Chapter III: Leading Varieties of Plums (8)

Leaves falling early, folded upward, broadly lanceolate,
peach-like, one and three-quarters inches wide, four and
one-half inches long; upper surface light green, changing
to a dull red late in the fall, glossy, glabrous, with a
narrowly grooved midrib and veins; lower surface silvery-green,
thinly pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base rather abrupt;
margin with serrations in two series, with very small, black
glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, tinged with dull red,
hairy, with from one to four globose, rather large, dark
brownish-yellow glands.

Blooming season late and of medium length; flowers appearing
after the leaves, one inch across, yellowish as the buds begin
to open, changing to white, with a disagreeable odor; borne in
clusters on lateral spurs and buds, varying from two to four
flowers in a cluster; pedicels five-eighths inch long, slender,
glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, narrowly campanulate,
glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, slightly obtuse, nearly glabrous
on the outer surface, but pubescent within, serrate, with
dark colored glands and marginal hairs, reflexed; petals
oval or ovate, with long, tapering claws of medium width,
sparingly hairy at the base; anthers yellowish; filaments
seven-sixteenths inch in length; pistil glabrous, slender,
shorter than the stamens.

Fruit late, ripening period short; below medium in size, ovate
or roundish-ovate, halves equal; cavity shallow, rather wide,
rounded, flaring; suture a distinct line; apex roundish or
slightly pointed; colors some time before fully ripe becoming
dark carmine, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous, small
to medium, light brown, clustered about the apex; stem rather
slender, glabrous, parting readily; skin thick, tough,
astringent, semi-adherent, removing a thin layer of pulp when
detached; flesh deep yellow, juicy, coarse, fibrous, nearly
melting next to the skin, becoming firmer toward the center,
sweet at first but astringent near the pit, with a strong
flavor; inferior in quality; stone adhering, of medium size,
oval, turgid, bluntly pointed at the base and apex, with
slightly roughened surfaces; ventral suture acute, ridged;
dorsal suture a narrow, shallow groove.

MARIANNA

_Prunus cerasifera_ × ?

=1.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 28. 1886. =2.= _Gard. Mon._
=29=:148. 1887. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1889. =4.= _Neb.
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 56. 1889. =5.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 63.
1890. =6.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:66, fig., 71, 83, 86. 1892.
=7.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =32=:479, 480 fig. 1894. =8.= _Rev.
Hort._ 278. 1894. =9.= _Rural N. Y._ =54=:600. 1895. =10.=
_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =152=:210. 1898. =11.= Bailey _Ev. Nat.
Fruits_ 208, 213. 1898. =12.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =13=:336-369.
1900. =13.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 36, 232. 1901. =14.= _Ga. Sta.
Bul._ =67=:277. 1904. =15.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._ =93=:67. 1905.

Marianna has little or no value for its fruit. It is illustrated and discussed at length in _The Plums of New York_ for two reasons. First, because it has long been an enigma which has baffled both horticulturists and botanists; second, because it is extensively used as a stock upon which other kinds of plums are propagated. In 1884, a plum of unknown species was introduced to the trade. Some said the new variety belonged to _Prunus cerasifera_ and others that it was an offspring of some native species. The characters of the first named species are so apparent in Marianna that all are now agreed that this variety is from either a self or a cross-fertilized seed of _Prunus cerasifera_; if the latter the other parent must have been some native species, the particular variety possibly being Wild Goose, one of the Munsoniana plums. Its behavior on these grounds, its robustness and semi-sterility and its not fitting exactly into any known species, mark it as a hybrid. A curious character peculiar to this variety is that it grows very readily from cuttings and for this reason it is a cheap stock for plums of all kinds and is used even for peaches and apricots. Besides rooting readily, the Marianna does not sprout and may be budded as late or later than the peach. It is chiefly used in propagation in the South, but, for reasons stated in the discussion of stocks in Chapter II, the Marianna is not now employed by nurserymen as largely as formerly, though there are still conditions in which it is the best of stocks. The tree is a handsome ornamental at any season of the year and its broad, spreading top makes it a good shade tree.

Marianna originated as a seedling in a mixed orchard belonging to Charles G. Fitze, Marianna, Polk County, Texas; its parentage is unknown. The originator considered it a seedling of Wild Goose, but, it is probably an offspring of DeCaradeuc and, as stated in the foregoing paragraph, undoubtedly a hybrid. In 1884, Charles N. Eley, Smith Point, Texas, introduced the Marianna to fruit-growers; in 1889 it was placed on the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological Society.

Tree large, vigorous, broad, spreading, open and flat-topped,
hardy, unproductive, comparatively free from insects or
diseases; trunk rough; branches numerous, usually smooth,
but sometimes roughened by the cracking of the bark, thorny,
dark ash-gray, with numerous, very large, raised lenticels;
branchlets slender, twiggy, with internodes of medium length,
green changing to dull reddish-brown, with gray scarf-skin,
glabrous, with conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds
very small and short, obtuse, appressed.

Leaves folded upward, elongated-oval, one and one-eighth
inches wide, two and five-eighths inches long, thin; upper
surface smooth, glabrous, with a shallow groove on the midrib;
lower surface pale green, lightly pubescent along the midrib
and larger veins; apex and base acute, margin very finely
serrate, with small, black or amber glands; petiole slender,
three-quarters inch long, pubescent along one side, usually
tinged red, glandless or with from one to three very small,
globose, greenish-brown glands variable in position.

Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing after the leaves, three-quarters inch across, white;
borne in clusters on lateral spurs, in twos or in threes;
pedicels three-eighths inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute,
sparingly pubescent, ciliate, erect; petals very small,
separated from each other, broadly oval, entire, tapering to
narrow claws; anthers yellowish; filaments three-sixteenths
inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit early, season of medium length; one and one-eighth
inches or more in diameter, oval or roundish-oval, often not
compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt,
regular; suture a line; apex roundish or blunt-pointed; color
bright, light red changing to darker red, overspread with
thin bloom; dots numerous, small, light russet, conspicuous,
clustered about the apex; stem slender, five-eighths inch
long, glabrous; skin tough, bitter, inclined to crack under
unfavorable conditions, parts readily; flesh yellow, tinged
red under the skin and next to the stone, unusually juicy,
fibrous, watery and melting, sweet next to the skin, but acid
near the pit, sprightly; inferior in quality; stone clinging,
three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, elongated-oval,
blunt-pointed, surfaces pitted; ventral suture blunt, wide,
slightly ridged; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.

MARU

_Prunus triflora_

=1.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 29. 1886. =2.= _Ibid._ 53, 99.
1889. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 105, 106. 1891. =4.= _Rev.
Hort._ 515. 1891. =5.= _Ibid._ 278. 1894. =6.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =62=:26. 1894. =7.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =32=:489. 1899.
=8.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =106=:57. 1896. =9.= _Rural N. Y._
=56=:615. 1897. =10.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =175=:143. 1899.
=11.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:242, 249. 1899. =12.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 138. 1901. =13.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =68=:9, 31. 1905.

Maru is much in evidence in plum literature, the concensus of opinion being that it is little short of worthless. Its quality is not high and it comes in season about with Abundance which surpasses it in nearly all characters. The variety was introduced by Luther Burbank and is said to have been imported by him about 1885. In Japan this name is applied to any round plum, but so far in America it has been restricted to this variety.

Tree large, lacking in vigor, broad-vasiform, dense-topped,
unproductive, somewhat susceptible to attacks of shot-hole
fungus; trunk and branches rough; branchlets twiggy, marked
with thin, russety scarf-skin, glabrous, with large, prominent
lenticels; leaves folded upward, oblanceolate, peach-like,
thin, one and three-eighths inches wide, three inches long;
upper surface yellowish-green late in the season; margin very
finely serrate, with small glands; petiole with from one to six
glands usually on the stalk; blooming season early; flowers
appearing after the leaves, three-quarters inch across; borne
in clusters on lateral spurs, in threes or fours; pistil longer
than the stamens.

Fruit early, about one and one-quarter inches in diameter,
roundish-cordate, dull red, with medium thick bloom; flesh deep
yellow, tender and melting, sweet next the skin, but slightly
astringent near the pit; poor in quality; stone clinging,
five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval or roundish,
turgid, with rough surfaces.

MAYNARD

_Prunus triflora_ × _Prunus simonii_

=1.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:226. 1899. =2.= _Nat. Nur._
=11=:5. 1903. =3.= _Oregon Nur. Cat._ 24. 1903. =4.= _Can.
Hort._ =28=:285. 1905.

The habit of the tree of Maynard is commendable and the plums are very acceptable to those who care for the Triflora fruits. The season follows Climax, a period when there is a dearth of Triflora plums. Maynard has been so widely advertised that it is hardly necessary to say that it is worthy of trial. The variety was first fruited in 1897 by Burbank after which it was tested by him for five years and was then sold to the Oregon Nursery Company by whom it was introduced in 1903. It was named by the originator in honor of Professor T. S. Maynard, then in charge of horticulture in the Massachusetts Agricultural College.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, open-topped, productive;
branchlets thick, dark chestnut-red; leaves obovate, one and
one-half inches wide, three and one-half inches long, thin;
margin finely serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole
slender, glandless or with one or two small glands usually at
the base of the leaf.

Fruit early; about one and three-eighths inches in diameter,
roundish-truncate, dark red, changing to purplish-black,
overspread with thick bloom; flesh reddish, with a tinge
of yellow near the pit, fibrous, tender and melting,
sweet, aromatic; good to very good; stone semi-clinging,
three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, broadly oval,
turgid, blunt at the base and apex, with pitted surfaces;
ventral suture prominent, with deep furrows and with a narrow,
blunt wing; dorsal suture acute or with an indistinct groove.

McLAUGHLIN

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:195 fig. 54. 1846. =2.= Cole _Am. Fr.
Book_ 209 fig. 1849. =3.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 332. 1849.
=4.= _Mag. Hort._ =16=:456, 457 fig. 28. 1850. =5.= Hovey _Fr.
Am._ =2=:47, Pl. 1851. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 36, 55. 1852.
=7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 231. 1854. =8.= _Cultivator_ =6=:52
fig. 1858. =9.= _Flor. & Pom._ 200. 1870. =10.= Mas _Le Verger_
=6=:137, fig. 69. 1866-73. =11.= _Am. Gard._ =14=:299 fig.
1893. =12.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ 97, Col. Pl. 95. 1894.
=13.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:189. 1897. =14.= _Mich. Sta.
Bul._ =169=:242, 246. 1899. =15.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 115, 116
fig. 1901. =16.= _Va. Sta. Bul._ =134=:43. 1902. =17.= _Mass.
Sta. An. Rpt._ =17=:159. 1905.

M’Laughlin 2. McLaughlin’s Gage Plum 9. MacLaughlin 12.
_MacLanglin_ 12.

McLaughlin stands well up with the best of plums in quality and when well grown is very attractive in appearance. Its flesh is sweet and yet not so sweet as to cloy the appetite; in flavor it is rich and delicate and while somewhat like that of Reine Claude, is different, so that the variety has a taste quite of its own; though the juice is abundant, the flesh is not watery; the texture is neither too coarse nor too fine, too fibrous nor too mealy, but in a fruit rightly matured is most pleasantly melting. There are few other plums in which the characters pleasing to the taste exist in such nice proportions. McLaughlin is a little smaller than some other plums of its group, but is quite large enough for a dessert plum. Unless at its best, it is not as attractive in color as Jefferson, Washington, Reine Claude and some others of its type, but at its very best, it is unsurpassed by any other plum in coloring; it has in perfection the delicate yellow skin which belongs to the Reine Claudes upon which is marbled tints of white, yellow and crimson, the blending of which the illustration shows but poorly. The fruit of McLaughlin has its imperfections, however. The flesh clings tenaciously to the stone, is too melting to keep or ship well and rots badly on the tree. These defects debar the variety in America, with present market demands, from commercial plantations. The tree is above the average in size and vigor and is as hardy as any, more so than most of the Reine Claude varieties. It comes in bearing early and is rather productive. The place for this plum, from the summary of its characters, is apparent at once—in the home orchard and in the collection of the fruit connoisseur.

McLaughlin was raised by James McLaughlin of Bangor, Maine, first fruiting about 1840. The parentage of the variety is disputed, but no one doubts that it contains Reine Claude blood, though the tree is too vigorous to have been raised from the Reine Claude self-pollinated. Judging from the tree-characters, it may have sprung from the Washington or Imperial Gage fertilized by the Reine Claude. The American Pomological Society, in 1852, placed the McLaughlin with the plums that promised well, and at the next meeting added it to the recommended list.

Tree of medium size, variable in vigor, spreading, open-topped,
hardy, medium to productive; branches stocky, ash-gray, smooth,
with small, indistinct lenticels; branchlets few, thick, short,
with short internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-drab,
lightly pubescent, with numerous, small lenticels; leaf-buds
above medium in size, long, pointed, appressed; leaf-scars
swollen.

Leaves oval, two inches wide, three and one-half inches long,
thick; upper surface dark green, glossy, covered with fine
hairs; lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex abruptly
pointed, base acute, margin crenate, with small, black glands;
petiole five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, tinged red,
with one or two small, globose, yellowish glands usually at the
base of the leaf.

Season of bloom intermediate, short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, fifteen-sixteenths inch across, white, with yellow
tinge near the apex of the petals; borne on lateral spurs and
buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long, thick,
very pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, pubescent;
calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, sparingly pubescent on both
surfaces, glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs, reflexed;
petals obovate, crenate, tapering below to short, broad claws;
anthers yellowish; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil
glabrous except at the ovary, longer than the stamens.

Fruit early, season short; one and five-eighths inches by one
and seven-eighths inches in size, roundish-oblate, compressed,
halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow;
apex flattened or depressed; color greenish-yellow, blushed and
mottled with red, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous,
small, light colored; stem thick, three-quarters inch long,
pubescent, adhering well to the fruit, surrounded at the cavity
by a fleshy ring; skin tough, slightly adhering; flesh light
yellow, juicy, sweet, mild and pleasant; very good; stone
clinging, one inch by three-quarters inch in size, irregular
broad-oval, very blunt at the base and apex, heavily wrinkled
and deeply pitted; ventral suture narrow, distinctly furrowed,
winged; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.

MIDDLEBURG

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =31=:60. 1886. =2.= _Mich.
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 288. 1889. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:189.
1897. =4.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ 119. 1898. =5.= _Mich.
Sta. Bul._ =169=:242, 246. 1899. _Ibid._ =187=:77, 79. 1901.

Middleburgh 1.

It is somewhat remarkable that so good a plum as Middleburg should have so long escaped the attention of fruit-growers and even of pomologists. Not even Downing has recorded it, though he lived not more than a hundred miles from the place of its origin, which must have taken place in his time. The fruits may be surpassed somewhat by other purple plums in appearance but few of them are better in quality, either for dessert or for cooking. It is especially valuable too, because it ripens late, hangs well to the tree and ships and keeps well, in the latter respect equalling the best of the prunes. Out of a collection of about three hundred sorts on the Station grounds, this would undoubtedly be chosen as the favorite purple plum of its season. The trees, while of only medium size, are robust, healthy, hardy and usually productive. In Schoharie County, eastern New York, where this variety originated and has long been grown, black-knot is usually epidemic and Middleburg and Palatine are said to be the sorts most free from the disease—so free that neither is much troubled by it. From its behavior here it is certain that, belying the looks of either fruit or tree, Middleburg will improve upon acquaintance and that when well known it will be wanted in home collections at least and more than likely some commercial fruit-growers will find it profitable.

Middleburg came from Middleburg, Schoharie County, New York, where it was found as a chance seedling. Mr. S. D. Willard, of Geneva, first called attention to the variety in 1886 at a meeting of the Western New York Horticultural Society. Its origin is much older than the date given, as it has been extensively grown in Schoharie County for a half-century or more.

Tree above medium in size, vigorous, round and open-topped
hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth, with small
lenticels; branchlets of medium thickness and length, with
long internodes, greenish-red, changing to brownish-red,
overspread with light bloom, dull, somewhat pubescent, with
few, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size
and length, pointed, appressed.

Leaves folded upward, oval, one and one-half inches wide, three
and one-half inches long, rather thick, stiff; upper surface
dark green, sparingly pubescent on the grooved midrib and
larger veins; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex
and base acute, margin doubly serrate, with a few, small,
dark glands; petiole eleven-sixteenths inch long, pubescent,
tinged red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose,
greenish-brown glands on the stalk or base of the leaf.

Blooming season early to medium, short; flowers appearing
after the leaves, one inch across, white, borne in
scattering clusters on lateral spurs, singly or in pairs;
pedicels three-quarters inch long, overspread with fine,
short pubescence, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate,
pubescent at the base; calyx-lobes obtuse, thinly pubescent
on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed;
petals roundish or obovate, entire, with short, abrupt claws;
anthers yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil
glabrous, equal to the stamens in length, with a large,
pubescent ovary.

Fruit very late, season long; one and five-eighths inches by
one and one-half inches in size, distinctly oval, compressed,
halves equal; cavity very shallow, narrow, flattened; suture
usually lacking; apex roundish; color varies from light to
deep purplish-red, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous,
small, russet, inconspicuous; stem one inch long, thinly
pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, slightly
sour, separating readily; flesh light yellow, rather juicy,
somewhat coarse, firm, sprightly when first mature, becoming
sweetish, strongly aromatic, pleasant flavored; very good;
stone semi-free or free, one inch by five-eighths inch in size,
irregular-oval, with pitted surfaces, slightly acute at the
base and apex; ventral suture narrow, winged, faintly ridged;
dorsal suture acute or with a shallow, narrow groove.

MILLER SUPERB

_Prunus domestica_

Of the two hundred and more varieties of plums which have fruited on the Station grounds, Miller Superb is one of the finest for dessert. The variety is of the Reine Claude group and is fully up with the best of these plums—all noted for high quality. In size and appearance, the plums resemble those of the well-known Bavay though usually larger. This plum originated with Colonel Charles Miller of Geneva, New York, when, is not known. About 1889, M. F. Pierson of Stanley, New York, secured cions of the plum from Colonel Miller and named the variety Miller Superb. It has never been introduced and is grown locally only to a very limited extent. Its large size, productiveness and superior quality should recommend it strongly for more general cultivation.

Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped,
productive; branches rough as they approach the rough trunk;
leaf-scars enlarged; leaves flattened, oval, two inches wide,
three and three-quarters inches long; margin serrate or
crenate, with few, small, dark glands; petiole long, thick,
reddish, pubescent, with from one to three glands usually
at the base of the leaf; blooming season of medium length;
flowers appearing after the leaves, one inch or more across,
white with yellowish tinge; borne on lateral buds and spurs,
singly or in pairs.

Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; one
and three-quarters inches by one and five-eighths inches in
size, roundish-oval or roundish-ovate, golden-yellow, mottled
and splashed with green and sometimes with a blush on the
exposed cheek, overspread with thin bloom; dots conspicuous;
flesh light golden-yellow, juicy, firm but tender, sweet,
pleasant in flavor; very good; stone clinging or semi-clinging,
one inch by five-eighths inch in size, ovate or oval, somewhat
flattened, usually winged; dorsal suture grooved.

MILTON

_Prunus munsoniana_ × ?

=1.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 287. 1887. =2.= _Ibid._ 393. 1892.
=3.= _Ibid._ 334. 1894. =4.= _Neb. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 201. 1897.
=5.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =63=:24, 48. 1897. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Cat._ 40. 1899. =7.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:280. 1900. =8.= _Ala.
Col. Sta. Bul._ =112=:178. 1900. =9.= Terry _Cat._ 6. 1900.
=10.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 187. 1901. =11.= _Can. Exp. Farm.
Bul._ =43=:31. 1903. =12.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 445. 1903.
=13.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =67=:277. 1904. =14.= _Miss. Sta. Bul._
=93=:15. 1905. =15.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:256, 257. 1905.
=16.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 420. 1905.

The special merits of Milton, as compared with other native varieties, are that it blooms late and ripens early. It thus escapes frosts, when, for example, its parent, Wild Goose, might be injured; and its early ripening prolongs the season for native plums. The fruits are large, of very good quality, though a little too juicy for pleasant eating or to ship well, very attractive in appearance, and, more important than all else for the regions in which it is likely to be grown, it is comparatively free from rot. Unfortunately, the flesh clings most tenaciously to the stone even after cooking. In its fruit-characters, Milton strongly resembles one of the Mineri plums, but the tree is very much like that of Wild Goose, its known parent. In New York, Milton is one of the best of the native plums but it is hardly so considered in the Middle West, where these plums are most grown, judging from the discussions of it in the references given above.

Milton, a seedling of Wild Goose grown by H. A. Terry, Crescent, Iowa, first fruited in 1885. The originator believed that the other parent was an Americana, but from the characters of the tree it was more likely one of the Mineri plums. The American Pomological society added Milton to its fruit catalog list in 1899.

Tree of medium size and vigor, round and dense-topped,
symmetrical, hardy at Geneva, productive, healthy; branches
brash, rough, thorny, dark brownish-gray, with numerous,
large, narrow and much elongated lenticels; branchlets very
slender, willowy, medium to long, with internodes of average
length, greenish-red, changing to dull reddish-brown, thinly
pubescent, with numerous, conspicuous, small, slightly raised
lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, free.

Leaves folded upward, broadly lanceolate or oblanceolate,
peach-like, one inch wide, three inches long, thin; upper
surface smooth, with a grooved midrib; lower surface thinly
pubescent on the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed;
base slightly acute, margin serrate or crenate, with numerous,
minute, dark glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long,
slender, reddish, lightly pubescent, glandless or with from one
to four small, globose, yellowish-brown glands usually on the
stalk.

Blooming season late and long; flowers appearing after the
leaves, three-quarters inch across, the buds creamy when
opening, changing to white, odor disagreeable; borne in thin
clusters on lateral spurs and buds, singly, in pairs, or in
threes; pedicels three-quarters inch long, very slender,
glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous;
calyx-lobes narrow, slightly obtuse, pubescent within, with
dark colored glands and marginal hairs, erect; petals oval,
entire or deeply indented, tapering below to long, narrow claws
margined with few scattering hairs near the base; anthers
yellow with a faint trace of red; filaments five-sixteenths
inch long; pistil slender, glabrous, equal to the stamens in
length.

Fruit very early, season short; one and three-sixteenths
inches by one inch in size, oval, slightly compressed, halves
equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt, regular; suture a
distinct line; apex roundish or slightly pointed; color dark
red, covered with thin bloom; dots very numerous, medium to
large, russet, conspicuous; stem slender, seven-eighths inch
long, adhering fairly well to the fruit; skin thin, tough,
astringent, separating readily; flesh yellowish, the juice
given off readily leaving a tough, fibrous pulp, sweet next
the skin, but rather acid at the center, of pleasant flavor;
fair to good; stone adhering, three-quarters inch by one-half
inch in size, long-oval, slightly elongated at the base and
apex, somewhat flattened, surface broken into irregular ridges;
ventral suture blunt, faintly ridged; dorsal suture a narrow,
shallow groove.

MINER

_Prunus hortulana mineri_

=1.= _Horticulturist_ =22=:332. 1867. =2.= _Am. Jour. Hort._
=5=:145. 1869. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 931. 1869. =4.=
_Ia. Agr. Soc. Rpt._ 332. 1871. =5.= _Gard. Mon._ =13=:347,
348. 1871. =6.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 152. 1873. =7.= _Ibid._
90. 1874. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875. =9.= _Minn.
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 81. 1882. =10.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:55,
56, 58, 81, 86. 1892. =11.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:54. 1895.
=12.= _Guide Prat._ 163, 359. 1895. =13.= _Vt. Sta. An. Rpt._
=10=:99, 103. 1897. =14.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 491. 1897.
=15.= _Colo. Sta. Bul._ =50=:41. 1898. =16.= Waugh _Plum Cult._
173. 1901. =17.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 208. 1901. =18.= _Ga.
Sta. Bul._ =67=:278. 1904. =19.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._ =93=:25, 57
fig. 1905.

_Chicasaw Chief_ 4, 10, 14. _General Jackson_ 4, 10, 14.
_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

_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.