of the American Pomological Society are either distinct, or are early strains of the fruit described here, since both are mid-season plums while the variety of the following description is distinctly late. This old sort has been recommended of late by nurserymen and some plum-growers and it may be worth putting on the markets again as the trees are extremely productive, the fruit ships well, and its extreme lateness might extend the plum season. The fruit is not fit for dessert but makes an attractive, dark red, well-flavored sauce.

Tree variable in size and vigor, round and dense-topped,
productive; branches numerous, with large lenticels; branchlets
twiggy, marked with scarf-skin, glabrous throughout the season;
leaves folded upward, obovate or oval, one and one-half inches
wide, three and one-half inches long; upper surface rugose;
margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark
glands; petiole pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with one or
two globose glands; blooming time mid-season, short; flowers
appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across; borne
singly or in pairs.

Fruit very late, season of medium length; one and one-half
inches by one and three-eighths inches in size, roundish-oval,
slightly necked; cavity almost lacking; color a metallic
brownish-purple, overspread with thick bloom; skin thick,
tough, somewhat astringent; flesh dull yellow, medium juicy,
firm, moderately sweet; poor; stone free, seven-eighths inch by
one-half inch in size, irregular-ovate, abruptly contracted at
the base, with roughened surfaces; dorsal suture prominent.

CRITTENDEN

_Prunus insititia_

=1.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 695. 1884. =2.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 426.
1889. =3.= _Am. Gard._ =14=:146. 1893. =4.= _Guide Prat._ 163,
353. 1895. =5.= _Rural N. Y._ =55=:622. 1896. =6.= _Cornell
Sta. Bul._ =131=:184. 1897. =7.= _Garden_ =53=:266. 1898. =8.=
Waugh _Plum Cult._ 127, 128. 1901.

Crittenden’s Damson 2. _Crittenden’s Prolific Damson_ 2.
Crittenden’s 1. _Crittenden’s Prolific_ 1. _Cluster_ 1. Cluster
3, 8. _Cluster Damson_ 2. Cluster Damson 4. _Damson Cluster_
4. Farleigh Damson 6. _Farleigh Prolific_ 7. Farleigh 5.
_Prolific_ 1. _Prolific Damson_ 2.

This Damson came to notice early in the last century in the orchard of James Crittenden of East Farleigh, Kent, England. In both Europe and America it seems to be as well known under the names Farleigh and Cluster as under its true name. Crittenden ranks high among the Damsons in England but in America it is not a great favorite; just why is hard to say. It is likely that it fails in some tree-character, for, with the exception of being a little too tart, the fruit has few faults.

Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, open-topped,
productive; branches very thorny and spinescent; branchlets
pubescent throughout the season; leaf-buds plump; leaves folded
upward, obovate or oval, one and one-eighth inches wide, two
and one-half inches long, thin; margin finely serrate, with
small dark glands; petiole one-half inch long, glandless or
with one or two glands; blooming season intermediate in time
and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths
inch across, densely clustered; borne usually in twos, fragrant.

Fruit late, season of medium length; seven-eighths inch
by three-quarters inch in size, oval, slightly necked,
purplish-black, overspread with very thick bloom; flesh
greenish-yellow, medium juicy, firm but tender, sour,
sprightly; probably good for preserves; stone clinging,
five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, oval, acute at
the base, with surfaces nearly smooth.

CZAR

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 693. 1884. =2.= Ellwanger & Barry _Cat._
27. 1886. =3.= _Gard. Chron._ =10=:333. 1891. =4.= _Guide
Prat._ 153, 359. 1895. =5.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:183.
1897. =6.= Rivers _Cat._ 34. 1898. =7.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._
=169=:242, 244. 1899. =8.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:159. 1899.
=9.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 99. 1901. =10.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_
=4=:157. 1901. =11.= Nicholson _Dict. Gard._ =3=:166. =12.=
_Garden_ =68=:303. 1905. =13.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:236, 237
fig., 254, 255. 1905.

Le Czar 4. The Czar 2, 6, 11. _The Czar_ 4.

Czar seems to have a very good reputation in Europe, in England especially, as a culinary fruit but in America it is but second rate for cooking and cannot be called a dessert plum at all. Its earliness might make it valuable were it not for the fact that Clyman is as early and in nearly all other respects is a better plum. The Czar, like Clyman, is not quite hardy and lacks somewhat in productiveness. The stone of Czar is usually covered with a granular, gummy exudation about the apex and its flowers are peculiar in being more or less doubled. It is doubtful if this variety is worth planting in New York. This plum was raised by Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, from a Prince Englebert seed fertilized by Early Prolific. It first fruited in 1874 and was named for the Czar of Russia who visited England during the same year. Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, New York, offered it for sale in the United States in 1886.

Tree intermediate in size and vigor, round and open-topped,
not always hardy, moderately productive; branches covered
with many fruit-spurs, smooth except for the numerous raised
lenticels and transverse cracks in the bark; branchlets covered
with thick pubescence throughout the season, with numerous
small lenticels; leaf-buds large, strongly free; leaves folded
upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, three inches
long; petiole one-half inch long, thick, pubescent, eglandular
or with one or two large, yellowish-green glands at the base
of the leaf; blooming season intermediate in time, short;
flowers appearing after the leaves, one inch or more across,
white, with a yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals; borne
in clusters on lateral spurs, in pairs or in threes; filaments
five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous except at the base,
slightly longer than the stamens.

Fruit very early, season short; one and one-half inches
in diameter, irregular roundish-oval, compressed, dark
purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; flesh yellow,
coarse and somewhat granular, fibrous, tender, sweet, pleasant
flavor; good; stone free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths
inch in size, oval or slightly ovate, blunt at the base,
somewhat acute at the apex, with ridged and roughened surfaces;
ventral suture wide, broadly furrowed, with a short blunt wing;
dorsal suture acute or with a narrow, shallow, indistinct
groove.

DAMSON

_Prunus insititia_

=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 578. 1629. =2.= Gerard Herball 1496,
1498. 1636. =3.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ 67. 1699. =4.= Langley
_Pomona_ 94. 1724. =5.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 21. 1803.
=6.= _Am. Gard. Cat._ 588. 1806. =7.= Phillips _Com. Orch._
306. 1831. =8.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 145, 146. 1831. =9.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 297. 1845. =10.= Thomas _Am. Fruit
Cult._ 342. 1849. =11.= _Pom. Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862. =12.= Hooper
_W. Fr. Book_ 244. 1857. =13.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:69. 1873.
=14.= Manning _Hist. Mass. Hort. Soc._ 4. 1880. =15.= Hogg
_Fruit Man._ 695. 1884. =16.= De Candolle _Or. Cult. Plants_
212. 1885. =17.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 438. 1889. =18.= _Am.
Gard._ =14=:146, 147. 1893.

_August Pflaume_ 17. Blacke Damascene ?1. Blew Damson 1. Black
Damascene 5. Black Damson ?8. _Black Damson_ 9, 11, 17. _Blew
Damask_ 3. Black Damosine 4. _Blue Damson_ 10, 11. _Bullace_
17. Common Damson 6, 15. _Common Damson_ 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17.
Damascene 2. _Damascene_ 7, 16. _Damson_ 17. Damas Noir ?8.
Damascus ?8. Damas Commun 13. _Early Damson_ of many 9, 10,
17. _Haber Pflaume_ 17. _Hafer Schlehe_ 17. _Jakobs Pflaume_
17. _Kleine Blaue Julians Pflaume_ 17. _Kreke_ 17. Krieche
17. _Purple Damson_ 9, 10, 17. _Prunus Insititia_ 17. _Round
Damson_ 8, 15. Round Black Damson ?8. _Small Round Damson_
8. _Sankt-Julians Pflaume_ 17. _Schlehen Pflaume_ 17. _Wahre
Schlehen Damascene_ 17. _Zipperle_ 17. _Zipperlein_ 17.

The common Damson, the Damson of the ancients, probably little changed since before Christ’s time, is still worthy of cultivation even though a score or more of its offspring are offered to take its place. In productiveness, vigor of tree and hardiness it is scarcely surpassed by any of its kind and while its fruits are smaller and more astringent than the best of its offspring they are not surpassed for the chief use of all Damsons—the making of preserves. The chief asset of the Damson is its great adaptability to various soils and climates, surpassing all newcomers of its type in this respect. So while undoubtedly some of the improved Damsons surpass the parent variety under many conditions, there yet remain localities in which the original stock is possibly most valuable.

The Damson takes its name from Damascus from whence it was brought into Italy at least a century before the Christian era. What is a Damson? In England and America it is an oval, usually black, Insititia. The European continental countries have an entirely different conception of a Damson from that of the English and Americans. The Germans speak of our common plums as Damson-like, while the French use the term Damas indiscriminately. The English, however, have not always made a sharp distinction for Parkinson in 1629 speaks of the great Damaske or Damson Plummes as sweet prunes imported from France and Gerard in 1636 described the Damson tree as synonymous to the Plum. The term Damson is applied to a group as well as to a variety. For a further history of this plum in Europe and America see the index for references to the Damson in Chapter I.

DAWSON

_Prunus domestica_

_Dawson Seedling._ _American Prune._

Dawson is a prune-like plum characterized by an elongated neck, a peculiar putty-like color of flesh and by large size. The quality is very good and the trees in all characters are well up to the average of those of the plums on the Station grounds. The plum is worthy a more extensive trial than it has yet had. The following history of the variety is given by its originator: In 1884, P. P. Dawson of Payette, Idaho, planted a lot of Italian prune pits. In 1891 one of the seedlings produced fruit which was so distinct as to size that Mr. Dawson deemed it worthy of propagation. The variety was introduced by Mr. Dawson and A. F. Hitt, Weiser, Idaho, about 1898.

Tree above medium in size, vigorous, round and dense-topped,
productive; branchlets thick, short, twiggy, marked with
scarf-skin; leaf-scars prominent; leaves flattened, oval, two
and one-quarter inches wide, four inches long, dark green,
rugose; margin doubly crenate, eglandular or with small dark
glands; petiole pubescent, glandless or with one or two small
glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season late,
short; flowers appearing with the leaves, white with yellowish
tinge; petals fringed at the apex.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; medium in size,
strongly obovate, distinctly necked, dark reddish-purple,
overspread with medium thick bloom; flesh light but dull
yellow, tinged red near the surface, dry, firm, medium sweet,
mild but pleasant; of good quality; stone clinging, above
medium in size, long-oval or ovate, flattened, distinctly
necked, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture broad, blunt.

DECAISNE

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Gard. Chron._ =23=:461. 1863. =2.= Mas _Pom. Gen._
=2=:43. 1873. =3.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 411. 1887. =4.=
_Guide Prat._ 159. 1895.

_Decaisnes Pflaume_ 2. Prune Decaisne 1, 2.

Though a supposed seedling of Golden Drop this variety has all of the ear-marks of one of the Reine Claude group. It is inferior to several other plums of the last named group and is not worth recommendation. Decaisne was originated about 1846 by Jamin and Durand, nurserymen, at Bourg la-Reine, near Paris, France, from seed of Golden Drop. In the United States, it has been mainly distributed by Ellwanger & Barry of Rochester, New York, and by the California Nursery Company of Niles, California.

Tree intermediate in size and vigor, upright-spreading, rather
open-topped, productive; trunk rough; leaves two inches wide,
four inches long, oval, thick, leathery; upper surface rugose;
lower surface thinly pubescent; petiole with from two to three
large, globose or reniform glands.

Fruit mid-season or later; one and seven-eighths inches by one
and five-eighths inches in size, oblong-oval, greenish-yellow,
overspread with thin bloom; skin sour; flesh greenish-yellow,
tender, mild; good; stone clinging, one inch by seven-eighths
inch in size, broad-oval, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture
rather prominent, heavily grooved, with a short but distinct
wing; dorsal suture wide, deep.

DE CARADEUC

_Prunus cerasifera_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 86. 1871. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._
38. 1877. =3.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 418. 1883. =4.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =38=:66, 71, 86. 1892. =5.= Bailey _Ev. Nat. Fruits_ 212.
1898. =6.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =13=:369. 1900. =7.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 230. 1901. =8.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 310. 1903.
=9.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =67=:274. 1904. =10.= _Ga. Hort. Soc.
Cat._ 13. 1905.

Caradeuc 1.

De Caradeuc is without value in this climate for its fruit and is described at length and illustrated in _The Plums of New York_ only because it is one of the few representatives of _Prunus cerasifera_ cultivated for its fruit. The plums are garnet-red, very attractive in appearance and are borne so much earlier than those of other species that the variety may be worth planting in home orchards to lengthen the season and for the sake of variety. This plum is grown rather commonly in the South where the fruits are said to keep well and not rot. The trees are handsome ornamentals bearing remarkably rich, green foliage and a profusion of white flowers which are followed by beautifully colored fruits. The variety can be recommended for lawn or park where a small, compact, flowering tree is wanted.

De Caradeuc originated with A. De Caradeuc, Aiken, South Carolina, between 1850 and 1854. Mr. De Caradeuc brought plum trees from France and planted them in the vicinity of several native plum trees. From the seed of the former he produced this variety. The originator believed his new plum to be a hybrid but practically all students of plum botany think that it is a pure offshoot of _Prunus cerasifera_. The variety was introduced by P. J. Berckmans of Augusta, Georgia. In 1877 De Caradeuc was placed on the American Pomological Society fruit catalog list where it is still maintained.

Tree very large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, variable
in productiveness; trunk rough; branches slender, roughish or
smooth, dark ash-gray, with numerous, large, raised lenticels;
branchlets very numerous, twiggy, slender, medium to long, with
long internodes, tinged with red when young, changing to dull
reddish-brown, glossy, glabrous, with few, small lenticels;
leaf-buds very small and short, obtuse, appressed.

Leaves numerous on the branchlets, becoming scattering in the
interior of the tree, folded upward, oval, one and one-eighth
inches wide, two inches long, thin; upper surface dark green,
sparingly pubescent, smooth, with broadly grooved midrib;
lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex acute, base broadly
cuneate, margin often in two series of fine serrations,
without glands; petiole slender, one-half inch long, slightly
pubescent, tinged red, eglandular or with one or two very
small, globose, greenish glands usually at the base of the leaf.

Blooming season rather early, short; flowers appearing
after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across, white; borne
on lateral buds and spurs; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch
long, below medium in thickness, glabrous, green; calyx-tube
reddish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse,
slightly glandular-serrate, pubescent, strongly reflexed;
petals roundish or ovate, crenate, not clawed; anthers yellow;
filaments one-quarter inch in length; pistil glabrous, longer
than the stamens, somewhat defective.

Fruit very early, season short; one and one-quarter inches
in diameter, roundish, halves usually equal; cavity shallow
and narrow, abrupt, regular; suture a dark red line; apex
roundish; color light or dark crimson-red over a yellow ground,
overspread with thin bloom; dots few, light russet, clustered
about the apex; stem slender, eleven-sixteenths inch in length,
glabrous, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, parting
readily; flesh medium yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender
and melting, slightly sweet, lacking in flavor; inferior in
quality; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half inch
in size, roundish-oval, turgid, blunt, with somewhat pitted
surfaces; ventral suture acute, furrowed; dorsal suture
distinctly and broadly grooved.

DE SOTO

_Prunus americana_

=1.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 225. 1877. =2.= _Ia. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 356. 1879. =3.= _Ibid._ 159. 1880. =4.= _Ibid._ 237.
1882. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 42. 1883. =6.= _Ia. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 366. 1883. =7.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 63. 1890.
=8.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:37, 86. 1892. =9.= _Wis. Sta.
Bul._ =63=:24, 35, 36, fig. 16. 1897. 10. Waugh _Plum Cult._
147. 1901. 11. Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 295. 1903. =12.=
_Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ =43=:30. 1903. =13.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._
=93=:15. 1905.

Traer 3. Trayer 4.

De Soto probably holds first place among the Americana plums in the favor of fruit-growers. The qualities which commend it are: A tree rather better suited to the orchard than other varieties of _Prunus americana_ having little of the waywardness of most sorts of its species and somewhat the manner of growth of the European plums. The trees, too, are enormously productive, so much so that in many cases their vitality is weakened by over-bearing unless thinned. The fruits of De Soto, while not as large nor as brilliantly colored as some of the Americanas, are not surpassed by any of the native plums in quality and keep and ship as well as any. The variety becomes, therefore, a market sort of value in some regions. The fruits are a little more subject to curculio than those of most of the native plums and the trees blight in the South somewhat and do not stand the drouths of the Mississippi Valley as well as some other varieties. Notwithstanding these defects, speaking generally, the De Soto may be recommended as one of the best of its species.

De Soto was found on the bank of the Mississippi River near De Soto, Wisconsin. The first settler to call attention to the plum was a Mr. Tupper who settled on the land where it was found in 1853 or 1854. The Trayer Brothers bought the place in 1855 and in clearing the farm they removed all the plum trees except a grove of what was at first called Trayer, afterwards De Soto. Later Stephen Heal came into possession of the property and in 1864 Elisha Hale, Lansing, Iowa, commenced to cultivate and disseminate the variety. De Soto was placed on the American Pomological Society fruit catalog list in 1883, dropped in 1891, and restored again in 1897.

Tree small, intermediate in vigor, spreading, open-topped,
perfectly hardy, produces heavy crops annually, bears young;
branches rough and shaggy, somewhat zigzag, thorny, dark
ash-brown, with inconspicuous, small, raised, lenticels;
branchlets numerous, long, green, changing to dull
reddish-brown, pubescent at first, becoming glabrous late
in the season, with conspicuous, large, raised lenticels;
leaf-buds below medium in size, pointed, appressed.

Leaves falling early, folded upward, oval, one and
three-quarters inches wide, four inches long; upper surface
dark green changing to greenish-yellow, glossy, with scattering
hairs and a narrow, grooved midrib; lower surface finely
pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base somewhat abrupt, margin
very coarsely and deeply doubly serrate, petiole five-eighths
inch long, of medium thickness, pubescent, tinged red,
glandless or with one or two globose, brownish glands on the
stalk.

Blooming season medium to late and of average length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across,
white; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, in twos and
threes; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch in length, below medium
in thickness, covered with short, thick pubescence, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes somewhat
acute, eglandular, thickly pubescent on both surfaces, with a
swollen ring at the base of the lobes, semi-reflexed; petals
oblong or ovate, erose, tapering abruptly into long, narrow
claws; anthers yellowish; filaments three-eighths inch in
length; pistil glabrous, equal to or shorter than the stamens.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and one-half
inches in diameter, roundish, varying to oval or ovate,
compressed, often strongly truncate at the base; cavity shallow
or medium, abrupt; suture very shallow or a line; apex roundish
or somewhat pointed; color yellowish-red becoming a light or
dark crimson over an orange-yellow ground, overspread with thin
bloom; dots very numerous, small, light russet, inconspicuous;
stem rather slender, three-quarters inch long, sparingly
pubescent; skin thick, tough, very astringent, clinging to the
pulp; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and
melting, of medium sweetness, mild; fair to good; stone nearly
free, seven-eighths inch in size, oval, turgid, blunt-pointed,
smooth; ventral suture bluntly acute and with slight furrows;
dorsal suture acute, not furrowed.

DIAMOND

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 146. 1831. =2.= Kenrick _Am.
Orch._ 259. 1832. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 298. 1845. =4.=
Lee _Gen. Farmer_ =6=:141. 1845. 5. _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 222,
244. 1858. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 696. 1884. =7.= _Mich. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 327. 1889. =8.= _Guide Prat._ 159, 355. 1895. =9.=
_Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 382. 1895. =10.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=131=:183, fig. 40 VI. 1897. =11.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 25.
1897. =12.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:214, 217. 1899. =13.=
_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:244. 1899. =14.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 92. 1899. =15.= _Garden_ =56=:168. 1899. =16.= _Can. Exp.
Farm Bul._ =43=:33. 1903. =17.= _Can. Exp. Farms Rpt._ 423.
1903.

Black Diamond 9. _Black Diamond_ 11, 13. _Diamant_ 8.
_Diamantpflaume_ 8. Dymond 15. Kentish Diamond 17. Kingston 14
incor. Smith’s Prune 7. _Smith Prune_ 14.

To judge Diamond by appearance would be a grievous error. It is a large, beautifully colored, well-formed plum, tempting the palate; but one taste out of hand is a sufficiency. The flesh is coarse and the flavor not at all pleasant to one accustomed to good plums. Hogg says, in the reference given, that Diamond is one of the best preserving and cooking plums but in this case we doubt Hogg’s judgment unless, as may be, Diamond is much better in England than in America. The firm flesh and tough skin of the variety commend it as a market plum and the trees are above the average in size, vigor, hardiness and productiveness—all characters excepting quality bespeaking the favor of plum-growers. It is planted largely for the markets where, of course, it sells upon its appearance.

According to Downing, this variety was raised from seed by an Englishman, in Kent, named Diamond. Kenrick and Hogg, however, state that it was raised in the nursery of a Mr. Hooker, in Kent. The London Horticultural Society briefly described this variety in its fruit catalog for 1831 so that its origin antedates that year. The American Pomological Society rejected Diamond for its catalog in 1858 but placed it in its fruit list in 1897.

Tree above average in size and vigor, upright-spreading,
somewhat dense-topped, hardy, very productive; branches
ash-gray, roughish, with numerous, small lenticels, the bark
marked with transverse lines; branchlets of medium thickness
and length, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to dark
brownish-red, dull, somewhat pubescent, with numerous, small
lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, pointed, appressed.

Leaves folded upward, obovate or oval, one and seven-eighths
inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long; upper surface
dark green, with few hairs and with a grooved midrib; lower
surface pubescent; apex obtuse to acute, base acute, margin
serrate, with small, brown glands; petiole five-eighths inch
long, slender, pubescent, reddish, with from one to four small,
globose or reniform, greenish-yellow glands on the stalk or
base of the leaf.

Blooming season early or medium, short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one inch across, the buds yellow-tipped changing
to white on expanding; borne on lateral spurs, in pairs;
pedicels five-eighths inch long, somewhat slender, pubescent,
green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes
broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate,
reflexed; petals broadly oval or roundish, entire or slightly
crenate, tapering to short, broad claws; anthers roundish,
yellow; filaments five-sixteenths inch in length; pistil
lightly pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and seven-eighths
inches by one and three-quarters inches in size, oval, slightly
necked, swollen on the ventral side, compressed; cavity
very narrow and abrupt; suture shallow, often a line; apex
roundish or pointed; color deep reddish-purple changing to
dark purplish-black at full maturity, with thick bloom; dots
numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one inch
long, finely pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin,
rather sour, separating readily; flesh pale or golden-yellow,
sometimes with a faint red tinge next the skin, not juicy,
coarse, firm but rather tender, mild subacid to nearly sweet,
not high in flavor; of fair quality; stone with a trace of red,
semi-clinging, one and one-eighth inches by five-eighths inch
in size, long-oval, necked at the base, abruptly sharp-pointed
at the apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture rather broad,
lightly furrowed; dorsal suture widely grooved.

DOUBLE FLOWERING GAGE

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:92. 1768. =2.= Knoop
_Fructologie_ 57. 1771. =3.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =2=:32, Tab.
179 fig. 2. 1796. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:49. 1832. =5.=
_Mag. Hort._ =9=:165. 1843. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 316.
1845. =7.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =1=:1846. =8.= Mas _Pom. Gen._
=2=:47. 1873. =9.= _Guide Prat._ 163, 363. 1895.

Die grosse Königin Klaudia Pflaume mit halbgefullter Bluthe 3.
_Dauphin à Fleurs semi-doubles_ 5. _Dauphin à Fleurs doubles_
5. _Dauphin à fleurs semi-doubles_ 5. _Double-blossomed_ 5.
Double-blossomed Plum 6. _Gelbe Reneclode Mit Gefullter Bluthe_
8. _Prune à Fleurs Doubles_ 8. Prunier à fleurs semi-double
8. Prunier à fleur semi-double 1, 7. Prune à Fleurs Doubles
2. _Prunier à fleur semi-double_ 4. _Prune Semi-double_ 4.
_Prune à fleurs semi-double_ 4. _Reine-Claude Semi-Double_ 8.
_Reine-Claude à fleur semi-double_ 4. _Reine-Claude à Fleurs
Semi-double_ 5, 9. _Reine-Claude mit Halbgefullter Bluthe_ 9.
_Semi-double flowering Reine Claude_ 4.

This is an ornamental variety of the Reine Claude type first noted by Duhamel in 1768. It was probably well known in Europe at this time for a little later it was mentioned by Knoop of Holland and Kraft of Austria. Duhamel described two varieties; one with small fruit which was insipid when over-ripe, and the other large and of good flavor. In 1846, Poiteau thought the latter was probably identical with a variety growing at Luxembourg but he did not think the former was extant. In the third edition of the London Horticultural Society’s catalog, yellow and purple forms were mentioned, showing that the variety has been represented by more than one type. It is worthy of note that the double blossoms, except in strong soils, are apt to degenerate and become single. The following description is compiled.

Tree irregular and spreading, unproductive; branches brown
on the shaded side and blood-red on the sunny side; flowers
large, semi-double, with from twelve to eighteen petals; fruit
mid-season; large, spherical; suture shallow, sometimes a line;
flesh greenish-yellow, tender, soft, juicy, sweet, agreeably
aromatic; clingstone.

DOWNING

_Prunus munsoniana_

=1.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 287, 1887. =2.= _Ibid._ 275, 448.
1893. =3.= _Ibid._ 334. 1894. =4.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =63=:24,
30. 1897. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1897. =6.= _Waugh Plum
Cult._ 185. 1901. =7.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =87=:12. 1901. =8.=
_Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:269. 1900. =9.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 445.
1903. =10.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:247 fig., 254, 255. 1905.
=11.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._ =93=:15. 1905.

Charles Downing 1, 2, 3, 4, 7. _Charles Downing_ 5, 6, 8, 11.

Downing is one of the best varieties of its species. The trees are large, usually productive, not often sterile as are some of its near of kin sorts and for a southern plum the variety is remarkably hardy, never having suffered in Geneva from cold. The only fault that can be found with the tree is that the foliage is quite susceptible to the shot-hole fungus. The fruit is particularly attractive with its bright, solid, garnet-red skin, golden flesh and sweet, pleasant flavor. Unfortunately the flesh is a little too fibrous and clings too tenaciously to the stone for pleasant eating. Downing adds a pleasing variety to any collection of plums and in some regions ought to sell with profit to the grower for the markets.

H. A. Terry of Crescent, Iowa, grew Downing from seed of the Wild Goose, which the originator thinks was fertilized by some Americana variety. The Downing, however, shows no traces of Americana parentage. It is reported as originating in 1882 and first fruiting in 1885. The American Pomological Society placed this variety on its fruit catalog list in 1897.

Tree large, spreading, flat-topped, hardy in New York, variable
in productiveness; branches rough, dark gray, with a few large
lenticels; branchlets slender, with very short internodes,
greenish-red changing to dull reddish-brown, glossy, somewhat
pubescent, with numerous, small, slightly raised lenticels;
leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed.

Leaves folded upward, broadly lanceolate, peach-like, one and
three-eighths inches wide, three inches long, thin; upper
surface reddish late in the fall, smooth, glabrous, with
deeply grooved midrib; lower surface glabrous except along
the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, margin very
finely serrate, eglandular or sometimes with small dark glands;
petiole thirteen-sixteenths inch long, slender, tinged with
red, pubescent along one side, glandless or with from one to
five small, globose, yellowish-red glands usually on the stalk.

Blooming season medium to late, long; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one and one-sixteenth inches across, the buds
yellow-tipped changing to white when expanded, with a strong,
disagreeable odor; borne in dense clusters on lateral buds
and spurs, in threes; pedicels eleven-sixteenths inch in
length, very slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green,
obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes below medium in width, acute,
finely pubescent on the inner surface only, somewhat reflexed,
glandular-serrate, the glands numerous and dark colored;
petals oval, narrow, long, crenate, tapering beneath to long,
narrow claws; anthers pale yellow, with a faint reddish tinge;
filaments seven-sixteenths inch in length; pistil slender,
glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; about one and
one-eighth inches in diameter, rather large for its class,
roundish-ovate, not compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow,
narrow, flaring; suture very shallow and obscure; apex roundish
or slightly conical; color garnet-red, with thin bloom; dots
numerous, variable in size, grayish-yellow, conspicuous,
clustered around the apex; stem slender, about three-eighths
inch in length, glabrous, parting readily from the fruit;
skin thin, slightly astringent, adhering but little; flesh
golden-yellow, juicy, coarse, fibrous, tender and somewhat
melting, very sweet next the skin but tart toward the center,
aromatic; good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by one-half
inch in size, oval, somewhat oblique, turgid, roughish; ventral
suture narrow, strongly winged; dorsal suture acute, unfurrowed.

DRAP D’OR

_Prunus insititia_

=1.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ =2=:69. 1699. =2.= Langley _Pomona_
94, 97, Pl. 24 fig. 5. 1729. =3.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._
=2=:96. 1768. =4.= Knoop _Fructologie_ 57. 1771. =5.= Coxe
_Cult. Fr. Trees_ 233 fig. 2. 1817. =6.= _Lond. Hort. Soc.
Cat._ 146. 1831. =7.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:75. 1832. 8. Kenrick
_Am. Orch._ 261. 1832. 9. _Mag. Hort._ =9=:163. 1843. 10.
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 274. 1845. =11.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._
=1=:1846. =12.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 297, 383.
1846. =13.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 516. 1859. =14.= Hogg _Fruit
Man._ 359, 371, 387. 1866. 15. _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 12. 1871.
=16.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875. =17.= _Cat. Cong. Pom.
France_ 350. 1887. =18.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 428. 1889. =19.=
_Guide Prat._ 153, 359. 1895. =20.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France
Pom._ 538 fig. 1904. =21.= Baltet _Cult. Fr._ 489, 503. 1908.

_Cloth of Gold_ 2, 5, 7, 12, 14, 18, 19. _Cloth of Gold Plum_
15. _Damas Jaune_ 15, 18, 19. Doppelte Mirabelle 18. Drap
d’Or 1, 2. _Drap d’Or Pflaume_ 15. _Drap d’Or_ 7, 15, 18,
19, 20, 21. _Double Drap d’Or_ 17. _Double Mirabelle_ 17.
_Glauzende gelbe Mirabelle_ 15. _Glänzende Gelbe Mirabelle_
18, 19. _Gold Pflaume_ 18. _Goldfarbige Pflaume_ 15, 18, 19.
_Goldstoff_ 18. _Goldzeng_ 18. _Grosse Mirabelle_ ?7, 15,
18, 19, 21. Grosse Mirabelle 8, 21. _Grosse Mirabelle Drap
d’Or_ 18, 19. _Mirabelle_ 15, 17. Mirabelle Double 19, 21.
_Mirabelle Double_ 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 18. _Mirabelle
Double de Metz_ 20. _Mirabelle de Nancy_ 19, 21. Mirabelle de
Nancy 14, 18. _Mirabelle Drap d’Or_ 15, 18, 19. Mirabellen 15.
_Mirabelle grosse double de Metz_ 15, 18, 19. _Mirabelle Grosse
de Nancy_ 20. Mirabelle Grosse 15, 17, 20, 21. _Mirabelle la
grosse_ 7, 15, 18, 19. _Mirabelle Grosse_ 6, ?7, 10, 13, 14,
15, 19. _Mirabelle Perlée_ 15, 18, 19. _Mirabelle von Metz_
15. _Perdrigon Hâtif_ 15, 20, of some 17, 18, 19. _Perdrigon
Jaune_ 20. Yellow Damask ?14. _Yellow Damask_ 14, 18. _Yellow
Gage_ of some 5, 7. _Yellow Perdrigon_ 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18,
19.

Drap d’Or represents a type of the plum hardly known in America but very popular in continental Europe and most popular of all plums in France, the chief plum-growing country of the Old World. It is probable that the division of _Prunus insititia_ represented by Drap d’Or, the Mirabelle plums, will thrive in America as well as the commonly grown Damsons of the same species. These plums certainly deserve to be far more generally planted than they now are. It is certain from the behavior of the few trees of the Mirabelle group now growing in New York that they have very decided merit. Drap d’Or is probably not the best of the yellow, sweet Insititias but it is at least well worth trial.

According to _Pomologie De La France_, this variety was cited by Merlet in 1675 and is of old and uncertain origin. Merlet placed the Mirabelle and the Drap d’Or in the Damas class, but Poiteau thought that the latter was probably a cross between Reine Claude and Mirabelle since it resembled the former in quality and shape and the latter in color and size. Yellow Damask, Mirabelle de Nancy, Yellow Perdrigon, Gross Mirabelle and others have proved to be identical with the Drap d’Or as tested in Europe. Whether all of the other synonyms mentioned are the true Drap d’Or is a question; their number indicates that there are many variations in this type of the plum. The American Pomological Society placed Drap d’Or in its catalog list in 1875 and withdrew it in 1899.

Tree small, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive;
branches ash-gray, with a brownish tinge, smooth, with very
few, small lenticels; branchlets of average thickness and
length, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, sparingly
pubescent throughout the entire season, with few, obscure,
small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and length, conical,
appressed.

Leaves folded upward, oval, one and one-fourth inches wide, two
and one-half inches long; upper surface slightly roughened,
covered with numerous hairs, the midrib grooved; lower surface
silvery-green, pubescent; apex pointed or acute, base abrupt,
margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark
glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged red,
glandless or with from one to three globose, greenish-yellow
glands usually on the stalk.