Chapter III: Leading Varieties of Plums (11)

For a complete history of this variety the reader is referred to the discussion of the Reine Claude group of plums. The Bavay, a distinct variety, is called the true Reine Claude by many nurserymen and horticultural writers. Green Gage is a synonym of the Reine Claude and is preferred by some writers for this plum but since “Reine Claude” is as well known and much older it has been retained in _The Plums of New York_. The American Pomological Society placed this variety on its fruit catalog list in 1852.

Tree of medium size and vigor, round-topped, hardy, productive;
trunk and branches of medium thickness and smoothness; branches
ash-brown, with few lenticels; branchlets short, with short
internodes, reddish-brown, lightly pubescent; leaf-buds large,
long, conical or pointed, free; leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves four and one-half inches long, two inches wide, oval,
thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth, covered with
fine, scattering hairs; lower surface pale green, pubescent;
apex acute, margin often doubly crenate, glandular; petiole
three-quarters inch long, tinged red, glandless or with one or
two small, globose, greenish glands variable in position.

Fruit mid-season; one and three-quarters inches by one and
five-eighths inches in size, roundish-oval, halves equal;
cavity narrow, regular, abrupt; suture shallow, broad; apex
pubescent, roundish or slightly depressed; color yellowish
green, indistinctly streaked with green, becoming golden-yellow
at full maturity, sometimes mottled on the sunny side with
red, overspread with thin bloom; dots very numerous, small,
grayish, conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem thick,
three-quarters inch long, pubescent; skin tough, adhering
to the pulp; flesh greenish-yellow or golden-yellow, juicy,
firm, sweet, mild; very good; stone semi-clinging, one inch
by three-quarters inch in size, oval, turgid, tapering at the
base, blunt at the apex, with thickly pitted surfaces; ventral
suture wide, distinctly furrowed, often with a short wing;
dorsal suture with a very wide and deep groove.

ROBINSON

_Prunus munsoniana_

=1.= _Ind. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 134. 1883. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Rpt._ 151. 1891. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:64, 86. 1892.
=4.= _Me. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:67. 1896. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Rpt._ 89. 1897. =6.= _Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 137. 1899. =7.=
_Wis. Sta. Bul._ =87=:15. 1901. =8.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 199.
1901. =9.= _Kan. Sta. Bul._ =101=:131. 1901. =10.= _Ga. Sta.
Bul._ =67=:280. 1904. =11.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:256, 257.
1905.

Robinson has long been one of the best known of its species though it is probably inferior in fruit-characters at least to several other Munsoniana sorts. The plums are attractive in coloring but small in size and comparatively low in quality. The trees are capricious in growth and not as hardy as some others of the species but where they can be grown are always productive. The variety is rated by some authors among those that need cross-pollination to insure large crops. Robinson may be worth growing in the South and in the States of the Plains but it cannot be recommended for any purpose in New York.

This variety is a seedling grown by a Mr. Pickett of Putnam County, Indiana, from a seed brought with him from North Carolina about 1835. In 1879, Dr. J. H. Robinson read a paper before the Indiana Horticultural Society on Chicasaw plums, and gave a very flattering description of this plum, which he had been growing since 1872. Later it was named by the Putnam County Horticultural Society in honor of Dr. Robinson. This name was used as a synonym of Miner by Downing in 1869 but at the present time that usage has almost disappeared in plum literature.

Tree variable in size, often large, vigorous, spreading, not
uniform in habit, somewhat open and flat-topped, hardy, medium
to productive; trunk shaggy; branches very rough, zigzag,
thorny, dark ash-gray, with numerous, large, narrow and
strongly elongated, raised lenticels; branchlets slender to
medium, with internodes medium to below in length, greenish-red
changing to dull, dark chestnut-red, glabrous, with numerous
very conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small,
short, obtuse, free.

Leaves folded upward, lanceolate, peach-like, one and
five-sixteenths inches wide, three and one-half inches long,
thin; upper surface dark green, glabrous, with deeply grooved
midrib; lower surface glabrous except along the midrib and
larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base obtuse, margin very
finely serrate, with small, dark red glands; petiole slender,
five-eighths inch long, reddish, lightly pubescent along one
side, glandless or with from one to seven small, globose,
reddish-brown glands on the stalk and on the base of the leaf.

Blooming season medium to late, long; flowers appearing
with the leaves, eleven-sixteenths inch across, whitish,
somewhat self-fertile; borne in clusters on lateral buds and
spurs, in twos, threes or fours; pedicels seven-sixteenths
inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green,
narrow-campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, slightly
obtuse, glandular, pubescent and with marginal hairs, erect;
petals ovate or oval, small, narrow, slightly crenate, tapering
below to long, narrow claws; anthers yellowish; filaments
one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, slightly shorter than
or equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit early, season very long; less than an inch in diameter,
roundish or roundish-oval, halves equal; cavity of medium
depth and width, abrupt; suture a line; apex roundish;
color clear currant-red, overspread with thick bloom; dots
scattering, large, russet, conspicuous, clustered around the
apex; stem slender, five-eighths inch long, glabrous, adhering
to the fruit; skin tough, bitter, separating readily; flesh
golden-yellow, very juicy, somewhat fibrous, tender and
melting, sweet next the skin, with some astringency near the
center, of mild but pleasant flavor; fair in quality; stone
clinging, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size,
oval, turgid, very slightly flattened and necked at the base,
abrupt-pointed at the apex, roughish; ventral suture blunt,
slightly ridged; dorsal suture with a rather broad groove of
medium depth.

ROLLINGSTONE

_Prunus americana_

=1.= _Rural N. Y._ =44=:645. 1885. =2.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._
279. 1885. =3.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 186. 1885. =4.= _Wis.
Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 32. 1885. =5.= _Minn. Sta. Bul._ =10=:73 fig.
1890. =6.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =38=:41, 86. 1892. =7.= _Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1897. =8.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =63=:56, 58
fig. 28. 1897. =9.= _Colo. Sta. Bul._ =50=:45. 1898. =10.=
_Ohio. Sta. Bul._ =113=:153. 1899. =11.= Waugh _Plum Cult._
162. 1901. =12.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =67=:280. 1904. =13.= _Ohio
Sta. Bul._ =162=:256, 257. 1905.

_Minnesota_ 2. Rolling Stone 3, 4.

Rollingstone is an old Americana sort which has been kept in cultivation chiefly because it is of very good quality for one of its species. The fruit is rather dull in color and small but not unattractive in appearance; the plums are little troubled by either the brown-rot or the plum curculio and ship very well because of the tough skin. The tree is dwarfish with a crooked trunk, shaggy bark, unkempt top and very twiggy—a typical Americana and most difficult to grow into a good orchard plant. The variety is characterized by long, conspicuous stamens, stigmas frequently defective and by very large leaves. The variety has little or no value in New York.

Rollingstone was found near an old Indian camping ground on the Rollingstone Creek, Winona County, Minnesota, by Mr. O. M. Lord,[220] Minnesota City, about 1852. Mr. Lord planted trees of this plum in his garden and found that they improved greatly under cultivation, so much so that they soon became very popular in the local market. About 1882 he introduced the Rollingstone to fruit-growers in general. Mr. H. M. Thompson of St. Francis, according to the Minnesota Horticultural Society Report for 1885, sent this plum out under the name Minnesota but fortunately it has not been distributed under its synonym widely enough to cause much confusion. In 1897 the American Pomological Society added Rollingstone to its fruit catalog list.

Tree dwarfish, variable in vigor, spreading, flat-topped,
hardy, productive, healthy; trunk shaggy; branches dark
ash-gray, thorny, rough, zigzag, with numerous, rather large
lenticels; branchlets slender, twiggy, medium to short, with
internodes of average length, greenish turning to dark brown,
glossy, glabrous, with conspicuous, small, raised lenticels;
leaf-buds medium in size and length, appressed.

Leaves falling early, folded upward, obovate or long-ovate,
one and one-half inches wide, three and one-half inches long,
thin; upper surface smooth, glabrous, with a narrow groove on
the midrib; lower surface silvery green, lightly pubescent, the
veins prominent; apex taper-pointed, base rather acute, margin
coarsely and doubly serrate, eglandular; petiole slender,
five-eighths inch long, tinged red, sparingly pubescent,
glandless or with one or two small, globose, reddish glands on
the stalk.

Blooming season late and short; flowers appearing after the
leaves; three-quarters inch across, the buds creamy-white
changing to white as the flowers expand; borne in clusters
on lateral buds and spurs, in threes or in fours; pedicels
seven-sixteenths inch long, below medium in thickness,
glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, obconic, glabrous;
calyx-lobes narrow, acute, eglandular, glabrous on the outer
surface but lightly pubescent within, heavily pubescent on the
margin and with irregular deep serrations, erect; petals oval
or slightly ovate, dentate, tapering below into narrow claws
reddish at the base; stamens conspicuous; anthers yellow;
filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to
the stamens in length; stigma often abortive.

Fruit mid-season or earlier, ripening period short; about
one inch in diameter, roundish, halves equal; cavity
shallow, flaring, marked before maturity with light-colored,
radiating streaks; suture a line; apex roundish; color dark
purplish-red, with thin bloom; dots numerous, small, light
russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, nine-sixteenths inch long,
adhering poorly to the fruit; skin thick, tough, semi-adherent;
flesh orange-yellow, juicy, slightly fibrous, tender and
melting, sweet, strongly aromatic; good; stone semi-free,
five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, roundish-oval,
flattened, smoothish, blunt at the base and apex; ventral
suture acute, faintly ridged; dorsal suture acute, with a
narrow, shallow, indistinct groove.

ROYAL TOURS

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:81, Pl. XX fig. 8. 1768.
=2.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =2=:35, Tab. 184 fig. 2. 1796. =3.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 313. 1845. =4.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 423.
1854. =5.= Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:53, fig. 27. 1866-73. =6.= Lange
_Allgem. Garten._ =2=:420. 1879. =7.= _Le Bon Jard._ =2=:341.
1882. =8.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 368. 1887. =9.= Mathieu
_Nom. Pom._ 438. 1889. =10.= _Guide Prat._ 160, 365. 1895.
=11.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 120, 121. 1901.

_Damas de Tours_ 7. Die königliche Pflaume von Tours 2. _Diel’s
Königspflaume_ 9 incor. _Diels Königpflaume_ 10. _Frühe Herrn
Pflaume_ 9 incor., 10. Kings plum of Tours 6. _Königspflaume
von Tours_ 5, 10. Königspflaume von Tours 9. _Königliche
Pflaume von Tours_ 9, 10. _Königs Pflaume_ 9 incor., 10.
_Königliche Grosse Pflaume_ 9, 10. _Königin von Tours_ 9,
10. _Moroccopflaume_ 10. _Morocco_ 9 incor. _Prune Royale de
Tours_ 5, 9. _Rothe Königspflaume_ 10. _Roi_ 10. _Royale_ 8,
10. Royale de Tours 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10. _Royale de Tours_ 2, 4,
9, 10, 11. _Royal Tours_ 3, 4, 9. Royal of Tours 4. _Royal red
Plum_ 8, 10. _Worth_ 11.

This excellent variety should be grown generally in America for home use, at least, if it proves nearly as desirable as it is rated in Europe. Royal Tours is an old French sort supposed to have originated in the neighborhood of Tours, France. Although highly esteemed in Europe, it has not gained favor in this country and is rarely found here. Waugh states that in 1899 he secured specimens of it from North Carolina where it was grown locally under the name Worth. The following description is compiled.

Tree strong, vigorous; branches thick, short, smooth; fruit
early mid-season; of medium size, irregularly roundish, swollen
on one side, dark reddish-purple covered with thick bloom;
cavity deep; suture prominent; stem short, thick; skin thick,
firm; dots conspicuous; flesh greenish-yellow, firm, sweet;
very good; stone large, oblong, rough, clinging.

RUTLAND PLUMCOT

_Prunus triflora_ × _Prunus armeniaca_

=1.= Burbank _Cat._ 13 fig. 1901. =2.= De Vries _Pl. Br._ 218.
1907. =3.= _Fancher Creek Nur. Cat._ 10 fig. 1909.

Plumcot 1, 2.

One of the interesting novelties of recent plum-breeding is the Plumcot grown by Luther Burbank[221] from a cross between the plum and the apricot. Not having seen the fruit of this remarkable cross we are unable to judge of its value to the plum-grower. Out of a large number of extremely variable seedlings of this cross Burbank selected this, the Rutland Plumcot, named in honor of an Australian admirer of the fruit. The variety was introduced by the Fancher Creek Nursery in 1906 and 1907. The following description is partly compiled.

Tree vigorous, spreading, open, not a heavy bearer; branches
thorny; branchlets rather slender, with short internodes, dull
red; leaves folded upward, oval, one and five-eighths inches
wide, two and seven-eighths inches long, rather stiff; margin
finely and doubly crenate, glandular; petiole greenish-red,
with from one to four globose glands.

The fruit in California attains a large size; suture and cavity
deep; skin fuzzy like an apricot, purple; flesh deep red,
subacid; quality fair; stone large, broad-oval.

SAINT CATHERINE

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Quintinye _Com. Gard._ 67, 68, 69. 1699. =2.= Langley
_Pomona_ 94, Pl. 24 fig. 6. 1729. =3.= Miller _Gard. Dict._
=3.= 1754. =4.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:97, Pl. XX fig.
5, 109, Pl. XIX. 1768. =5.= Knoop _Fructologie_ =2=:55. 1771.
=6.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 153. 1831. =7.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:76, 103. 1832. =8.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 267. 1832. =9.=
Gallesio _Pom. Ital._ =2=: Pl. 1839. =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 283 fig. 112. 1845. =11.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._
298, 383. 1846. =12.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =1=:1846. =13.=
_U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ XXX. 1854. =14.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ 65,
Pl. 1855. =15.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 520. 1859. =16.= _Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat._ 86. 1862. =17.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 23. 1871.
=18.= Mas _Le Verger_ =6=:89, fig, 45. 1866-73. =19.= Hogg
_Fruit Man._ 724. 1884. =20.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 431. 1889.
=21.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 356 fig. 1891. =22.= _Guide Prat._
161, 365. 1895. =23.= _Oregon Sta. Bul._ =45=:33 fig. 1897.

_Bricet_ 7. _Bricette_ 4, 7, 12. _Bricette_ 7, 19. _Brisette_
20, 22. Catherine (Prune de Ste.) 5. _Catharinenpflaume_ 18,
20, 21. _De Sainte-Catherine_ 22. Gelbe Catharinenpflaume 20.
_Gelbe Catharinenpflaume_ 18, 22. _Gelbe Katharinenpflaume_ 17,
22. _Gute Kathe_ 20. _Mirabelle Tardive_ 7. _Petite Bricette_
7. _Pruneau de Tours_ 18. _Prune de Sainte Catherine_ 7, 17,
20. Prune Sainte Catherine 13. _Prune Sainte-Catherine_ 18.
_Prune Sainte-Catherine Jaune_ 18. Prunier Sainte-Catherine
14. _Pruneaux de Tours_ 13. St. Catharine 1, 2, 7, 8, 16,
19, 23. _Saint Catherine_ 7. _Sainte Catherine_ 11, 20.
Sainte-Catharine 3, 4, 12, 17, 18, 22. _Sainte-Catherine
de Tours_ 17, 20, 22. _Sainte-Catherine jaune_ 20, 21.
_Sainte-Catherine ordinaire_ 17, 20, 22. St. Katharine 1.
_Späte Mirabelle_ 20 incor., 22. Susina Di Santa Caterina 9.
_Torlo d’Ovo_ 9. _Torlo d’Uovo_ 9. _Yellow St. Catharine_ 7.

This plum is grown only on the Pacific Coast in America and even there is to be found but locally and is now passing from cultivation. It is, however, one of the well-known sorts in Europe, especially in France where it is used for prune-making. It appears to be of the Reine Claude group in which group America has so many plums of surpassing merit that this one has no place on this side of the Atlantic. It is included in _The Plums of New York_ largely because of its historic interest and because there seems to be no complete description of it made from trees and fruits grown on this continent.

The origin of this old plum is unknown. It was first mentioned by Quintinye in 1699. Wherever it originated, it is now grown most extensively in France and is known to commerce as the Prune of Tours. The people in Northern Italy cultivate it under the name Torlo d’Ovo (References, 9). The Belgians have used Saint Catherine incorrectly for the Imperiale Violette (References, 14). In America, according to Kenrick, it was not uncommon around Boston in 1832 but it evidently did not receive much recognition, for the United States Patent Office reimported it from France in 1854 and distributed it in the northeastern part of this country. The American Pomological Society added it to its fruit catalog list in 1862 and dropped it in 1899.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, usually hardy, productive;
branches sparingly thorny, light ash-brown, smooth except
for the few raised lenticels; branchlets thick, long, with
long internodes, greenish-red changing to dark reddish-brown,
marked with scarf-skin, nearly glabrous throughout the season,
with few, conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds of
medium size and length, conical or pointed, broad at the base,
appressed.

Leaves folded upward, oval, one and one-half inches wide, three
inches long; upper surface lightly pubescent, with a grooved
midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex and
base acute, margin crenate, with small, dark glands; petiole
three-quarters inch long, thick, with a red tinge, pubescent,
glandless or with from one to three conspicuous, globose,
bright yellow glands variable in size, usually on the stalk.

Season of bloom intermediate, long; flowers appearing after the
leaves, one inch across, white, the buds tinged yellow as they
open; borne on lateral spurs, in twos or in threes; pedicels
nearly one inch long, slender, with thin pubescence, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes small,
narrow, acute, pubescent on the inner surface, erect; petals
oval, entire, not clawed; anthers yellow with a tinge of red;
filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to
the stamens in length, often abortive.

Fruit late, intermediate in length of ripening season; small,
obovate or oval, slightly necked, truncate at the base,
compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring;
suture varies from shallow to deep, often prominent; apex
depressed; color dull green, changing to golden-yellow,
overspread with thin bloom; dots numerous, small, gray,
inconspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem slender, very
long, often one and one-eighth inches in length, glabrous,
adhering well to the fruit; skin thick, tough, clinging
slightly; flesh light golden-yellow, juicy, fibrous, sweet,
mild, pleasant, not high in flavor; good; stone clinging,
three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, oval, flattened,
slightly acute at the base and apex, with roughened surfaces;
ventral suture finely grooved, blunt; dorsal suture with a
wide, shallow groove.

SAINT JULIEN

_Prunus insititia_

=1.= Miller _Gard. Dict._ =3.= 1754. =2.= _Lond. Hort. Soc.
Cat._ 153. 1831. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:73. 1832. =4.=
Noisette _Man. Comp. Jard._ =2=:500. 1860. =5.= Downing _Fr.
Trees Am._ 946. 1869. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 725. 1884. =7.=
Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 449. 1889. =8.= _Rev. Hort._ 438. 1892.
=9.= _Trait. Prat. Sech. Fruits_ 170. 1893. =10.= _Bot. Gaz._
=26=:425. 1898.

Common Saint Julian 3. _Common Saint Julien_ 5, 7. _French St.
Julien_ 3, 5, 7. _Gros Saint-Julien_ 3. Gros Saint-Julien 4.
_Kleine Blaue Julians Pflaume_ 7. Large Saint Julien ?3. Petit
Saint Julien 4. _Petit Saint Julien_ 3, 5, 7. _Prunus Insititia
var._ 7. Prunus Domestica Juliana 10. Prunier Saint-Julien 8.
St. Julien 6. _St. Julian_ 3. _Saint Julien_ 3. Saint Julien
Petit ?2. _Saint-Julien Petit_ 3, 5, 7. The St. Julian Plum 1.
_Weichharige Schlehen Damascene_ 7.

The Saint Julien plums, as we now use the name, constitute a division of _Prunus insititia_ used as propagating stocks. Whether the name was ever applied to a specific variety can not be said. Miller, in 1754, described a “St. Julian” and gave its chief use as a stock for plums, peaches and Bruxelles Apricot. Later writers recommend them chiefly, if not only, as stocks though in France it is said the fruits are dried and sold by the pharmacists and herbalists under the name _Prunus medicines_ (medicinal prunes). Carrière, in _Revue Horticole_ 1892, speaks very highly of these plums as stocks and describes them as follows:

“Tree vigorous, with branches spreading-straggling, relatively
short, branched at the extremity. Leaves numerous, slightly
roughened by the prominence of the numerous nerves on the lower
surface, short, oblong, usually rounded at the apex, attenuated
at the base, where are found a few very small glands; petiole
about two centimeters long, yellowish, lengthening out
into a prominent midrib; buds short, oval, pointed, deep
reddish-brown; dark green above, pale green below, bordered
regularly with very close, short, slightly inclined teeth.

Fruits very abundant, pedunculate, spherical or oblong,
peduncle a little bent, rather strong, nearly three centimeters
long, inserted in a very small cavity, regularly rounded. Skin
strongly attached to the flesh, even, glossy, purplish-black,
more or less glaucous; flesh free from the seed, pulpy, very
juicy, soft, greenish, sweet, leaving a taste a little strong,
but not disagreeable; seed short oval, elliptical, flattened,
ten millimeters in width, nearly fifteen to sixteen millimeters
in length, with grayish-red surface roughened by small, regular
projections. Matures from July to September.”

SAINT MARTIN

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 144, 153. 1831. =2.= Prince _Pom.
Man._ =2=:74. 1832. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 295 fig. 119.
1845. =4.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ 1. 1846. =5.= _Mag. Hort._
=14=:151 fig. 15. 1848. =6.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 336
fig. 260, 337. 1849. =7.= Elliott _Fr. Book._ 423. 1854. =8.=
Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 515. 1859. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40.
1867. =10.= _Guide Prat._ 162, 365. 1895.

_Catherine violette_ 8, 10. _Coe’s Fine Late Red_ 8. Coe’s Fine
Late Red 1, 5, 7, 10. _Coe’s Late Red_ 3, 6, 9. _Coe’s Late
Red_ 5, 6, 7, 10. _Coë’s sehr späte rothe Pflaume_ 10. _De la
Saint-Martin_ 10. _Oktoberpflaume_ 10. _Prune de la St. Martin_
3. _Prunier de Saint Martin_ 2, 5, 7. Red St. Martin 2, 7.
_Red Saint Martin_ 5, 6, 7. _Rouge tardive de Coë_ 10. Saint
Martin Rouge 5. _Saint-Martin Rouge_ 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10. _Saint
Martin_ 2, 3, 5. _St. Martin_ 2, 6, 7, 8. _St. Martin Rouge_ 8.
_Violette d’Octobre_ 10. _Violette Octoverpflaume_ 8. _Violette
Oktoberpflaume_ 10.

Saint Martin is an old French variety now hardly worth growing, brought into England by a Mr. Coe who called it Coe’s Fine Late Red, a name continued by the London Horticultural Society in its catalog. In the United States, too, it became quite generally known as Coe’s Late Red in spite of the efforts of Prince, Downing and Elliott to have it pass under its true name. The variety was mentioned in the American Pomological Society’s catalogs from 1867 to 1897. It is described as follows:

Fruit very late; of medium size, roundish, bright purplish-red
with thin blue bloom; suture distinct; cavity shallow; stem
of moderate length and thickness; flesh yellow, with a vinous
flavor; fair to good; freestone.

SATSUMA

_Prunus triflora_

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ 366, 367. 1887. =2.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 652,
Pl. I fig., 636. 1887. =3.= _Gard. & For._ =1=:471. 1888. =4.=
Bailey _Ann. Hort._ 103. 1889. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 105,
106, 125. 1891. =6.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 54. 1892. =7.=
_Cornell Sta. Bul._ =62=:29. 1894. =8.= _Rev. Hort._ 458. 1894.
=9.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 96. 1895. =10.= _Guide Prat._ 165,
366. 1895. =11.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =106=:46, 53. 1896. =12.=
_Ala. Col. Sta. Bul._ =85=:446. 1897. 13. _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=139=:38, 42. 1897. =14.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1897. =15.=
_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:243, 250. 1899. =16.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =175=:151. 1899. =17.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:158. 1899.
=18.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 141. 1901. =19.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._
=187=:77, 80. 1901. =20.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =68=:14, 33, 34.
1905. =21.= De Vries _Pl. Br._ 170. 1907.

Beni Smono No. 4 ?6. _Blood Plum_ 7, 9, 16, 18, 20. Blood Plum?
1. _Blood Plum No. 4_ ?9, 13. Blood Plum No. 4 ?11. _Honsmomo_
11. Honsmomo ?9, 11. _Japan Blood Plum_ 3. _Sanguine_ 10.
Satsuma Blood 4. _Yonemomo_ 5, 7, 9, 16, 20. _Yonesmomo_ 5, 20.

There is a group of several varieties of Triflora plums unique in having the flesh deep red in color and very firm and juicy. Of these red-fleshed plums, Satsuma was the first to be introduced into fruit-growing in America and is one of the parents of most of the others. While the fruit is not as large nor as handsome in color as in some of its offspring, it is still one of the best varieties for quality of fruit and its trees are possibly as good as those of any of the other sorts of red-fleshed Trifloras. Satsuma, besides being one of the best of its class in quality for either dessert or culinary purposes, keeps and ships very well and if the plums are of sufficient size and have been allowed to color properly, the variety makes a good showing on the markets. Too often, however, it is so unattractive as it reaches the market that it does not sell well. In the South the plums are said to be much attacked by brown-rot but they are not more susceptible here than other plums. The trees are rather above the average for the species in size, habit, health, hardiness and productiveness though they bear sparingly when young. They bloom early in the season and are distinguished from other Triflora sorts by having many spurs and short branches along the main branches. Satsuma might possibly be found worth growing commercially in a very small way in some parts of the State.

Satsuma was raised from the same lot of plum pits from which the Burbank came, the seeds having been sent to Luther Burbank by a Japanese agent in 1883. In 1887 Burbank’s tree was the only bearing one in America but since then it has been tested in all of the large plum regions, having been introduced by Burbank in 1889. In 1897 it was added to the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological Society. Even though this plum is very distinct, with its solid red flesh, it is much confused with other sorts. A Japanese in a letter[222] to L. A. Berckmans says “Beni-Smomo comprises a group of red-fleshed plums. In Satsuma, my native home, Hon-smomo and Yone-smomo are the most noted and familiar fruits of this group, the first is the smallest in size and deepest in color, while the second is the largest and most highly esteemed. In some districts, plums in this group are called Uchi-Beni, which means red inside.” Hon-smomo or Blood Plum No. 4 was separated from the Satsuma or Yonemomo by the Georgia Horticultural Society but Bailey found them indistinguishable.

Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, usually
quite hardy, moderately productive, bearing heavier crops as
the tree becomes older; branches grayish-brown; branchlets
medium to above in thickness and length, with short internodes,
dark chestnut-red, glabrous, with slightly raised lenticels
of medium number and size; leaf-buds small, short, conical,
appressed.

Leaves somewhat lanceolate, four inches by one and one-half
inches in size, of medium thickness; upper surface dark green,
with a shallow, grooved midrib; lower surface light green,
glabrous; margin finely and doubly crenate, glandular; petiole
three-quarters inch long, tinged red, with from one to three
reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in size, usually at
the base of the blade.

Blossoms white; borne in pairs or in threes; pedicels
nine-sixteenths inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish;
calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium in
width, acute, somewhat serrate, with dark colored glands,
glabrous, erect; petals tapering below to claws of medium
length, reddish at the base.

Fruit mid-season or later; one and seven-eighths inches
by two inches in size, variable in shape, ranging from
roundish-cordate to somewhat oblate, flattened at the base,
compressed, halves unequal; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt,
compressed; suture variable in depth, prominent; apex pointed
or roundish; color dark dull red, with thin bloom; dots
numerous, of medium size, russet, somewhat conspicuous,
clustered about the apex; stem slender, three-eighths inch
long, glabrous; skin of medium thickness and toughness, bitter,
semi-adherent; flesh dark purplish-red, juicy, tender at the
skin, becoming tough at the center, sweet, with an almond-like
flavor; of good quality; stone semi-clinging or clinging,
seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, strongly
pointed, rough, tinged red; ventral suture narrow, winged;
dorsal suture grooved.

SAUNDERS

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 143. 1885. =2.= _Can. Hort._ =14=:92,
223. 1891. =3.= _Ibid._ =19=:253. 1896. =4.= _Ont. Exp. Sta.
Rpt._ 45, 46. 1899. =5.= _Can. Hort._ =27=:244. 1904.

_Saunders Seedling_ 5.

The American Pomological Society recommends this variety for trial with the statement that the quality is of the best and that it is almost free from black-knot. But on the grounds of this Station, fruiting for several years, the plums have been inferior in size and somewhat so in quality and all told much less attractive than a number of other sorts of the same season. Saunders originated with John Arris of Belleville, Ontario, Canada. It was first exhibited before the Fruit-Growers’ Association of Ontario at St. Catherines in 1883. In 1884, upon its being again exhibited before the same association, it was named Saunders in honor of the society’s noted president. The variety was mentioned in the catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1897.

Tree of medium size, round-topped, very productive; branchlets
brash, slender, very pubescent; leaves flattened, obovate or
oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, four inches long,
somewhat velvety, rugose; margin finely serrate, eglandular or
with small dark glands; petiole pubescent, glandless or with
from one to three small glands; blooming season intermediate in
time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and
one-quarter inches across, white; borne on lateral buds and
spurs, usually singly; pedicels very pubescent.

Fruit early, season short; one and one-half inches by one
and one-eighth inches in size, oblong-oval, greenish-yellow
changing to golden-yellow, covered with thin bloom; skin thin,
tender, slightly sour, cracking when fully mature; flesh
yellowish, tender and melting, sweet, mild; of good quality;
stone free, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, long-oval,
flattened, with rough surfaces; ventral suture winged; dorsal
suture with a narrow, shallow groove.

SERGEANT

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Cal. State Bd. Hort._ 49, 51. 1887. =2.= _Ibid._ 234,
235. 1890. =3.= _Ibid._ 105. 1891. =4.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_
357. 1891. =5.= _U. S. D. A. Div. Pom. Bul._ =7=:316, Pl. IV
fig. 2. 1898. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1899. =7.= Waugh
_Plum Cult._ 121. 1901.

Prune d’Ente 2. _Prunier Datte_ 1. _Robe de Sergent_ 2, 5, 6.
_Robe de Sergeant_ 7. Robe de Sergent 1, 3, 4.

In France, from whence Sergeant was imported to California, Sergeant, Agen and Prunier Datte are held to be identical. But in America only the first and last are identical, the Agen being quite distinct. It would seem that the French should know their own plums and that their nomenclature should be accepted but the Sergeant is now so widely distributed in America as distinct that we give a brief description of the plum. There may be more than one type of the Agen in France or American nurserymen may have received wrongly named varieties.

Tree upright, with branches and branchlets thickish, more
robust than Agen; foliage large, lancet-shaped, glossy, much
broader and more shiny than Agen; fruit mid-season; of medium
size, roundish-oval, enlarged on one side; skin deep purple to
blackish with a thick bloom; flesh greenish-yellow, juicier
than Agen, sweet, high flavored; quality good; stone partially
clinging; valuable for preserving and drying.

SHARP

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 153. 1831. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 315. 1845. =3.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ 63, Pl. 1859. =4.=
_Cultivator_ =8=:25 fig. 1860. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
948. 1869. =6.= _Guide Prat._ 160, 358. 1895. =7.= _Jour. Roy.
Hort. Soc._ =21=: Pt. 2, 222. 1897. =8.= _Waugh Plum Cult._
122, 123 fig. 1901.

_Alderton_ 5. _Dolphin_ 5. _Dauphin_ 5. _Denyer’s Victoria_
?2, 5, 7. _Empereur de Sharp_ 3, 6. _Imperial de Sharp_ 5.
Imperiale de Sharp 6. Prune Imperiale de Sharp 3. _Queen
Victoria_ ?2. _Royal Dauphine_ 5. Sharp 8 incor. Sharp’s
Emperor 1, 2 incor., 4, 5 incor. _Sharp’s Emperor_ 3, 6, 8
incor. Sharpe’s Emperor 7. _Sharps Kaiserpflaume_ 6. _Victoria_
5, 8 incor.

Sharp was briefly described in the London Horticultural Society catalog in 1831. Later, in 1845, A. J. Downing described the variety but thought it identical with the Victoria, as did other writers, as will be seen by referring to the Victoria. H. A. Pearson in the _Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society_, comparing these two sorts says, “Sharp’s Emperor is a second rate plum, resembling Victoria, in appearance, but very inferior in point of cropping and quality, a decided clingstone, often gumming at the stone, and ripening a fortnight later than its supposed synonym, not worthy of cultivation.” August Royer in the _Annals de Pomologie Belge et Etrangere_ also separated the two varieties but describes them both as freestones. While there is a lack of uniformity in the descriptions yet the total evidence weighs in favor of two types which are very similar. The Victoria is probably the better plum of the two.

SHELDRAKE

_Prunus domestica_

Although extremely vigorous and productive this variety is so inferior in quality as to be of doubtful value. Sheldrake originated as a chance seedling on the shore of Cayuga Lake near the town of Sheldrake, New York. It was discovered and propagated by J. T. Hunt of Kendaia, New York, and has been under test at the Geneva Station since 1895.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, productive; branchlets
thick, with long internodes, pubescent; leaves drooping,
somewhat flattened, oval, nearly two and one-half inches wide,
four and one-quarter inches long; margin serrate with few,
small, dark glands; petiole pubescent, tinged red, thick,
glandless or with from one to four rather large glands usually
at the base of the leaf; blooming season intermediate in time,
short; flowers appearing after the leaves, nearly one and
one-quarter inches across; borne singly or in pairs.

Fruit rather early; one and one-half inches by one and
three-eighths inches in size, roundish-oblong; cavity very
deep, abrupt; color purplish-black, overspread with thick
bloom; dots conspicuous; stem thickly pubescent; skin thin,
tender, slightly acid; flesh yellow, tender, sweet next the
skin, but sour near the center, inferior in flavor; poor
in quality; stone dark-colored, semi-clinging, one inch by
three-quarters inch in size, broadly ovate or irregularly oval,
flattened, with roughened and granular surfaces; ventral suture
prominent, blunt.

SHIPPER

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =24=:339. 1882. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ =31=:60. 1886. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:191, fig.
42. 1897. =4.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:243, 247. 1899. =5.=
_Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ 2nd Ser. =3=:56. 1900. =6.= _Mich. Sta.
Bul._ =187=:77, 79. 1901. =7.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 119. 1901.

Pride 7. _Shipper Pride_ 4. _Shippers’ Pride_ 7. Shipper’s
Pride 1, 2, 3, 5, 8.

This plum has never become an important commercial variety in New York yet it is offered for sale by a surprisingly large number of nurserymen. The variety has too many faults to succeed in competition with the many good plums of its color and season. The flesh is dry and the plums often shrivel on the tree, characters which fit it for shipping, but which when taken with poor quality and small size make it of little value after it reaches the market. Moreover it fruits sparingly under many conditions, though productive here, and the plums ripen somewhat unevenly and are susceptible to brown-rot. Some pomologists give a rather better estimate of the variety than that expressed here, but from all data at hand the value of the plum is not underestimated in the above statements. There are a great many better plums for New York than Shipper.

This variety was introduced by Mr. H. S. Wiley of Cayuga, New York. The plum was found by Mr. Wiley in a private garden at Port Byron, New York, about 1877. The man upon whose place it grew thought that it came from a stone of one of the several varieties in his garden but Mr. Wiley is not sure of this origin and suggests that it may have sprouted from a root.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, hardy, productive;
branches thick, ash-gray, smooth except for the raised
lenticels; branchlets of medium thickness and length, with
long internodes, green changing to brownish-drab and with a
red tinge, dull, covered with thick pubescence throughout the
season, with inconspicuous lenticels of medium number and size;
leaf-buds small, short, conical, appressed.

Leaves many, flattened or folded upward, obovate or oval, one
and three-quarters inches wide, three and one-half inches
long, thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, hairy, with a
grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, thick, pubescent;
apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin serrate or
crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole one-half
inch long, thick, pubescent, with a red tinge, glandless or
with one or two globose, yellowish-green glands usually at the
base of the leaf.

Season of bloom intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing with the leaves, nearly one and one-quarter inches
across, white; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in
pairs; pedicels three-quarters inch long, pubescent, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse,
lightly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate and with
marginal hairs, reflexed; petals broadly oval or obovate,
slightly crenate or occasionally notched, with short, broad
claws; anthers yellow; filaments five-sixteenths inch long;
pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit late, intermediate in length of ripening season; one
and one-half inches by one and three-eighths inches in
size, ovate, swollen on the suture side, compressed, halves
equal; cavity shallow, abrupt; suture shallow; apex bluntly
pointed; color purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom;
dots small, russet, somewhat conspicuous; stem seven-eighths
inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin,
tender, separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow, rather
tart, firm, sweet, mild in flavor; inferior in quality;
stone semi-clinging, often with red tinge near the edge,
seven-eighths inch by three-quarters inch in size, irregular
roundish-ovate, turgid, rough, blunt at the base and apex;
ventral suture wide, ridged, distinctly winged; dorsal suture
wide, deep.

SHIRO

_Prunus simonii × Prunus triflora × Prunus cerasifera × Prunus munsoniana_

=1.= _Cal. State Bd. Hort._ 53 fig. 1897. =2.= Burbank _Cat._
1899. 3. Waugh _Plum Cult._ 225. 1901. =4.= _Rural N. Y._
=62=:582. 1903.

_Late Klondike_ 1.

Shiro has been in the hands of fruit-growers too short a time to permit a just estimate of it to be made. As the variety grows on the grounds of this Station, the fruits are large and handsome in form and color, as is well shown in the illustration. The flavor lacks character and is almost insipid but the flesh is tender, melting and juicy and so translucent that the pit can be seen through the flesh. Despite the flavor, the plum is pleasant to eat and may be ranked as good in quality. Those who have had experience say that the variety ships very well if not fully mature but quickly goes down after ripening; the plums are also quite susceptible to brown-rot. The trees of this variety at Geneva are quite as vigorous, hardy, and productive as any of the sorts which Mr. Burbank gives as progenitors of Shiro and will generally, it is believed, surpass any of them in these respects. It may here be remarked that of the four species from which Shiro is supposed to have come, it most resembles _Prunus triflora_ in both tree and fruit though the leaves have some resemblance to those of _Prunus cerasifera_. Shiro is still, so far as New York is concerned, in the list of plums deserving trial but with the chances against its becoming of great value either for home or commercial plantations.

This is another of Burbank’s plums and is said to be a descendant of Robinson, (_Prunus munsoniana_,) Myrobalan, (_Prunus cerasifera_), and Wickson, (a cross of _Prunus triflora_ and _Prunus simonii_) from seed of Wickson. Burbank in his catalog for 1889 says that the tree resembles a Myrobalan in foliage, growth and general appearance. But as the variety grows at this Station it has all the appearances of a Triflora. Shiro was described in the California State Board of Horticulture Report for 1898 and the following year it was introduced by the originator.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, tender to cold,
productive; branches smooth, somewhat thorny, dull ash-gray,
with few, small lenticels; branchlets slender, above medium
in length, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to
brownish-drab, glabrous, with inconspicuous, scattering, small
lenticels; leaf-buds small, very short, obtuse, strongly
appressed.

Leaves folded upward, obovate, one and five-sixteenths inches
wide, two and three-quarters inches long, leathery; upper
surface faintly rugose, glabrous, with a grooved midrib; lower
surface lightly pubescent along the midrib and larger veins;
apex acutely pointed, base rather acute, margin finely crenate,
with small, dark glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,
pubescent along one side, greenish-red, glandless or with one
or two small, globose, yellowish glands on the stalk.

Blooming season early and of medium length; flowers appearing
before the leaves, white; borne in clusters on lateral buds and
spurs; pedicels short, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, glandular-serrate,
glabrous on the outer side, sparingly pubescent within, with a
pink margin, erect; petals roundish, entire, tapering to short,
abrupt claws; anthers yellow with a reddish tinge; filaments
below medium in length; pistil glabrous, longer than the
stamens.

Fruit very early, season short; one and one-half inches
in diameter, roundish-conic, with halves equal; cavity
intermediate in depth and width, flaring, regular; suture an
indistinct line; apex roundish; color light yellow becoming
deeper yellow as the season advances, occasionally with a
blush of pink, with thin bloom; dots numerous, very minute,
whitish, inconspicuous; stem three-eighths inch long, adhering
to the fruit; skin thin, tough, sour, occasionally cracking,
separating readily, although a thin coating of flesh is left
clinging to the skin; flesh light yellow, semi-transparent,
the stone being faintly visible, very juicy, fibrous, somewhat
melting, sweet, mild, lacks character in flavor; good; stone
clinging, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size,
broadly oval, flattened, slightly elongated at the base, with
rough surfaces; ventral suture faintly ridged and furrowed;
dorsal suture very lightly grooved.

SHROPSHIRE

_Prunus insititia_

=1.= _Rea Flora_ 209. 1676. =2.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 146.
1831. =3.= _Prince Pom. Man._ =2=:90. 1832. =4.= _Loudon Enc.
Gard_. 921. 1834. 5. Downing _Fr. Trees Am_. 297. 1845. 6.
Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 282, 383. 1846. =7.= Thompson
_Gard. Ass’t_ 520. 1859. =8.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 377. 1866.
=9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1875. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._
695. 1884. =11.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 289. 1889. =12.= _Am.
Gard._ =14=:146 fig., 147, 148. 1893. =13.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=131=:192 fig. 46. 1897. 14. _Garden_ =53=:265. 1898. 15. _Mich.
Sta. Bul_. =169=:243, 247. 1899. 16. Waugh _Plum Cult._ 130 fig.
1901. =17.= _Va. Sta. Bul._ =134=:44. 1902. =18.= _Ga. Sta.
Bul._ =67=:281 fig. 1904.

_Cheshire_ =14.= _Damascene_ 8, 10, 14. _Damson Plum_ 3.
Long Damson 2. _Long Damson_ 7, 8, 10. Pruine Damson? 1.
_Prune Damson_ 2, 4, 5, 7, 14. Prune Damson 6, 8. Prune 10.
_Shropshire Damson_ ?6, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17. Shropshire Damson 2,
3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 18.

In America, Shropshire is probably the best known of the Damsons, being found not only in nearly all commercial plantations but in the smallest home collections as well. The qualities which make it so generally a favorite are for most part those of the tree, the French surpassing it in size and in quality of the fruit. The trees of the variety under notice are not surpassed by any other Insititia in size, vigor, hardiness and health nor are they, except in size, by any other European plum. Shropshire is enormously productive, bearing its load of fruit year after year until it is a standard among fruits for productivity and reliability in bearing. The trees have but one defect,—unless sprayed the foliage falls prey to fungi and drops early. The trees are comparatively easy to manage in such orchard operations as pruning, spraying and harvesting as they are not so thick-topped, twiggy and spiny as other Damsons. The fruit is of very good size and while in no sense a dessert plum may be eaten out of hand with relish when fully ripe or after a light frost—a point worth considering where only Damsons can be grown. It is one of the best of its kind for culinary purposes. This old variety is still to be recommended for both home and market.

Shropshire originated in England, sometime in the Seventeenth Century. It was noted by American writers early in the Nineteenth Century and in 1875 was placed on the American Pomological Society’s fruit catalog list. Shropshire is a more familiar name in fruit literature than the references given indicate, being found in practically every English discussion of plums since 1676 and in all American notices of this fruit since Prince wrote in 1832. For a fruit so long under cultivation, it has few synonyms.

Tree large, vigorous, vasiform, hardy, productive; main
branches numerous, ash-gray, smooth except for numerous scars
from small spur-like branches, with many, small lenticels;
branchlets twiggy, slender, with short internodes, green
changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, covered with heavy
pubescence throughout the season, with numerous, small
lenticels; leaf-buds below medium in size, short, conical,
appressed.

Leaves flattened, obovate, about one inch wide, two inches
long, thin; upper surface dark green, pubescent along the
grooved midrib; lower surface a paler green, with thin
pubescence; apex obtuse or acute, base acute, margin finely
serrate, eglandular; petiole one-half inch long, slender,
greenish-red, with little pubescence, glandless or with one or
two small, globose, greenish-yellow glands usually at the base
of the leaf.

Season of bloom medium; flowers seven-eighths inch across,
white; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, singly or
in pairs; pedicels three-eighths inch long, slender, glabrous,
greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
narrow, acute, glabrous, the margin glandular-ciliate,
reflexed; petals roundish-oval, entire, short-clawed; anthers
yellow; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous,
shorter than the stamens.

Fruit late, season long; one and one-half inches by one inch in
size, oval, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow,
flaring; suture an indistinct line; apex roundish; color
purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous,
small, russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one-half inch long,
glabrous, adhering to the fruit; skin thin, tender, adhering;
flesh golden-yellow, juicy, firm but tender, agreeably tart
at full maturity, sprightly, pleasant; stone clinging,
three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, oval, acute at
the base, blunt at the apex, with nearly smooth surfaces;
ventral suture broad, blunt; dorsal suture acute, with a
narrow, shallow, indistinct groove.

SIMON

_Prunus simonii_

=1.= _Rev. Hort._ 111. 1872. =2.= _Horticulturist_ =27=:196.
1872. =3.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 374, 378. 1881. =4.= _Ibid._
321. 1884. =5.= _Rural N. Y._ =45=:689 fig. 389. 1886. =6.=
_Ibid._ =46=:766. 1887. =7.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 53, 99.
1889. =8.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 444. 1889. =9.= _Cal. State Bd.
Hort. Rpt._ 236, Pl. II figs. 1 and 2, 238. 1890. =10.= _Rev.
Hort._ 152 fig. 40. 1891. =11.= _Penin. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 68.
1891. =12.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =51=:55. 1893. =13.= _Mich. Sta.
Bul._ =103=:35. 1894. =14.= _Guide Prat._ 164, 362. 1895. =15.=
_Neb. State Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 175. 1895. =16.= _Kan. Sta. Bul._
=73=:192. 1897. =17.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._ =67=:29. 1898. =18.= _Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat._ 41. 1899. =19.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 14, 38, 234.
1901.

_Apricot Plum_ 12, 19. Apricot Plum 9, 11. Plum Simon 2. _Prune
Eugene Simon_ 8. _Prunier de Simon_ 8, 14. Prunus simoni 4, 7,
17. _Prunus Simonii_ 2. Prunus Simonii 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14,
16, 19. _Prunus simoni_ 8. _Simon_ 19. _Simon’s Chinese Apricot
Plum_ 7. Simon’s Peach 15. Simon’s Plum 5.

The Simon plum, a horticultural variety, constitutes the species _Prunus simonii_ and has been fully discussed in the chapter of this text dealing with the botany of the plum. It is given further notice only to introduce the horticultural references and history and to estimate briefly its value in fruit-growing. As to the latter it may be said that the fruit is for most people unpalatable, and therefore of little worth as an edible product. Some of the crosses of which this variety is one parent are well known and esteemed in pomology and the Simon plum undoubtedly has value for plum-breeding in the future. The tree, where it succeeds, is a handsome ornamental. In New York the variety seems hardy wherever the peach can be grown and thrives on the same types of soils—sands, gravels and light loams. The tree is subject to diseases and unless well sprayed is liable to be short-lived. The variety can be recommended in New York only to the breeder of plums and for those who want the tree as an ornamental or a curiosity.

This interesting and distinct plum was obtained in China by Eugene Simon, a French consul, who sent it to the Paris Museum of Natural History in 1867. Later it was disseminated by the nurseries of Simon Brothers at Plantières-Les-Metz. The date of its introduction into America is unknown, though it was offered for sale by the eastern nurseries as early as 1881. Ellwanger and Barry of Rochester secured their stock from France a few years previous to the date given but whether they were the only importers cannot be said. In 1899 the American Pomological Society added Simon to its catalog list. The variety is fully described under its species.

SIMPSON

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:161. 1899. =2.= _Ibid._ =162=:256, 257.
1905.

The fruit of Simpson is too small and is so much below the average of its type, that of the Yellow Egg, in quality that it is not worth general introduction. It is given attention here chiefly as a matter of record. Although unquestionably a Domestica, Simpson was found growing wild in the woods west of Peoria, Illinois. It was introduced by H. Augustine of Normal, Illinois, about 1888.

Tree large, very vigorous, upright-spreading, dense, very
productive; branchlets slender, with long internodes, thickly
pubescent; leaf-buds large, long; leaves flattened, oval,
intermediate in width and length; margin serrate, eglandular;
petiole pubescent, glandless or with from one to three globose
glands usually on the stalk; flowers one inch across, borne in
scattering clusters, singly or in pairs; calyx-lobes thickly
pubescent on both surfaces.

Fruit mid-season; one and one-half inches by one and
three-eighths inches in size, oval, golden-yellow, covered with
thin bloom; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, firm but tender, sweet,
mild; good; stone semi-free, seven-eighths inch by one-half
inch in size, oval, acute at the base; ventral suture usually
winged; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.

SMALL REINE CLAUDE

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:91. 1768. =2.= Kraft _Pom.
Aust._ 39, Tab. 189 fig. 2. 1796. =3.= M’Mahon _Am. Gard.
Cat._ 587. 1806. =4.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 147, 148, 154.
1831. =5.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:49. 1832. =6.= _Mag. Hort_.
=9=:164. 1843. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 288. 1845. =8.=
Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 284, 383. 1846. =9.= Thomas
_Am. Fruit Cult._ 330. 1849. =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
913. 1869. =11.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:93. 1873. =12.= Oberdieck
_Deut. Obst. Sort._ 435. 1881. =13.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 732.
1884. =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 437. 1889.

Die kleine Königin Claudia 2. English Yellow Gage 9, 10.
_English Yellow Gage_ 11, 14. _Gonne’s Green Gage_ 6, 7,
10, 13, 14. Gonne’s Green Gage 4. _Kibitzenei_ 14. _Kleine
Dauphine_ 14. Kleine Reine-Claude 12, 14. _Kleine Weisse
Damascene_ 12, 14. _Kleine Reine-Claude_ 11. _Kleine Grüne
Reine-Claude_ 11, 12, 14. _Little Reine Claude_ 5. _Little
Queen Claude_ 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14. Little Queen Claude
8. Little Queen Claudia 3. Little Queen Claudia 5. Petite
Reine-Claude 1, 11. _Petite Reine-Claude_ 2, 5, 7, 8, 10.
_Petit Damas Vert_ 13, 14. _Reine-Claude Petite Espece_ 14.
_Reine-Claude Blanche Petite Espece_ 5, 6, 7, 10. _Reine-Claude
Blanche_ 6, 7, 10, 14. _Reine-Claude Petite_ 13, 14. _Reine
Claude_ (of some) 6. _Small Green Gage_ 5, 7, 10, 14. _Small
Queen Claude_ 5. _White Gage_ 6, 7, 10, 13, 14. White Gage 4.
Yellow Gage 4, 6, 7, 13. _Yellow Gage_ 11, 14.

Small Reine Claude, an old variety of unknown origin, is now probably obsolete. Thomas and Downing described it as an English Yellow Gage but it cannot be found that it is ever so called in Europe. Since the variety was known in France and Austria in the latter part of the Eighteenth Century it is quite certain that it originated on the continent. From its name and close resemblance to the Reine Claude it is safe to state that it is a seedling of that sort. It is described as follows:

Tree of normal vigor; branches smooth; flowers small; fruit
medium in size, nearly spherical, truncated on the stem side
and slightly on the apex; suture wide and distinct, thus
differing from the Reine Claude; stem medium in length; cavity
shallow; skin tender, yellowish-green, often splashed with red
on the sunny side; flesh greenish-yellow, fine, a little firm,
sweet, rich and pleasant; freestone; ripens earlier than the
Reine Claude.

SMITH ORLEANS

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 27. 1828. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:68. 1832. =3.= _Mag. Hort._ =9=:410. 1843. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 304, 305 fig. 125. 1845. =5.= _Mag. Hort._
=14=:152, 153 fig. 16. 1848. =6.= Cole _Am. Fr. Book_ 214 fig.
1849. =7.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 343. 1849. =8.= Elliott
_Fr. Book_ 424. 1854. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 210. 1856.
=10.= Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 252. 1857. =11.= Hogg _Fruit Man._
382. 1866. =12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 450. 1889. =13.= _Ont. Fr.
Exp. Sta. Rpt._ 52. 1895. =14.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:192.
1897.

Cooper’s 5. _Cooper’s Large_ 5. _Cooper’s Large Red_ 5.
_Cooper’s Red_ 6. _Duane’s Purple_ 3 incor. _La Delicieuse_
8. _Large Orleans_ 3. _Large Purple_ 3 incor. _Monsieur de
Smith_ 12. _Purple Magnum Bonum_ 3. _Red Magnum Bonum_ incor.
3, 4, 5, 6, 12. _Smith’s large Orleans_ 2. Smith’s Orleans 1,
2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14. _Smith’s Orleans_ 5, 12.
Smith’s Orleans Pflaume 12. _Smith’s Herrn Pflaume_ 12. _Violet
Perdrigon_ incor. 3, 4, 5, 6, 12. _Violetter Perdrigon_ 12
incor.