Chapter III: Leading Varieties of Plums (12)

In the middle of the last century, Smith Orleans was considered about the best plum of its color in America. But the fruit is not high in quality, the texture of the flesh is coarse and it ripens at a time when fruits are plentiful, for which reasons it has ceased to be regarded with favor by either the amateur or the professional fruit-grower. The trees, however, seem to have some remarkably desirable characters and it may be that the variety should be retained for some locations and purposes and to breed from, at least. If the older pomologists have written truly few plums are adapted to a greater range of climates and soils than this one; so, too, the trees are usually spoken of as of large size, vigorous, healthy, of great productiveness and as holding the crop well. The trees in the soil and climate of this Station are quite as the older writers describe them and were the fruit only better in quality and somewhat more attractive in appearance, the variety could be highly recommended for a market plum and as a fruit for culinary purposes in the home orchard.

William Prince, in 1828, in his _Treatise on Horticulture_, briefly described Smith Orleans, and seventeen years later A. J. Downing gave a short history of the variety. It is a seedling of the Orleans raised about 1825 by a Mr. Smith of Gowanus, Long Island, New York. By an error the variety was sent out as the Violet, or Blue Perdrigon, a smaller and very different fruit. Charles M. Hovey of Massachusetts, who secured trees of the Cooper from Prince, about 1831, believed this variety to be identical with the Smith Orleans in all characters. Downing could not agree with him but the present writers find that the two varieties are so much alike that it is impossible to distinguish between them. As is suggested under Cooper, they may be identical or they may have come true to seed from the same parent. The American Pomological Society recommended this plum for general cultivation in 1856.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, very productive;
trunk rather rough; branches smooth, with few lenticels;
branchlets of medium thickness and length, with long
internodes, green changing to dark brownish-red, covered with
thin bloom, lightly pubescent early in the season becoming
almost glabrous at maturity, with few, small lenticels;
leaf-buds of medium size and length, conical, appressed.

Leaves flattened or somewhat folded backward, obovate, two
inches wide, three and five-eighths inches long, thick,
velvety; upper surface dark green, rugose, with but few
hairs along the narrow, deeply grooved midrib; lower surface
silvery-green, covered with thick pubescence; apex abruptly
pointed or acute, base acute, margin crenate, with few small,
dark brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, heavily
pubescent, tinged red along one side, glandless or with one or
two small, globose, yellow glands usually at the base of the
leaf.

Season of bloom medium, short; flowers appearing with the
leaves, one and one-quarter inches across, white, with a yellow
tinge; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs; pedicels
five-eighths inch long, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, with few scattering hairs; calyx-lobes above
medium in width, obtuse, sparingly pubescent on both surfaces,
glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs, reflexed; petals
broad-obovate or oval, crenate, tapering to long claws of
medium width; anthers yellow, filaments seven-sixteenths inch
long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season, one
and five-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size,
oval, compressed, halves somewhat unequal; cavity shallow,
narrow, abrupt; suture very shallow or sometimes a line; apex
roundish or depressed; color dark purplish-black, overspread
with thick bloom; dots numerous small, russet, inconspicuous;
stem three-quarters inch long, pubescent, adhering to the
fruit; skin below medium in thickness, tender, sour, separating
readily; flesh pale yellow, juicy, tender, sweet, of pleasant
flavor; good; stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths inch in
size, oval, with very rough and deeply pitted surfaces, usually
somewhat flattened, tapering abruptly at the base, blunt at the
apex; ventral suture wide, blunt; dorsal suture with a groove
variable in depth and width.

SOPHIE

_Prunus munsoniana_

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 263, Pl. VI. 1892. =2.= Kerr _Cat._
1894. =3.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 189. 1901.

Sophie is fast being lost sight of among the multitudes of native plums recently introduced. Without any very distinct merits it yet stands high among plums of its kind. The variety is a seedling of Wild Goose at first supposed by the originator, J. W. Kerr,[223] of Denton, Maryland, to have been pollinated by a German Prune which stood near. This is hardly the case, however, as no trace of Domestica blood can be detected in the variety. It is mentioned by the American Pomological Society in its catalog for 1899.

Tree large, very vigorous, spreading, open-topped, productive;
branches thorny, shaggy, with long and unbranched limbs;
branchlets willowy, slender; leaves folded upward, oval, one
and three-quarters inches wide, three and one-quarter inches
long, thin; margin shallowly crenate, with small, dark glands;
petiole slender, pubescent, with from one to three small
glands; blooming season late, long; flowers appearing after the
leaves, nearly three-quarters inch across, white, pinkish as
they open, with a disagreeable odor; borne in twos or threes;
anthers yellow with an orange-red tinge.

Fruit maturing later than Wild Goose; large, one and
three-eighths inches by one and one-eighth inches in size,
obovate, slightly necked, pear-shaped, bright red, covered
with thin bloom; dots conspicuous; stem slender, long; flesh
deep yellow, juicy, coarse and fibrous, subacid, flat; of fair
quality; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by three-eighths
inch in size, somewhat angular, irregular-obovate, with a
peculiar elongated, flattened, oblique base; apex abruptly
acute; surfaces rough.

SPAULDING

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Lovett _Cat._ =41=, Col. Pl. 1888. 2. _Cornell Sta. Bul._
=131=:192. 1897. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:243, 248. 1899.
=4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1899. =5.= _Kan. Sta. Bul._
=101=:121, 122, Pl. V. 1901. =6.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 122. 1901.
=7.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =162=:239. 1905.

Among the plums of comparatively recent introduction Spaulding holds a conspicuous place. It is particularly highly spoken of for its good quality and while not recommended for commercial orchards is often mentioned as very desirable for home use. As Spaulding grows at this Station, it does not sustain the reputation it has elsewhere. It is of the Reine Claude group of plums and while of high quality is not as good a dessert plum as several other similar sorts. Moreover, the fruits are small and too light in color to be especially attractive in appearance. The plums, too, are quite susceptible to brown-rot. The tree-characters of this variety are in the main very good but not at all out of the ordinary. It is very doubtful whether this sort can compete for any purpose with such similar plums as Hand, Jefferson, Washington, Bavay, Reine Claude, McLaughlin and Imperial Gage. It may be worthy a trial elsewhere in New York with the hope that it will more nearly approach the reputation that it has in other states than it does at Geneva—at best it cannot be more than a home variety.

Spaulding was brought to the notice of fruit-growers by J. T. Lovett, Little Silver, New Jersey, who introduced the variety in 1888. The plum came to Mr. Lovett from Francis Garriel with the statement that it originated as a seedling in the yard of Mr. Garriel’s father in the Bowery, New York City. From the resemblance of Spaulding to the Imperial Gage it is probable that they are closely related. In 1899 the variety was placed on the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological Society as a successful variety in the north-eastern part of the United States and the neighboring parts of Canada.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy,
productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the raised
lenticels of various sizes; branchlets of medium thickness
and length, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to
brownish-red, dull, lightly pubescent throughout the season,
with obscure, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and
length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves folded upward, nearly two inches wide, three and
one-quarter inches long, thick; upper surface dark green,
rugose, glabrous, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower
surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or
acute, base acute, margin serrate or crenate, with small,
dark glands; petiole nearly five-eighths inch long, thick,
pubescent, tinged red, with from one to four small, globose,
greenish glands usually on the stalk.

Blooming season intermediate in time and length, one inch or
more across, white with a yellowish tinge at the apex of the
petals in the newly opened flowers; borne on lateral spurs,
singly or in pairs; pedicels three-eighths inch long, thick,
pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, lightly
pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces,
glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals oblong, crenate, not
clawed; anthers yellow; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil
glabrous or occasionally with a few hairs near the base, longer
than the stamens; stigma large.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; one and five-eighths
inches by one and three-eighths inches in size, oblong-oval
or ovate, compressed, halves equal; cavity small, shallow,
abrupt; suture shallow, often a line; apex roundish; color
dull greenish-yellow, with stripes and splashes of light
green, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, small,
whitish, inconspicuous; stem three-quarters inch long, lightly
pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tender,
separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, fibrous,
tender, sweet, mild, pleasant; very good; stone semi-free or
free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, ovate,
turgid, slightly pitted, blunt at the base, nearly acute at
the apex; ventral suture rather broad, slightly furrowed, with
a distinct but short wing; dorsal suture widely and deeply
grooved.

STANTON

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =29=:116. 1887. =2.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._
288. 1889. =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =131=:192. 1897.

Stanton’s Seedling 2.

This plum appears to be a very good late variety in several respects; it is a long-keeping fruit, is of very good quality for dessert and is a fine plum for canning and preserving. Its faults are that it is tardy in coming into bearing and the fruits drop badly from the trees as they begin to ripen; in localities where these faults are marked the variety is worthless. Stanton originated as a chance seedling in Albany County, New York, from whence it was sent to Hammond and Willard of Geneva, New York, who introduced it about 1885.

Tree very large and vigorous, round-topped, variable in
productiveness; branches slender, marked by transverse cracks
in the bark; leaf-scars enlarged; leaves folded upward, oval
or obovate, one and one-half inches wide, three inches long;
margin finely and doubly crenate, with few, dark glands;
petiole short, glandless or with from one to three small glands
usually on the stalk; blooming season intermediate in time and
length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth
inches across, borne in scattering clusters on lateral buds and
spurs, singly or in pairs.

Fruit late, season long; about one and one-quarter inches in
diameter, roundish-oblate, truncate, purplish-black, overspread
with very heavy bloom; flesh bright golden-yellow, fibrous,
very sweet, rather high-flavored; good to very good; stone
semi-free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size,
irregular roundish-oval, turgid, with a blunt and oblique base,
the surfaces nearly smooth; ventral suture enlarged, often with
a short, distinct wing; dorsal suture shallow.

STODDARD

_Prunus americana_

=1.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 78. 1892. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._
88. 1895. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1899. =4.= _Ia. Sta.
Bul._ =46=:289. 1900. =5.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 478, Pl. LXII.
1902.

_Baker_ 2. Stoddart 1, 2.

Stoddard is usually rated as one of the best of the Americana plums and its behavior on the grounds of this Station sustains its reputation. The firmness of the fruit makes it a good shipping plum of its kind and season. This variety was discovered by B. F. Stoddard of Jesup, Buchanan County, Iowa, about 1875, growing in a garden owned by Mrs. Caroline Baker who stated that her husband secured the trees from the woods, presumably along the Maquoketa River. The variety was subsequently introduced by J. Wragg and Sons of Waukee, Iowa, at dates variously reported from 1890 to 1895.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk
shaggy; branches slender, thorny; branchlets slender, with
conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaves falling early,
flattened, oval or obovate, two and one-quarter inches wide,
four inches long; margin coarsely serrate, eglandular; petiole
tinged red, glandless or with from one to three glands usually
on the stalk; blooming season late; flowers appearing with the
leaves, one inch across, white.

Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; about
one and three-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-oblate;
suture a distinct red line; color light to dark red over
a yellow ground, mottled, covered with thick bloom; skin
astringent; flesh dark golden-yellow, very juicy, tender
and melting, rather sweet next the skin but tart near the
center, with a characteristic flavor; good; stone clinging,
seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, roundish to
broad-oval, strongly flattened, with smooth surfaces; ventral
suture narrow, winged.

STONELESS

_Prunus insititia_

=1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =2=:110, Pl. 20 fig. 14. 1768.
=2.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =2=:42, Tab. 194 fig. 2. 1796. =3.=
_Mag. Hort._ =9=:165. 1843. =4.= Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ 1. 1846.
=5.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:121, fig. 61. 1873. =6.= Hogg _Fruit
Man._ 726. 1884. =7.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 450. 1889.

Die Pflaume ohne Stein 2. _Jean Morceau_ 3. _Kirke’s Stoneless_
6, 7. _Pflaume Ohne Steine_ 5. _Pitless_ 5, 7. Prune Sans-Noyau
4. Sans-Noyau 1, 5. _Sans Noyau_ 3, 6, 7. Steinlose Zwetsche 7.
_Stoneless_ 5, 7.

This curious plum is attracting attention because of the publicity given it by Burbank in his breeding work. The variety is at least three hundred years old. It was known to Merlet, writing in the Seventeenth Century, and has been mentioned in plum literature many times since. The plum is remarkable because of the entire absence of a stone, the kernel lying naked in a cavity much larger than itself. The variety is worthless but presents opportunities for breeding purposes that should not be overlooked. Judging from the fruit-characters as given below it belongs to _Prunus insititia_. The Stoneless is supposed to have been introduced into England from the Royal Gardens at Versailles by George London. It was long sold as Kirke’s Stoneless, having been much advertised by Kirke, a nurseryman at Brompton, England. It is described as follows:

Fruit small, oval, dark purple, with thick bloom; flesh
greenish-yellow, harsh and strongly acid at first but assuming
a more pleasant flavor as it shrivels upon the tree.

SUGAR

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Cal. State Bd. Hort._ 47. 1897-98. =2.= Burbank _Cat._ 5
fig. 1899. =3.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 124. 1901. =4.= _U. S. D. A.
Rpt._ 275, Pl. XXXVI fig. 2. 1903.

Sugar Prune 1, 4.

The introduction of Sugar to the Atlantic States was preceded by very flattering accounts of it from the originator, Mr. Burbank, and from Pacific Coast plum-growers. Possibly our expectations were too high; for we have been greatly disappointed in this plum as compared with its parent, Agen, as the two varieties grow at Geneva—it should be said at once that neither grows nearly as well in New York as in California. The fruits of Sugar on the Station grounds are not larger than those of the Agen, while in California it is said to be twice or three times as large; the flavor is not as pleasant and the flesh is fibrous in the offspring and not so in the parent at Geneva, though in California the Sugar is said to be of better quality than the Agen. As the two grow here, Sugar is rather more attractive in appearance and ripens earlier, the latter character a distinct advantage since Agen is very late in New York. The trees of the two plums are much alike though those of Agen are larger and more productive than those of Sugar as grown in New York. There are, however, but two trees of the latter variety on the Station grounds and these are young, set in 1899, so that too much importance must not be attached to the comparison of the trees. Sugar is worth further trial in New York under other conditions of soil and climate but it is extremely doubtful whether it will surpass the Agen in this State.

This plum, a seedling of the well-known Agen, was introduced by its originator, Burbank, in 1899. The California Experiment Station in analyzing this plum found it to be richer in sugar than the Agen and states that it is larger and more easily dried. Sugar has become of great commercial importance in the California prune districts and has been top-grafted on other plums and even on almonds to the extent of hundreds of acres in that State and in Oregon. As yet it is only under trial in New York.

Tree of medium size, usually vigorous, spreading, dense-topped,
hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, tinged red, smooth except
for the numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets slender,
with long internodes, green changing to brownish-red, dull,
sparingly pubescent throughout the season, with numerous,
inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, somewhat
pointed, strongly appressed.

Leaves folded backward, obovate or oval, two and one-half
inches wide, five inches long; upper surface dark green,
rugose, covered with numerous hairs, the midrib narrowly
grooved; lower surface pale green, overspread with thick
pubescence; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute,
margin serrate, with small dark glands; petiole nearly one
inch long, covered with thick pubescence, lightly tinged with
red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose,
greenish-yellow glands at the base of the leaf.

Flowers large, intermediate in time of bloom; calyx-tube green;
stamens longer than the pistil.

Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season;
small, ovate or oval, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow,
abrupt; suture shallow, often a line; apex roundish or
pointed; color dark reddish-purple changing to purplish-black,
covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, light russet,
inconspicuous; stem slender, long, pubescent, adhering; skin
thin, tender, separating readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy,
coarse, fibrous, tender, sweet, mild; good to very good; stone
light colored, with a tinge of red, thin, of medium size,
ovate, flattened, with rough and pitted surfaces, blunt at
the base, acute at the apex; ventral suture rather narrow,
distinctly furrowed, slightly winged; dorsal suture with a
wide, deep groove.

SURPRISE

_Prunus hortulana mineri?_

=1.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =63=:61 fig. 30. 1897. =2.= _Ia. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 112. 1899. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1899. =4.=
_Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 69. 1900. =5.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =46=:289.
1900. =6.= _Wis. Sta. Bul._ =87=:18. 1901. =7.= Waugh _Plum
Cult._ 175. 1901. =8.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 228. 1904. =9.=
_Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 426. 1905. =10.= _S. Dak. Sta. Bul._
=93=:39. 1905.

Surprise is one of the best of the native plums in the Station orchard. The fruits are very attractive in appearance and while not of the rich flavor of the Domesticas they are yet of pleasant flavor with an abundance of juice which together make this a most refreshing fruit. The fruits keep well and would probably ship well. The color is a peculiar red which serves to identify the variety; on the whole the fruits resemble the Americanas while the trees are rather more of the Miner type. The variety is productive in New York and is so spoken of in Wisconsin by Goff,[224] but in Iowa it is said not to bear abundantly. If a native plum is wanted in New York, this variety is worthy a trial.

Surprise, according to the originator, Martin Penning of Sleepy Eye, Brown County, Minnesota, is the best of a thousand or more seedlings grown from pits of De Soto, Weaver and Miner sown in 1882. In 1889, Penning introduced this plum and ten years later it was added to the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological Society. The parentage of the variety is unknown but it has usually been thought that the botanical characters indicate that it is a seedling of Miner. As the tree grows here, (they came to the Station from Mr. Penning,) it appears to be a hybrid of _Prunus americana_ and _Prunus hortulana mineri_, characters of both species being evident.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, hardy, productive;
trunk roughish; branches smooth, zigzag, thorny, dark
ash-gray, with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets slender,
medium to long, with long internodes, green changing to dark
chestnut-red, with brownish-gray scarf-skin, glossy, glabrous,
with numerous, conspicuous, small, raised lenticels; leaf-buds
small, short, obtuse, plump, appressed.

Leaves falling early, folded upward, oval or ovate, two inches
wide, four and one-half inches long, thin; upper surface
light green, glabrous, smooth, with a grooved midrib; lower
surface pale green, lightly pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base
abrupt, margin often coarsely and doubly serrate, with amber
glands which are not persistent; petiole thirteen-sixteenths
inch long, slender, reddish, sparingly pubescent along one
side, glandless or with from one to five small, globose,
yellowish-brown glands usually on the stalk.

Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers
appearing with the leaves, three-quarters inch across,
creamy-white, with a disagreeable odor; borne in clusters from
lateral buds, in threes or in fours; pedicels three-eighths
inch long, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube greenish,
campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, pubescent
on the inner surface, serrate and with reddish glands, erect;
petals roundish-ovate, entire, narrowly clawed; anthers
yellowish; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous,
equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and three-eighths
inches by one and one-eighth inches in size, halves equal;
cavity shallow, flaring; suture very shallow, distinct; apex
roundish or depressed; color dark red, covered with thin bloom;
dots numerous, medium to large, russet, conspicuous, clustered
about the apex; stem one-half inch long, glabrous, adhering to
the fruit; skin thick, tough, clinging; flesh golden-yellow,
juicy, fibrous, somewhat tender, sweet, insipid; quality fair;
stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval,
flattened, pointed at the base and apex, with smooth surfaces.

TENNANT

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Bailey _Ann. Hort._ 133. 1893. =2.= _Oregon Sta. Bul._
=45=:32. 1897. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 40. 1899. =4.= _Can.
Exp. Farm Bul._ 2nd Ser. =3=:57. 1900. =5.= Waugh _Plum Cult._
124. 1901. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 326. 1903.

Tennant Prune 1. Tenant Prune 4.

It is surprising that a variety of so much merit, especially of so great beauty, as Tennant, should not have been more widely tried in New York. In the survey of plum culture in this State in the preparation of the text for _The Plums of New York_, it could not be learned that the Tennant had been tried in more than four or five places. In size and beauty of form and coloring, all well shown in the illustration, Tennant has few superiors in the collection of plums growing at this Station. While it is not sufficiently high in quality to be called a first-rate dessert fruit it is more palatable than most of the purple plums. It ripens at a good time of the year, several days before the Italian Prune, and should, from the nature of its skin and the firmness of its flesh, both ship and keep well. A fault of the fruit as it grows here, a fault not ascribed to it elsewhere, is that it shrivels soon after ripening. Our trees are large, vigorous, healthy, hardy and productive—almost ideal plum-trees. This variety should be very generally tried in commercial plantations in New York and may well be planted in home collections for a culinary fruit at least. On the Pacific Coast it is cured for prunes, its meaty flesh fitting it very well for this purpose.

This is another promising plum from the Pacific Northwest. Tennant originated with Rev. John Tennant of Ferndale, Washington, and was introduced in 1893 by McGill and McDonald, Salem, Oregon. The variety is fairly well known in the region of its origin but is practically unknown in New York. It was listed in the American Pomological Society catalog in 1897 as successful in the Pacific Northwest.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, open, hardy, productive;
trunk slightly roughened; branches stocky, smooth, with
lenticels of medium number and size; branchlets thick, long,
with long internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-drab,
with green patches and considerable scarf-skin, somewhat
glossy, sparingly pubescent throughout the season, with
small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, pointed, appressed;
leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves folded backward, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters
inches wide, three and one-half inches long, thick, stiff;
upper surface dark green, rugose, sparingly hairy, with a
grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, with thick
pubescence; apex abruptly pointed to acute, base acute, margin
crenate, eglandular or with small, brown glands; petiole
five-eighths inch long, thick, tinged red along one side,
hairy, glandless or with one or two rather large, globose,
brownish glands variable in position.

Blooming season early to medium, short; flowers appearing after
the leaves, one inch or more across, white, the buds tinged
yellow; borne on lateral spurs; pedicels one-half inch long,
thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, often with a
swelling around the base, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes
broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, with thick, marginal
hairs, erect; petals roundish-oval, entire, tapering to short,
broad claws; anthers large, yellow; filaments five-sixteenths
inch long; pistil pubescent at the base, equal to the stamens
in length; stigma large.

Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; one
and three-quarters inches by one and five-eighths inches in
size, roundish-truncate or roundish-oblong, with irregular
surface which is somewhat ridged, halves equal; cavity narrow,
abrupt, slightly compressed; suture variable in depth,
distinct; apex deeply depressed; color dark reddish-purple,
overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, variable in size,
whitish, conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem thick,
three-eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the
fruit; skin tough, adhering slightly to the pulp; flesh dark
golden-yellow, somewhat dry, coarse, tough, firm, sweet, mild
but pleasant; of good quality; stone clinging, seven-eighths
inch by five-eighths inch in size, irregular-oval, flattened,
obliquely necked, blunt at the apex, with deeply pitted
surfaces, roughish; ventral suture prominent, heavily furrowed,
not winged; dorsal suture usually with a narrow, shallow groove.

TRAGEDY

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Cal. State Bd. Hort._ 236, Pl. II fig. 5, 237. 1890. =2.=
_Ibid._ 109 fig. 8. 1891. =3.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 358. 1891.
=4.= _N. Mex. Sta. Bul._ =27=:125. 1898. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Cat._ 40. 1899. =6.= Waugh _Plum. Cult._ 124. 1901.

Tragedy Prune 1, 3, 4.

Tragedy is another western plum which, like the Tennant, has not been well tested in the East. It is an older plum than the Tennant and somewhat better known in New York but still the reports of it are not sufficient in number or of great enough range to enable a fair opinion to be given as to its merits. As the variety grows at Geneva the fruits are very attractive in appearance—above medium size, a dark, rich purple color, and having the full, rounded form much liked by consumers in a dessert plum. The flesh is juicy, tender and sweet so that the quality may be called good; possibly the flesh is a little too soft for long shipping or long keeping as it grows here, though in one of the California references it is spoken of as “valuable for eastern shipment.” The trees are very satisfactory except that in New York they are not quite as reliable in bearing as could be wished. A fault, as the variety grows here and which may be local, is that a large proportion of the pits are cracked and all are soft and granular. The tree is reported by some as “scale proof” but unfortunately this statement can neither be denied nor affirmed. A plum with the good qualities possessed by Tragedy, should be better known in New York.

The following history is contributed by Professor E. J. Wickson, Berkeley, California. Tragedy originated as a chance seedling on the farm of O. R. Runyon, near Courtland, Sacramento County, California, probably in the late seventies. It was first offered to the trade in dormant buds by W. R. Strong and Company of Sacramento in 1887. Since the German Prune and Duane Purple grew on the place of its origin and as it shows characters of both, it has been noted as a probable cross of these varieties. The name Tragedy is understood to have been given to the fruit by Mr. Runyon because the plum was noted to be desirable on or about a day upon which a certain event held to be tragical occurred in the neighborhood. In 1899, the American Pomological Society considered Tragedy worthy a place in its list of fruits.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, hardy, variable in
productiveness; branches ash-gray, usually smooth, with raised
lenticels of various sizes; branchlets twiggy, thick, medium
to short, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark
brownish-drab, covered with thick pubescence, with obscure,
small lenticels; leaf-buds intermediate in size and length,
obtuse, plump, appressed.

Leaves folded backward, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters
inches wide, three and three-quarters inches long; upper
surface dark green, glabrous except for the few hairs on the
deeply and narrowly grooved midrib; lower surface pubescent;
apex acute or obtuse, base acute; petiole five-eighths inch
long, thick, pubescent, faintly tinged red, glandless or with
one or two small, globose, greenish-brown glands usually at the
base of the leaf.

Blooming season early, short; flowers appearing with the
leaves, seven-eighths inch across, white; borne on lateral
buds, usually in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long, thick,
pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, with roughened surface,
campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, lightly pubescent,
serrate, with many glands and marginal hairs, reflexed; petals
broadly oval, crenate, short-clawed; anthers bright yellow;
filaments nearly five-sixteenths inch long; pistil pubescent at
the base, much longer than the stamens.

Fruit early, season short; one and five-eighths inches by
one and three-eighths inches in size, oval, swollen on the
suture side, compressed, halves unequal; cavity narrow,
abrupt, regular; suture shallow, often an indistinct line;
apex roundish; color dark purplish-black, covered with thick
bloom; dots numerous, variable in size, russet, inconspicuous;
stem five-eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the
fruit; skin of medium thickness and toughness, somewhat sour,
separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, tender,
sweet, mild; good; stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths
inch in size, irregular-oval, flattened, obliquely necked;
apex acute; surfaces pitted, roughish; ventral suture narrow,
prominent, not winged; dorsal suture narrowly and deeply
grooved.

TRANSPARENT

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 395. 1857. =2.= _Flor. & Pom._
56, Col. Pl. fig. 1862. =3.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 383. 1866. =4.=
Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 950. 1869. =5.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S.
=17=:258. 1869. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 91. 1869. =7.= _Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1871. =8.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 25. 1871.
=9.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:31, fig. 16. 1873. =10.= _Cat. Cong.
Pom. France_ 365. 1887. =11.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 428. 1889.
=12.= _Guide Prat._ 154, 364. 1895. =13.= Nicholson _Dict.
Gard._ =3=:166. =14.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 124. 1901. =15.= _Soc.
Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 554 fig. 1904.

_Diaphane_ 4, 12. _Diaphane Lafay_ 4. _Durchscheinende
Reineclaude_ 9, 12. Durchscheinende Reine-Claude 11. _Prune
Diaphane_ 9. _Prune Diaphane Laffay_ 4, 11. _Reine-Claude
De Guigne_ 9. Reine-Claude Diaphane 1, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15.
_Reine-Claude Diaphane_ 2, 3, 4, 5, 11. _Reine-Claude
Transparente_ 9, 11, 12, 15. _Reine-Claude Transparent_ 4.
Transparent Green Gage 6. Transparent Gage 3, 4, 7, 8, 13.
_Transparent Gage_ 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15. Transparent Gage
Plum 2, 5.

In Europe Transparent is considered one of the best of all dessert plums but either it does not do as well in America or the American bred plums of the Reine Claude group, to which this variety belongs, are much better on this continent than in the Old World. At any rate in our soil and climate there are a dozen or more Reine Claude plums as good or better in quality than Transparent and much superior in other characters. It is, however, worth planting by the connoisseur for its quality and because of the transparency of skin—in the latter respect it is unique among Domestica plums. The flower-buds of this variety have a remarkable tendency to produce leaves in the place of floral organs.

Transparent is an old French variety. M. Lafay, a rose-grower at Bellevue, near Paris, raised it from the seed of the Reine Claude and named it Reine Claude Diaphane. It was grown previous to 1836, for, during this year, Thomas Rivers of England, while visiting M. Lafay, was told of its origin. In 1871, the American Pomological Society listed Transparent in its catalog as worthy of culture. The color of this variety leads to the suspicion that Reine Claude is not the only parent.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy,
productive; branches slender, ash-gray, roughish towards
the trunk, with small lenticels; branchlets above medium in
thickness, short, with internodes of average length, green
changing to brownish-red often retaining some green, dull,
pubescent, with small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and
length, conical, somewhat appressed.

Leaves folded upward, obovate or oval, two and one-half inches
wide, five inches long, above average thickness; upper surface
rugose, nearly glabrous, with a grooved midrib; lower surface
pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin
often doubly serrate or crenate, with small, dark glands;
petiole seven-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, faintly
tinged red, glandless or with from one to four rather large,
globose or oval, greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.

Season of bloom medium, short; flowers appearing after the
leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white; borne in
scattering clusters on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in
pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent,
greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
obtuse, lightly pubescent, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals
obovate, crenate, tapering to short, broad claws; anthers
yellow with a tinge of red; filaments three-eighths inch long;
pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens, often in pairs.

Fruit late, intermediate in length of ripening season; one
and three-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size,
oblate, compressed; halves equal; cavity wide, flaring; suture
a line; apex flattened or depressed; color red over a dark
amber-yellow ground, mottled, covered with thin bloom; dots
numerous, grayish or light russet, conspicuous, decreasing in
number but increasing in size towards the cavity; stem thick,
three-quarters inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the
fruit; skin thin, adhering but slightly; flesh golden-yellow,
juicy, fibrous, tender, very sweet, aromatic, pleasant; very
good to best; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half
inch in size, roundish-oval, turgid, blunt at the base and
apex, with slightly pitted surfaces; ventral suture, wide,
blunt, faintly grooved; dorsal suture with a deep groove of
medium width.

UNGARISH

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Ia. Agr. Col. Bul._ 50, 51. 1886. =2.= _Ia. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 86. 1890. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:53. 1895. =4.=
_Kan. Sta. Bul._ =101=:117, 119, 120 fig. 1901. =5.= Waugh
_Plum Cult._ 109. 1901. =6.= _Can. Exp. Farms Rpt._ 102. 1902.
=7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 326. 1903. =8.= _Can. Exp.
Farms Rpt._ 433. 1905.

Hungarian 3, ?6. _Hungarian Prune_ 3. Hungarian Prune 4.
Hungary 1. Ungarische 8. Ungarish Prune 2, 7. _Quetsche de
Hongrie_ 1. _Zwetsche Ungarische_ 1.

Budd’s Ungarish as grown at the New York State Experiment Station is nearly identical with the Italian Prune. The only differences to be detected are that the Italian Prune is a trifle smaller, a little more firm, not as broad and not quite as sweet as the Ungarish. The pit of the latter is usually tinged with red, while that of the former is rarely so colored. If the Ungarish prove as productive as the Italian Prune it may be more desirable because of its larger size. In 1883 Professor J. L. Budd of the Iowa Experiment Station imported trees under the name Quetsche de Hongrie or Zwetsche Ungarische from C. H. Wagner of Riga, Russia and from Wilhelm Wohler of Wilna, Russia. Budd disseminated the variety as Hungary, a name soon changed to Hungarian Prune and later to Ungarish. This is not to be confused with the true Hungarian so well known in Europe as the Quetsche de Hongrie.

UTAH

_Prunus besseyi_ × _Prunus watsoni_

=1.= Dieck in Dippel _Laubholzkunde_ =3=:634. 1893. =2.=
_Cornell Sta. Bul._ =70=:262, Pl. II fig. 3. 1894. =3.= _Tex.
Sta. Bul._ =32=:490. 1894. =4.= _Vt. Sta. Bul._ =67=:21. 1898.
=5.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 225. 1901.

_Black Utah Hybrid_ 2, 4, 5. Utah Hybrid 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

This interesting natural hybrid was grown by J. E. Johnson at Wood River, Nebraska, some time previous to 1870. Mr. Johnson planted seed of the native dwarf cherry which had grown near Sand plums and which supposedly had been pollinized by the plums. The resulting plants proved to be intermediates between the cherry and the plum and are now generally thought to be natural hybrids. From these seedlings, one was selected and propagated. Shortly afterwards Mr. Johnson moved to Utah taking his new hybrid with him and from there distributed it as Utah. In 1893 a German botanist, Dieck (References, 1), described this hybrid and gave it the specific name _Prunus utahensis_. The plant has no commercial value. It is described as follows:

Tree a dwarfish tree-like bush three or four feet in height;
branches and branchlets zigzag after the habit of _Prunus
watsoni_: leaves small, narrow-ovate, pointed at the ends;
margins crenulate, glandless, sometimes small glands on the
petioles; fruit early, small, round, dark mahogany-red, covered
with bloom; skin very bitter; flesh melting; pleasant flavor;
quality poor; stone small, round like that of a cherry.

VICTORIA

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 153. 1831. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 315. 1845. =3.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ 45, Pl. 1856. =4.=
Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 516. 1859. =5.= _Cultivator_ =8=:26 fig.
1860. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 88. 1862. =7.= Thomas _Am.
Fruit Cult._ 349 fig. 379. 1867. =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
948. 1869. =9.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 13. 1871. =10.= _Mas Le
Verger_ =6=:23, fig. 12. 1866-73. =11.= Oberdieck _Deut. Obst.
Sort._ 419. 1881. =12.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 728. 1884. =13.=
Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 438. 1889. =14.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._
No. 98 fig. 1894. =15.= _Guide Prat._ 159, 367. 1895. =16.=
_Cornell Sta. Bul_. =131=:193. 1897. =17.= _Jour. Roy._ _Hort.
Soc._ =21=:222. 1897. =18.= _Mich. Sta._ _Bul_. =169=:243, 248.
1899. 19. _Garden_ =57=:267. 1900. =20.= _Waugh Plum Cult._
122, 123 fig. 1901.

_Alderton_ 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15. _Dauphin_ 8, 13.
_Denyer’s Victoria_ ?2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15. Denyer’s
Victoria 4. _Dolphin_ 8, 13. _Imperial de Sharp_ 8, 13.
Königin Victoria 11, 13, 15. _Königin Victoria_ 9, 14, 15. La
Victorine 1. Prune Reine Victoria 3. _Queen Victoria_ ?2, 3,
13, 14, 15. Queen Victoria 9. _Reine Victoria_ 9, 10, 13, 14,
of some 15. _Royal Dauphine_ 8, 13. Sharp 20. Sharp’s Emperor
2, 8. _Sharp’s Emperor_ 3, 9, 10, 12, 13, by error 15, 20.
_Sharpe’s Emperor_, 17 incor. Victoria-Pflaume 14. _Sharp’s
Kaiserpflaume_ 13. _Victoria_ 8, 9, 13, 14, 20. _Victoria’s
Kaiserzwetsche_ 14, 15.

For some reason Victoria, long known in America, has never attained great popularity in this country. It is a large plum attaining nearly the size of Pond, though the color-plate does not so show it, and has much the same color as the plum with which we have just compared it. Here resemblances cease for Victoria is not the same shape as Pond, is a little better in quality, is earlier and quite different in tree-characters. It would seem that this would make a good market plum as it is firm enough in flesh to ship well, as grown here keeps remarkably well, is better in quality than the average market plum and is handsome, though Americans seem to care little for red plums, preferring the yellow sorts and still more the purple kinds. Unfortunately, Victoria does not always color well in our climate. The trees of this variety at this Station, while productive, are not large nor robust, and the foliage is a little too susceptible to fungi. These defects of the tree may account for the lack of popularity of the variety in New York though even if they are to be found in all localities, which is probably not the case, this plum is still worth growing to some extent for home or market.

The origin of this plum and even its right to the name under which it is discussed here are matters of controversy. The London Horticultural Society in 1831 mentioned La Victorine in its catalog but since no description was given it cannot be identified as Victoria. Sharp’s Emperor which has been confused with this variety, was described in the same publication. These two varieties were considered as identical by Charles Downing, Hogg, Mas and others; while Royer[225] who tested Sharp’s Emperor, obtained from Liegel, thought it to be distinct, as did Thomas, the _Guide Pratique_ and Pearson of England. Hogg in describing the Victoria says, “This is a Sussex plum, and was discovered in a garden at Alderton in that county. It became known as Sharp’s Emperor, and was ultimately sold by a nurseryman named Denyer, in the year 1844 at Brixton, near London, at a high price as a new variety under the name of Denyer’s Victoria.” Pearson in the _Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society_ for 1897 says the reason that Hogg and other authorities had called these varieties identical is that they had not seen the true variety. At this Station we have not seen Sharp’s Emperor but judging from the descriptions it is distinct though very similar. The American Pomological Society placed Victoria on its fruit list in 1862 but in 1871, Sharp’s Emperor was substituted as the correct name with Victoria as a synonym. This change was probably made to comply with Downing’s nomenclature of 1869. A review of the whole controversy cannot but lead to the conclusion that Victoria is the correct name and it appears also to be in most common use.

Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, hardy,
productive; branches ash-gray, smooth, with few large
lenticels; branchlets thick, short, stout, with short
internodes, greenish changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, with
thick pubescence, with few inconspicuous, small lenticels;
leaf-buds large, long, conical or pointed, free.

Leaves folded backward, obovate, two and three-eighths inches
wide, five inches long, thick, stiff; upper surface dark green,
rugose, with a narrow groove on the midrib, sparingly hairy;
lower surface medium green, thickly pubescent; apex abruptly
pointed, base cuneate, margin serrate or crenate, eglandular
or with small dark glands; petiole one inch long, covered with
thick pubescence, tinged red on one side, glandless or with
from one to three globose or reniform, yellow glands usually on
the stalk.

Season of bloom medium, short; flowers appearing with
the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white, the
buds tinged yellow; borne in clusters on lateral buds and
spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels nearly three-eighths
inch long, thick, heavily pubescent; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes medium to narrow, obtuse,
glandular-serrate, thickly pubescent on both surfaces,
reflexed; petals roundish-obovate, entire or occasionally
notched, tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellow;
filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than
the stamens.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period of medium length; one and
seven-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size,
long-oval, oblong, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow,
narrow, flaring; suture variable in depth, prominent; apex
roundish or depressed; color dark red, mottled before full
maturity, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, russet,
conspicuous; stem thick, three-quarters inch long, very
pubescent, adhering strongly to the fruit; skin thin, tender,
adhering but slightly; flesh light yellow, juicy, coarse, firm,
sweet, mild but pleasant; good; stone free, one and one-eighth
inches by three-eighths inch in size, broad-oval, strongly
flattened, deeply pitted, roughish, blunt at the base and apex;
ventral suture narrow, distinctly winged; dorsal suture widely
and deeply grooved.

VIOLET DIAPER

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 576, 578. 1629. =2.= Langley
_Pomona_ 93, Pl. XXIII fig. II. 1729. =3.= Duhamel _Trait.
Arb. Fr._ =2=:101, Pl. XVII fig. 1768. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:70, 92. 1832. =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 425. 1854. =6.= Koch
_Deut. Obst._ 572. 1876. =7.= _Le Bon Jard._ 339. 1882. =8.=
Hogg _Fruit Man._ 690. 1884. =9.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 452.
1889. =10.= _Guide Prat._ 157, 355. 1895.

Black Diapred 1. _Blaue Diaprée_ 9, 10. _Blaue Herzformige
Pflaume_ 9, 10. _Buntfarbige Violette Pflaume_ 9, 10. _Cheston_
1, 9, 10. Cheston 4, 5, 8. _Cheston Matchless_ 5. Cheston’s
Plumb 2. Dennie 1. Diaprée noire 7. _Die Violette Diaprée_ 10.
Diaprée Violette 3, 10. _Diaprée Violette_ 4, 8, 9. Diapre
Violet 4. Friars 1. Friars 8. Friar’s Plum 9. Matchless 4, 5,
9, 10. Purple Diaper 6. _Violet Diaper_ 5, 9. Violette Diaprée
9. _Violette Violen Pflaume_ 9, 10. _Veilchen Pflaume_ 9, 10.

Violet Diaper was cultivated at the beginning of the Seventeenth Century and has maintained itself in Europe until the present time although never attaining nor deserving the popularity of the Red Diaper. Matchless, cited as a synonym, is manifestly incorrect as the true Matchless is a yellow plum; but since it has been used so long and by so many writers as a synonym, it seems best to mention it as such. This plum is not grown in America. It is described as follows:

Fruit early; of medium size, oval; suture faint; cavity almost
lacking; skin free; dark purple, covered with thick bloom;
flesh yellow, firm, sweet; good; freestone.

VORONESH

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 76. 1883. =2.= _Ibid._ 61. 1887. =3.=
_Am. Gard._ =11=:625 fig. 1. 1890. =4.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 116.
1901. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ 327, 329. 1903.

Moldavka 1, 2, 3, 4. Voronesh Yellow 3, 5. Yellow Moldavka 5.
Yellow Voronesh 2.

Voronesh is a Russian sort supposed to be ironclad as to cold. It is perfectly hardy at Geneva, the trees are also very productive and the fruits are attractive enough in size and color to meet market demands but the flavor is so insipid as to make the plum unfit for dessert and hardly fit for kitchen use. It is given the honor of a color-plate because it is a somewhat distinct type. In 1881 Professor J. L. Budd secured from J. E. Fisher, Voronesh, Russia, a variety which he introduced as Voronesh Yellow. At the same time he imported a variety from Fisher under the name Moldavka which proved to be identical with his Voronesh Yellow, though Budd held that while they were very similar the Moldavka was more oval than Voronesh.

Tree of medium size, round-topped, productive; leaves drooping,
folded backward, narrow-obovate, two and one-quarter inches
wide, four and one-half inches long, thick; margin doubly
serrate, with small, yellowish glands; petiole one-half inch
long, tinged red, pubescent, sometimes with two globose,
yellowish-red glands usually on the stalk near the base of the
leaf; blooming season early, short; flowers appearing after the
leaves, fully one and one-eighth inches across, dull white;
borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and seven-eighths
inches by one and one-half inches in size, ovate, necked,
slightly enlarged on the suture side, dark lemon-yellow,
with thin bloom; dots very numerous, of medium size, white,
conspicuous; stem adhering strongly to the fruit; skin tough,
sour; flesh dark amber-yellow, very tender, sweet, mild; poor;
stone free, one and three-eighths inches by five-eighths inch
in size, long-oval, flattened, somewhat necked, acute at the
apex, the surfaces smooth or partially honeycombed; ventral
suture prominent.

WALES

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Gard. Chron._ =5=:837. 1845. =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =12=:340.
1846. =3.= McIntosh _Bk. Gard._ 529. 1855. =4.= Downing _Fr.
Trees Am._ 392. 1857. =5.= Thompson _Gard. Ass’t_ 515. 1859.
=6.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ 7, Pl. 1859. =7.= Mas _Pom. Gen._
=2=:119, fig. 60. 1873. =8.= _Flor. & Pom._ 253, Pl. 1875. =9.=
_W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =21=:20. 1876. =10.= Hogg _Fruit
Man._ 718. 1884. =11.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 443. 1889. =12.=
_Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ 96, 120. 1896. =13.= _Cornell Sta.
Bul._ =131=:190. 1897. =14.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1897.
=15.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =113=:160. 1899. 16. Waugh _Plum Cult._
125. 1901.

Chapman’s Prince of Wales, 3, 5. _Chapman’s Prince of Wales_ 4,
10, 11. Chapman’s Prince of Wales’ Plum 1. Prince Albert? 11.
Prince De Galles 7. _Prince De Galles_ 6, 11. Prince of Wales
2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15. _Prince of Wales_ 7, 11, 14, 16.
Prinz Von Wales 11. Prune Prince of Whales 6.

Wales, more commonly known as the Prince of Wales, seems to have much merit yet it has long been grown in America, probably three-quarters of a century, without attaining distinction with fruit-growers. In recent years it has been favorably commented upon in a number of publications and seems to be better known and more grown than formerly. Whether this tardily-given recognition is not too late is a question. So many good plums have been introduced both at home and abroad in the last few decades that a sort dating back nearly a century must be meritorious, indeed, to stand the competition. As Wales grows in New York, it is rather too poor in quality to recommend it for a home variety and the plums are too small, as they generally grow, for a good commercial fruit. The trees are enormously productive and are very satisfactory in other characters as well. In a bulletin from the Cornell Station (References, 13) this variety is said to have “much to commend it for general favor:” while in Ohio (References, 15) it is thought that Wales “ought to become popular.”

Wales, a seedling of Orleans, was raised by a Mr. Chapman, Brentford, Middlesex, England, in 1830. It was exhibited before the London Horticultural Society in 1845 where it was awarded a prize. The following year, Hovey, the American pomologist, (References, 2) described the variety but the date of the first importation to this country is unknown. It was not until 1897 that the variety was sufficiently known to be placed on the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological Society.

Tree large, vigorous, slightly vasiform, open-topped, hardy,
very productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the
numerous, small, slightly raised lenticels, often marked
by concentric rings; branchlets of medium thickness and
length, with long internodes, green changing to brownish-red,
dull, thinly pubescent, with numerous, inconspicuous, small
lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, conical or pointed;
leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves folded upward, roundish-ovate or oval, two and one-half
inches wide, three and one-half inches long; upper surface
dark green, somewhat rugose, covered with numerous hairs;
lower surface pale green, thickly pubescent; apex and base
abrupt, margin crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands;
petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged red, glandless or
with from one to three small, globose, yellowish-brown glands
usually at the base of the leaf.

Blooming season short; flowers one inch across, white,
with a yellow tinge; usually borne in pairs; pedicels
eleven-sixteenths inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish;
calyx-tube green, campanulate, lightly pubescent toward the
base; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces,
glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs, erect; petals
broadly oval, crenate, tapering to short, blunt claws;
filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous except on
the ovary, longer than the stamens; stigma large.

Fruit late, season short; one and five-eighths inches by one
and one-half inches in size, roundish-oval, halves equal;
cavity narrow, abrupt; suture a line; apex roundish; color
reddish-purple, overspread with thick bloom; dots few, large,
often tinged red, conspicuous; stem thick, one-half inch long,
pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, separating
readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, tender, sweet, mild; good;
stone semi-free or free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths
inch in size, oval, turgid, blunt at the base and apex, with
slightly pitted surfaces; ventral suture narrow, often acute or
with a slight wing; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.

WANGENHEIM

_Prunus domestica_

=1.= _Cultivator_ =8=:26 fig. 1860. =2.= Mas _Le Verger_
=6=:157, fig. 79. 1866-73. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ XXIV.
1871. =4.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 453. 1889. =5.= _Guide Prat._
159, 367. 1895. =6.= Waugh _Plum Cult._ 125. 1901.

_Die Wangenheim_ 4. _De Wangenheim_ 5. _Prune de Wangenheim_ 4.
_Prune Wangenheim Hâtive_ 4. _Quetsche Précoce de Wangenheim_
2, 4, 5. _Von Wangenheim Pflaume_ 2, 4, 5. _Wangenheims
Frühzwetsche_ 2, 5. Wangenheims Früh Zwetsche 4. _Wangenheim
Hâtive_ 4.

This variety, very well known and highly esteemed in Germany, has been grown to some extent in America both on the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts and in neither region has it proved equal to standard plums. According to Dittrich, Wangenheim originated at Beinheim, a small place near Gotha, Saxe-Cobourg, Germany.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk
rough; branches rough, stocky; branchlets nearly glabrous;
leaves folded upward, slightly rugose; margin finely serrate,
with small glands; petiole tinged red, pubescent, with from one
to three small glands usually at the base of the leaf.

Fruit mid-season; one and one-quarter inches by one and
one-eighth inches in size, ovate, purplish-red, covered with
thin bloom, yellowish, rather dry, firm, sweet, mild; of good
quality; stone very free, three-quarters inch by one-half
inch in size, irregular-oval, flattened, with faintly pitted
surfaces; ventral suture distinctly winged; dorsal suture with
a narrow, shallow groove.

WASHINGTON

_Prunus domestica_