Tree small, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, with a brownish tinge, smooth, with very few, small lenticels; branchlets of average thickness and length, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, sparingly pubescent throughout the entire season, with few, obscure, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and length, conical, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, oval, one and one-fourth inches wide, two and one-half inches long; upper surface slightly roughened, covered with numerous hairs, the midrib grooved; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex pointed or acute, base abrupt, margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to three globose, greenish-yellow glands usually on the stalk.
Flowers fifteen-sixteenths inch across, the buds creamy changing to white when expanded; borne in clusters on lateral spurs, usually in pairs; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch long, sparingly pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, nearly glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed; petals broadly oval, crenate or sometimes notched at the apex, tapering below to short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit mid-season; one and one-eighth inches by one inch in size, roundish-oval, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring; suture very shallow, often a line; apex roundish or depressed; color greenish-yellow changing to golden-yellow, somewhat mottled and blotched, occasionally with a faint bronze blush on the exposed cheek, overspread with thin bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish, inconspicuous; stem slender, sparingly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, separating readily; flesh light golden-yellow, moderately juicy, coarse, firm but tender, sweet, mild; of good quality; stone free, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval, flattened, nearly smooth, blunt at the base and apex; ventral suture wide, blunt, smooth; dorsal suture shallowly grooved.
DUANE
DUANE
Prunus domestica
1. Prince Treat. Hort. 25. 1828. 2. Kenrick Am. Orch. 260. 1832. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 2:100. 1832. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 297. 1845. 5. Horticulturist 1:115, 116 fig. 36. 1846. 6. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 419. 1846. 7. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 343. 1849. 8. Elliott Fr. Book 418. 1854. 9. Horticulturist 10:253. 1855. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 191. 1856. 11. Hooper W. Fr. Book 244, 250. 1857. 12. Bridgeman Gard. Ass’t 3:127. 1857. 13. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 910. 1869. 14. Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 303, 1878. 15. Mas Le Verger 6:77, fig. 39. 1866-73, 16. Mich. Sta. Bul. 103:32. 1894. 17. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:184. 1897. 18. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:254, 255. 1905. 19. Waugh Plum Cult. 100, 102 fig. 1901.
Apricot 5 incor. Dame Aubert Violet 12. Duane’s Plum 5 incor. Duane’s Purple 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17. Duane’s Purple 15, 19. Duane’s Purple French 1, 2, 3, 4. Duane’s French Purple 12. Duane’s Large Purple 3. Duane’s Large Orleans 3. Duane’s Purple French 8, 9. English Pond’s Seedling 8. Pourprée De Duane 15. Pourprêe Duane 13. Purple Magnum Bonum of some 12, 13. Purple Egg of some 12. Red Magnum Bonum of some 9.
This handsome, purple plum, very well shown in the color-plate, is one of the half-dozen leading fruits of its kind grown in New York, favorably known the country over and in Europe as well. Its popularity is due to its large size, well-turned shape, royal purple color, and firm, golden flesh, characters which fit it admirably for the store and the stand. But appearance is the only asset of the fruit so far as the consumer is concerned—the flesh is dry, tough, sour and clings to the stone, making a plum unfit for dessert though it does very well for culinary purposes. The fruit ripens slowly and colors a week or more before ripe; it is at its best only when fully mature. The trees excel in size, vigor and productiveness and are usually hardy and bear their crops well distributed and not clustered as in most varieties of plums. In minor characters, the trees are distinguished by large leaves, pubescence on the under side and by grayish-drab shoots covered with dense pubescence. Duane is generally found to be a very profitable market plum and if it were only better in quality we could heartily join in recommending it.
Duane originated as a seedling in the garden of James Duane, Duanesburgh, New York, about 1820. For several years, the variety was distributed by the Prince nurseries under the name Duane’s Purple French. This error was caused by Judge Duane’s accidentally sending William Prince, of Flushing, grafts of this seedling instead of a French plum[210] which he had imported in 1820. When this mistake was discovered by Downing and Tomlinson about 1846, the word French was dropped and the plum became known as Duane’s Purple and later, according to the rules of the American Pomological Society, as Duane. In 1856, it was listed by the American Pomological Society as promising well and in 1862 it was placed on the list of the fruit catalog.
Tree large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, hardy and productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous small, raised lenticels; branchlets medium to thick, variable in length, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, thickly pubescent, with raised lenticels intermediate in number and size; leaf-buds of average size and length, conical or pointed, free.
Leaves folded backward, obovate or oval, one and one-half inches wide, three and one-half inches long; upper surface dark green, pubescent, rugose, with a narrow groove on the midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex acute, base cuneate, margin serrate, eglandular or with small amber glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged with red, eglandular or with one or two small, globose, greenish-brown glands on the stalk or base of the leaf.
Blooming season rather early, of average length; flowers appearing before the leaves, one inch across, white; developing from lateral buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, erect; petals roundish, entire, short-clawed; anthers yellowish; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil pubescent on the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period of average length; one and three-quarters inches by one and five-eighths inches in size, broadly oblong-oval or obovate, compressed, halves unequal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture variable in depth; apex roundish or depressed; color dark reddish-purple changing to purplish-black on the sunny side, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, light russet; stem three-quarters inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin below medium in thickness, tough, sour, separating readily; flesh pale yellow, lacking in juice, firm, sour unless fully ripe; of fair quality; stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, with pitted surfaces, blunt at the base and apex; ventral suture wide, blunt; dorsal suture with a broad, deep groove.
EARLIEST OF ALL
Prunus triflora
1. Gard. Mon. 368. 1887. 2. Cornell Sta. Bul. 62:32, 1894. 3. Normand Cat. 2. 1895-96. 4. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 516. 1897. 5. Cornell Sta. Bul. 175:130, fig. 24. 1899. 6. Waugh Plum Cult. 135. 1901.
Earliest of All 4. Wasse Sumomo 5, 6. Wasse Sumomo 3. Yosobe 1. Yosete 4. Yosebe 5, 6. Yosobe 2. Yosebe 2.
Earliest of All was imported by H. H. Berger of San Francisco from Japan under the name Yosebe, which later became changed to Yosobe, and in 1897 L. H. Bailey gave the variety the name Earliest of All to avoid the confusion in the earlier nomenclature. The Wasse Sumomo introduced by J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, in 1895, is the Earliest of All. The variety may have some value because of its extreme earliness. It is, however, too small, too unattractive in color and too poor in quality ever to be other than a kitchen plum.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, vasiform, unproductive; branchlets dark red, marked with thick scarf-skin; leaf-scars prominent; leaves reddish late in the season, narrow-obovate, one and one-half inches wide, three inches long; margin finely serrate, with small, reddish-black glands; petiole tinged red, glandless or with from one to seven glands usually on the stalk; blooming season early; flowers appearing before the leaves, white with a little pink; borne in threes and fours.
Fruit very early; one inch in diameter, roundish or roundish-oblong, light or dark pinkish-red, covered with thin bloom; flesh light yellow, rather dry, soft, inferior in flavor; of poor quality; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, flattened, oval.
EARLY ORLEANS
Prunus domestica
1. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:80, Pl. XX fig. 1. 1768. 2. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 21. 1803. 3. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 150, 151. 1831. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:62, 68. 1832. 5. Kenrick Am. Orch. 260, 269. 1832. 6. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 304. 1845. 7. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 286, 289, 294, 382, 383. 1846. 8. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 1:1846. 9. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 516. 1859. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 360. 1866. 11. Pom. France 7: No. 16. 1871. 12. Mas Le Verger 6:85. 1866-73. 13. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 430. 1882. 14. Traité Prat. Sech. Fruits 172. 1893. 15. Guide Prat. 152, 360. 1895. 16. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 542 fig. 1904.
Altesse du Roi 16. Damascena Dominicalis Praecox 13, 15. De Monsieur 16. De Monsieur Hâtive 15. Du Roi 15. Early Monsieur 12. Early Monsieur 4, 5. Early Orleans 11, 12, 13, 15. Frühe Herrnpflaume 13. Frühe Herrnpflaume 11. Frühe Herzogspflaume 11, 13, 15. Frühe Hernnpflaume 12. Frühe Herrnpflaume 15. Grimwood Early Orleans 10, 13. Grimwood’s Early Orleans 3, 6, 9, 11, 15. Hampton Court 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15. Königspflaume 11, ?13, ?15. Monsieur 11, 13 & 15 incor. Monsieur Hâtif 1, 7, 11, 12, 15. Monsieur Hâtif 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16. Monsieur Hâtive 4. Monsieur Hâtif de Montmorency 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15. New Early Orleans 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15. New Orleans 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16. New Orleans 11. Orleans 3. Prune de Monsieur Hâtif 13. Prune de Monsieur Hâtif 8. Prune de Monsieur Hâtive 12. Prunus damascena dominicalis praecox 11. Prune du Roi 14. Prune du Roi 11, 13. Red Orleans 11, 13, 15. Wilmot’s Early Orleans 4, 7. Wilmot’s Early Orleans 3, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15. Wilmot’s Large Orleans 3, 4, 6. Wilmot’s Late Orleans ?7. Wilmot’s New Early Orleans 3, 5, 6. Wilmot’s New Early Orleans 7. Wilmot’s Orleans 3, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15.
Early Orleans has been planted very little in America and then chiefly because of its reputation in Europe. While it appears to be a very good plum in most respects as it grows on the Station grounds, being attractive in appearance, of good flavor, a freestone and firm enough to ship well, it surpasses in none of these characters and the fruit is so small as to make it a poor competitor among the purple plums of its season. It does not deserve the reputation in America that pomologists have given it in Europe. In France the Early Orleans, under the name of Prune du Roi, is used in prune-making but it seems not to have been so used in America.
Early Orleans is old and of unknown origin. Duhamel in 1768 considered it a variety of the Orleans, differing only in the time of ripening but there are additional differences as can be seen in the descriptions of the two. It is true, however, that these two plums are very similar. According to Kenrick, Wilmot’s New Early Orleans was raised by John Wilmot, an Englishman. Though it may be of separate origin it is practically identical with the Early Orleans.
Tree small, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth, with small, inconspicuous, oval lenticels; branchlets thick, with rather short internodes, covered with thin bloom and marked with scarf-skin, dull brownish-drab, pubescent, with a medium number of small, raised lenticels; leaf-buds intermediate in size and length, conical, free, plump; leaf-scars enlarged.
Leaves folded upward, two and one-quarter inches wide, four inches long, roundish-oval or obovate, thick; apex abruptly pointed, base acute, margin crenate and with small, dark glands; upper surface light green, sparingly pubescent and with a grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; petiole three-quarters inch long, thick, pubescent, faintly tinged red, with from one to three large, globose glands mostly on the stalk.
Season of bloom intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, nearly one-half inch across, white, the buds yellow-tipped as they unfold; borne in clusters on short lateral spurs, in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long, thick, pubescent, green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, thinly pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glandular, pubescent on both surfaces, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, not clawed; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit early, season short; one and one-quarter inches in diameter, roundish-oval, slightly truncate, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow or a line; apex roundish to flattened or sometimes depressed, often oblique; color dark reddish-purple, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem of average thickness, five-eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, not astringent, separating readily; flesh lemon-yellow, juicy, coarse, firm, sweet, mild but pleasant; very good; stone free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, slightly oblique, blunt-pointed, with rough and slightly honeycombed surfaces.
EARLY RIVERS
Prunus domestica
1. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 314, 1845. 2. Horticulturist 4:40. 1849. 3. Elliott Fr. Book 419. 1854. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 912. 1869. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 99. 1871. 6. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:117. 1873. 7. Jour. Hort. 30:273. 1876. 8. Oberdieck Deut. Obst. Sort. 409, 411. 1881. 9. Hogg Fruit Man. 699. 1884. 10. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 447. 1889. 11. Lucas Vollst. Hand. Obst. 470. 1894. 12. Guide Prat. 152, 356. 1895. 13. Rivers Cat. 35. 1898.
Early Fruchtbare 12. Early Prolific 4. Early Rivers 4, 10, 12. Early Prolific 2, 3, 6, 10, 12, 13. Fertile Précoce 10. Fertile Précoce 6, 12. Frühe Fruchtbare 6. Frühe Fruchtbare 8. Prolifique Hâtive 10, 12. Rivers’ Early No. 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. Rivers’ Early Prolific Plum 2. Rivers’ Early Prolific 4, 9, 10, 12. Rivers’ Early 6. River’s Early 5. Rivers’ Blue Prolific 7. Rivers’ No. 2 9, 10, 12. Rivers Frühpflaume 8, 11. Rivers’ Frühe Fruchtbare 10.
Early Rivers is widely known because of its earliness, productiveness, regularity of bearing and desirability for culinary purposes. In New York, however, the plums are so small and drop so badly as they ripen that the variety is worthless for commercial purposes. Hogg, in the reference given above, notes the following peculiarity of the trees of this variety: “The original tree throws up suckers, which, when removed and planted out, do not bloom for several years; but scions taken from the original tree and grafted, bloom the second year. A curious fact is that the grafted trees fruit abundantly, and the branches are so brittle they break off; in those raised from suckers the branches never break. The grafted trees in spring are full of bloom, sparing of shoots, and very few leaves; the suckers are more vigorous in growth, have no bloom, but an abundance of foliage, even when six years old.” This variety is a seedling of Early Tours raised by Thomas Rivers of Sawbridgeworth, England, about 1834. It was first disseminated under the names Early Prolific and Rivers’ Early No. 2 but, in 1866, Hogg with the permission of the originator, renamed it Early Rivers under which name it is now generally known.
Tree medium in size and vigor, round-topped, productive; branchlets thick, short, pubescent throughout the season; leaves roundish-oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches wide, nearly three inches long, leathery; margin crenate or serrate, with few, small, dark glands; petiole pubescent, with from one to three small glands usually on the stalk; blooming season intermediate, short; flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in twos; petals roundish.
Fruit early, season short; one and one-quarter inches by one and one-eighth inches in size, roundish-oval or ovate, dark purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; flesh dull yellow, firm, sweet, mild, pleasant; of good quality; stone semi-free, three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, rather flat, oval, with rough and pitted surfaces.
EARLY ROYAL
Prunus domestica
1. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 153. 1831. 2. Mag. Hort. 6:93. 1840. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 313. 1845. 4. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 341, fig. 260. 1849. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 86. 1862. 6. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 452. 1889. 7. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 4:159. 1901.
Early Royal 3, 4, 6. Marian 6. Mirian 3, 4. Mivian 2. Miviam 6. Miriam 7. Royal Hâtive 1, 2, 5, 7. Royale Hâtive 3, 4. Royale Hâtive 6. Violette Königspflaume 6.
While the fruits of Early Royal are not remarkably attractive in color, shape or size, the quality is high and its flesh is so firm that the variety should ship well. This sort is worthy of more extensive trial than it has yet had in America. Early Royal is a French variety introduced by M. Noisette of Paris, about 1830. Thompson made the first complete description of the variety in 1839 from the fruits of a tree in the gardens of the London Horticultural Society. Although recommended in the catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1862 it has not been extensively planted in this country.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, rather open, productive; branches and trunk roughish; branchlets thickly pubescent; leaf-scars enlarged; leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches wide, three and three-eighths inches long; margin serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole thickly pubescent, with one or two smallish glands; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing with the leaves, one inch across, white, tinged yellow at the apex of the petals; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; about one and three-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-ovate, dark reddish-purple, marked by irregular russet streaks, covered with thick bloom; dots conspicuous; stem thick, pubescent; flesh greenish-yellow, rather dry, firm, very sweet, mild, pleasant flavor; very good; stone nearly free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, roundish-oval, blunt at the apex and base, with but slightly roughened surfaces; ventral suture prominent and with short wing; dorsal suture with a wide, shallow groove.
EARLY TOURS
Prunus domestica
1. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:67, 69. 1768. 2. Kraft Pom. Aust. 2:31, Tab. 177 fig. 2. 1796. 3. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 151. 1831. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:64. 1832. 5. Kenrick Am. Orch. 265. 1832. 6. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 1:1846. 7. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 282, 283. 1846. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 376. 1866. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 937. 1869. 10. Mas Le Verger 6:143. 1866-73. 11. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 443. 1889. 12. Guide Prat. 156, 361. 1895.
Blue Perdrigon of some 3, 9, 11, 12. Die frühe Pflaume von Tours 2. De Monsieur 12 incor. Damas de Tours 8, 9, 11. Early de Tours 5. Early Tours 7, 9, 11. Early Violet 3, 7, 9, 11, 12. Gros Damas de Tours 1. Hâtive de Tours 12. Madeleine 11, ?12. Monsieur 11 incor. Noire Hâtive 3, 8, 9, 11, 12. Perdrigon Violet of some 3, 9, 11, 12. Précoce de Tours 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Précoce de Tours 2, 4. Prune de la Madeleine 4, 9, 11. Prune noire Hâtive 4. Prune de Gaillon 8, 9, 11. Prune de Monsieur 11 incor. Saint Jean ?11, 12. Violette de Tours 8, 11. Violette Hâtive 9, 11. Violet de Tours 9, 11, 12. Violette Hâtive 7. Violet 7.
Duhamel described this variety, Gros Damas de Tours and Gros Noire Hative in the same publication, his descriptions of the three varieties being nearly identical. Following Duhamel many horticultural authorities continued to separate the varieties, but Downing, Floy-Lindley and Mathieu give Damas de Tours as a synonym of Early Tours, and Thompson, Hogg, Downing, Mathieu and the Guide Pratique give Noire Hative as a synonym, while Prince holds Prune Noire Hative to be synonymous.
With this great similarity in the names and descriptions, it seems doubtful if these are separate varieties, but not having the fruit of the three to compare, it has been thought best in The Plums of New York to follow the nomenclature of the oldest authorities. Several writers have also named the Blue Perdrigon and the Perdrigon Violet as identical with Early Tours but neither can be, as all descriptions indicate that both are at least a month later in ripening than the variety under discussion.
Early Tours is considered in continental Europe one of the best early plums for dessert. It is said when fully ripened to be a veritable sweetmeat. As the variety grows in the Station collection it can hardly be lauded as highly as in Europe. Yet it is at least worthy of a place in a home orchard as a delicious early plum.
Tree intermediate in size, upright-spreading, rather open-topped, productive; branchlets thickish, pubescent; leaves falling early, folded upward, obovate or oval, one and seven-eighths inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long; margin crenate; petiole pubescent, glandless or with from one to three glands usually on the stalk; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across; borne on lateral spurs or from lateral buds.
Fruit very early; one and one-quarter inches by one and one-eighth inches in size, slightly oval, dark purplish-black, covered with thick bloom; skin thick, tough, sour; flesh greenish-yellow, firm, sweet, pleasant flavored; good to very good; stone semi-free, three-quarters inch by one-half-inch in size, irregular oval.
EARLY YELLOW
Prunus domestica
1. Parkinson Par. Ter. 575, 576. 1629. 2. Rea Flora 206, 207. 1676. 3. Ray Hist. Plant. 2:1688. 4. Quintinye Com. Gard. 70. 1699. 5. Langley Pomona 90, Pl. 20 fig. 1. 1729. 6. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:66. 1768. 7. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 19. 1803. 8. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 297, 382. 1846. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 925. 1869. 10. Country Gent. 41:518. 1876. 11. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 424. 1889. 12. Guide Prat. 152, 354. 1895.
Amber Primordian 1, 2. Amber Primordian 3, 8, 9, 11, 12. Avant Prune blanche 9, 11, 12. Bilboa 9, 11. Catalonia 1, 2, 3, 12. Castellan 4. Catalonian 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Cerisette Blanche 9, 11, 12. Castelane 11, 12. Catalane 11, 12. Catalonische Pflaume 11, 12. Catalonischer Spilling 12. Catalonischer Spilling 11. Catalonische Kricke 11. De Catalogne 6, 11. De Catalogne 12. D’Avoine 9, 12. Die gelbe frühzeitige Pflaume 12. Early Yellow 9, 10, 11, 12. Early John 9, 11. Early White Plum 11, 12. Gelbe Spindel Pflaume 11. Gelber Kleiner Spilling 11. Gelbe Frühzeitige 11. Gelbe frühe Pflaume 11, 12. Jaune précoce 11, 12. Jaune de Catalogne 9, 11, 12. Jaune Hâtive 6, 8. Jaune Hâtive 11, 12. Jaunhâtive 7. Jean Hâtive 9. Jean-hâtive 5. Jean White 11, 12. Kleine gelbe Früh Pflaume 11, 12. London Plumb 5. London Plum 9, 11, 12. Monsieur Jaune 11 incor., 12. Prune de Catalogne 8, 9, 11. Prune de St. Barnabe 8, 9. Prune d’Avoine 11. Pickett’s July 9, 11, 12. Prune Monsieur Jaune 9. Prune d’Altesse blanche 9,? 11. Primordian 10, 11, 12. Prunus Catalana 11, 12. Prunus Catelana 11. Prunus Catalonica 11, 12. St. Barnabée 9. Saint Barnabe 11, 12. Siebenbürger Pflaume? 11, 12.
The Early Yellow goes back as far as the history of plum-growing in northwestern Europe is recorded. Because of its synonyms it is thought to have originated in Spain whence it was gradually taken northward, crossed the boundary and spread through the fertile valleys of France. Early in the Seventeenth Century it was firmly established in England and was described by Tradescant and Parkinson. From that time till the present it has kept a place in European and American horticulture, in spite of the introduction of hundreds of improved varieties. It is described as follows:
Tree hardy, moderately vigorous and productive; branches long, slender, upright until bent down with fruit; branchlets pubescent. Fruit very early, small, obovate; stem short, slender; color pale yellow, with thin bloom; flesh yellow, tender, sweet, moderately juicy, pleasant; good; freestone.
EMPIRE
Prunus domestica
1. N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt. 9:347. 1890. 2. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:184. 1897. 3. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:241 fig., 254, 255. 1905. 4. Rice Bros. Cat. 15. 1908.
Empire State 4. Rood 1, 2.
It is possible that Empire deserves more attention from fruit-growers than it has had. It is attractive in appearance, pleasant in flavor and gives promise of shipping well. Wherever the variety proves productive, as it is to a fair degree on the grounds of the Station, this plum might well be grown. Empire was grown by Ezra Rood, Cortland, New York, about 1875, from seed purchased at the State Fair. In 1890, E. Smith & Sons of Geneva found this plum in Mr. Rood’s yard and procured cions of it, afterwards introducing the variety under the name Rood. The year that they made the discovery, John Hammond, also of Geneva, found the same variety at another place in Cortland and secured cions from which he subsequently disseminated the plum under the name Empire, by which it is now generally known.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, spreading, open-topped, productive; branches covered with short, thick, fruit-spurs; branchlets short and stubby, pubescent throughout the season; leaf-scars prominent; leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one and one-half inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long, thick, stiff; margin crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole thick, reddish, with a few large, globose or reniform glands; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, over one inch across, yellowish-white; borne singly or in twos.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period very long; about one and five-eighths inches in diameter, round, dark reddish-purple, covered with medium thick bloom; dots numerous, conspicuous; stem thick, surrounded by a fleshy ring at the cavity; skin sour; flesh golden-yellow, dry, firm but tender, sweet, mild, pleasant in flavor; of good quality; stone nearly free, seven-eighths inch by three-quarters inch in size, oval, turgid, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture broad, with short but distinct wing; dorsal suture wide, deep.
ENGLEBERT
ENGLEBERT
Prunus domestica
1. Horticulturist 10:71. 1855. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 392. 1857. 3. Cultivator 6:312 fig. 1858. 4. Hogg Fruit Man. 376. 1866. 5. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 344. 1867. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1871. 7. Mas Le Verger 6:61. 1866-73. 8. Barry Fr. Garden 415. 1883. 9. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 357. 1887. 10. Wickson Cal. Fruits 354. 1891. 11. Guide Prat. 154, 361. 1895. 12. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:190. 1897. 13. N. Mex. Sta. Bul. 27:125. 1898. 14. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:242, 244. 1899. 15. Waugh Plum Cult. 101, 103 fig. 1901. 16. Va. Sta. Bul. 134:42. 1902.
Englebert 9. Prince Englebert 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12. Prince Engelbert 10, 13. Prince Englebert 15, 16. Prinz Engelbert 11.
In common parlance Englebert is a prune, its origin, shape, color and firm golden-yellow flesh all marking it as such, but in prune-making regions it is usually marketed in the green state, if grown at all, and is little used in curing. It cannot be said to be much more popular as a plum than it is as a prune, chiefly because it is not of high quality, but also because it is none too attractive in color, size or shape, cutting a rather poor figure in comparison with a great number of other Domestica plums. The variety fails in tree as well as in fruit. The trees are variable in size, suffer from cold in exposed situations and while rather productive bear their crops in clusters hard to pick and well placed to insure infection from brown-rot when that disease is epidemic. For some reason the fruit of this variety shrivels at this Station not only after being picked, but while still on the tree. In New York, Englebert has been thoroughly tested, has been found wanting and is not now recommended.
This variety was obtained from a seed of the “Date Prune,” by M. Scheidweiler, Professor of Botany at Ghent, Belgium.[211] The date of origin has not been given, but it was probably produced about the middle of the last century since it was described as a new fruit in the Horticulturist for 1855. Englebert was added to the American Pomological Society catalog fruit list in 1871 under the name Prince Englebert, but in 1897, according to the rules of the Society, the name was simplified to Englebert.
Tree variable in size, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy except in exposed locations, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous, long-oval, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, rather short, with internodes above medium in length, green changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, heavily pubescent throughout the season, with few, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one and seven-eighths inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long; upper surface covered with very fine hairs, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface pale green, finely pubescent; apex roundish-pointed, base obtuse, margin finely crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole three-quarters inch long, pubescent, faintly tinged red, glandless or with one or two small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of the leaf.
Blooming season early to medium, of average length; flowers appearing after the leaves, about one inch across, white except for a yellowish tinge near the apex of the petals; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, usually in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long, below medium in thickness, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse, sparingly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs; petals broadly oval or roundish, crenate, abruptly tipped with short, broad claws; stamens often inclined to revert to petals; anthers yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and five-eighths inches by one and three-eighths inches in size; oval, swollen on the suture side, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture a line; apex bluntly pointed or roundish; color dark purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, russet; stem three-quarters inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, sourish, separating readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, coarse, rather firm, sweet, pleasant-flavored, sprightly; good; stone one and one-eighth inches by five-eighths inch in size, oval or broadly ovate, strongly flattened, with roughened and deeply pitted surfaces, blunt at the base and apex; ventral suture narrow, strongly grooved, not prominent; dorsal suture acute, with a shallow, often indistinct groove.
ENGRE
Prunus triflora
1. Normand Cat. 1891. 2. Kerr Cat. 1894-1900. 3. Cornell Sta. Bul. 175:131. 1899. 4. Tex. Sta. Bul. 32:488. 1899.
This variety is one of the earliest of the Triflora plums and although the flavor is not as agreeable as that of the best sorts of its species, as Burbank or Abundance, it is much better than that of Earliest of All, with which it competes in season. Almost nothing is known regarding the history and origin of Engre. It was first mentioned in 1890 in the catalog of J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, and in all probability is one of his numerous importations from Japan. The origin of the name is not known.
Tree of medium size, vasiform, dense-topped, productive; branches slightly thorny, with numerous fruit-spurs; branchlets very short and stubby, glabrous; leaf-buds plump; leaves reddish when young, oblanceolate, one and three-eighths inches wide, three inches long; margin doubly crenate, with small brownish glands; petiole tinged red, glandless or with one or two small, reniform glands on the stalk; blooming season early; flowers appearing with the leaves, five-eighths inch across; borne on lateral buds and spurs, in twos or in threes; calyx-lobes red at the margin; anthers pinkish.
Fruit very early; about one and one-quarter inches in diameter, roundish; cavity deep; color dark pinkish-red, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous, conspicuous; skin astringent; flesh yellowish, tender and melting, sweet near the surface, but sour next the pit, low in flavor; poor; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, roundish-oval, turgid; ventral suture broad, blunt.
ESPEREN
Prunus domestica
1. Mag. Hort. 15:298. 1849. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 380. 1857. 3. Flor. & Pom. 4, Pl. 1863. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 916. 1869. 5. Pom. France 7: No. 1. 1871. 6. Mas Le Verger 6:65. 1866-73. 7. Lauche Deut. Pom. 12. 1882.
Cloth of Gold Esperen 4. Cloth of Gold 2, 7. Drap d’Or of Esperin 1, 2. Drap d’Or d’Esperen 3, 6, 7. Drap d’Or Esperen 4. Drap d’Or d’Esperen 5. Drap d’Or of Esperen 6. Esperen’s Goldpflaume 7. Golden Esperen 5, 7. Golden Esperen 4. Golden Esperen Plum 3.
Were there not so many handsome, well-flavored plums of the Reine Claude group, Esperen might well be recommended to the amateur at least, for it is first class in appearance and quality. But the fruits are small and the tree-characters are not such that the variety can compete with the standard Reine Claude plums. Esperen was produced from seed in 1830 by Major Esperen of Malines, Belgium; it was first fruited in 1844, and was introduced in 1847 by Louis Van Houtte of Ghent, Belgium. It obtained the designation Drap d’Or from its close resemblance to that variety.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk stocky, rough; branches rough, with numerous, large, raised lenticels; branchlets brash; leaves flattened, two and one-half inches wide, five inches long, obovate or oval; margin serrate; petiole thick, tinged red, pubescent, with from two to five large, globose glands.
Fruit mid-season; about one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish-oval; cavity shallow, narrow, often lipped; color yellow streaked and mottled with green, overspread with thin bloom; skin thin, tender, rather sour; flesh yellow, tender, sweet, aromatic; of good quality; stone free, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture blunt; dorsal suture wide, deep.
EXCELSIOR
Prunus triflora × Prunus munsoniana
1. Glen St. Mary Cat. 1891-2. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1897. 3. Vt. Sta. Bul. 67:11. 1898. 4. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:9, 36. 1905.
Excelsior has not fruited on the Station grounds and is placed in the list of leading varieties because of the prominence given it in the above references. The variety was originated by G. L. Tabor, Glen Saint Mary, Florida, in 1887, from seed of Kelsey supposed to have been pollinated by Wild Goose, although some authorities believe De Caradeuc to have been the male parent. It seems to be a promising variety and was mentioned in the last three catalogs of the American Pomological Society.
Tree vigorous, vasiform; branches slender; leaves of medium size, narrow; margin finely crenulate, glandular; petiole short, with from one to three small glands; flowers small, scattered; fruit early; of medium size, roundish, dark red with heavy bloom; skin tough; flesh firm, yellowish with red tinge towards the center; quality good; stone of medium size, compressed, clinging.
FIELD
FIELD
Prunus domestica
1. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 288. 1889. 2. Am. Gard. 14:50, 395. 1893. 3. Rural N. Y. 55:622. 1896. 4. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:184. 1897. 5. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:244. 1899. 9. Ibid. 187:77, 78. 1901. 7. Waugh Plum Cult. 101, 104 fig. 1901. 8. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:239, 240 fig., 254, 255. 1905.
Early Bradshaw 2.
This offspring of Bradshaw resembles its parent in tree, and in size, color and shape of fruit, though not so closely as to be readily mistaken for the older variety. Differences which distinguish the fruits of the two are: The Field is a trifle smaller, the fruit is more nearly round, lacking the prolonged neck of Bradshaw and is more plump at the base, the parent plum being markedly obovate; Field is earlier than Bradshaw, the latter difference accounting for the synonym, “Early Bradshaw.” The quality is not such as to commend either of these plums, but of the two Field is slightly the better. In tree-characters, Bradshaw excels in having a larger tree and in being more productive. The foliage of Field is very good, it ripens its wood well and begins to bear while young, but it is inclined to a biennial bearing habit which makes the average in quantity of fruit a little too low for a market plum which Field is, if worth planting at all. A good quality of this variety is that it withstands the brown-rot very well. It is doubtful if Field is worthy of a place in the fruit-growing regions of New York, unless, perhaps, where a plum of the Bradshaw type, but a little earlier, is wanted. Like Bradshaw, Field is comparatively little attacked by San José scale.
Field is a seedling of Bradshaw grown in Schoharie County, New York. It was first noted by S. D. Willard of Geneva, New York, in 1889, as “a variety worthy of cultivation.”
Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, short, with internodes of medium length, greenish-red changing to brownish-drab, with a trace of red, dull, pubescent becoming slightly less so at maturity, with numerous, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds below medium in size, short, obtuse, appressed.
Leaves folded backward, obovate, two and one-sixteenth inches wide, four and three-eighths inches long; upper surface dark green, nearly glabrous, with shallowly grooved midrib; lower surface sparingly pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base acute, margin serrate, with a few, smallish, black glands; petiole seven-eighths inch long, thick, tinged with red, sparingly pubescent.
Season of bloom intermediate, short; flowers appearing after the leaves, one inch across, white, with a yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals; scattered on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch long, thick, with few, short, scattering hairs, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes above medium in width, obtuse, slightly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed; petals broadly oval, entire, tapering below to short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, period of ripening short; one and seven-eighths inches by one and five-eighths inches in size, oblong-oval, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, broad; apex roundish; color dark purplish-red, overspread with very thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet, clustered about the apex; stem three-quarters inch long, sparingly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, slightly sour, separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow, medium juicy, sweetish, mild; of fair quality; stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, ovate with roughened and deeply pitted surfaces, blunt at the apex and base; ventral suture broad, distinctly furrowed; dorsal suture acute.
FOREST GARDEN
FOREST GARDEN
Prunus hortulana mineri