1. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 81. 1882. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 42. 1883. 3. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 412. 1889. 4. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 55. 1890. 5. Cornell Sta. Bul. 38:37, 86. 1892. 6. Mich. Sta. Bul. 118:53. 1895. 7. Wis. Sta. Bul. 63:24, 37. 1897. 8. Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 136. 1899. 9. Waugh Plum Cult. 148. 1901. 10. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 43:30. 1903. 11. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:254, 255. 1905. 12. S. Dak. Sta. Bul. 93:17, 49 & 54 Pl. 1905.
Forest Garden is placed by most horticulturists in Prunus americana, but the trees growing on the Geneva Station grounds belong to the Miner group of Prunus hortulana and the herbarium specimens of foliage and flowers sent from other stations make it probable if not certain that the trees here are true to name. This variety is little grown in the East, but it is widely distributed in the central West where both in tree and fruit-characters it seems adapted to the needs of the climate and soil. It is one of the latest of its group, maturing at a good time for shipping, for which it is further adapted by its tough skin and firm flesh. While Forest Garden is not preeminently a dessert plum, it has a spicy flavor that makes it pleasant eating and it is admirably adapted for culinary purposes, especially for preserving.
This variety is from a wild plum found in the woods bordering on the Cedar River, near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, by Thomas Hare, and introduced by H. C. Raymond, of the Forest Garden Nurseries, Council Bluffs, Iowa, about 1862. The American Pomological Society placed the variety on its fruit catalog list in 1883, dropped it in 1891, and replaced it in 1897.
Tree medium to large, often very vigorous, spreading, with sprawling habit, inclined to be flat-topped, perfectly hardy, variable in productiveness, bearing young, somewhat susceptible to shot-hole fungus; trunk small in proportion to the size of the tree, shaggy; branches rather rough, zigzag and inclined to split, thorny, dark ash-brown, with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, willowy, with short internodes, greenish changing to dark chestnut-red, glossy, with thin pubescence when young, which disappears in autumn, with conspicuous, numerous raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, appressed.
Leaves falling early, folded upward, elongated-oval, or obovate, peach-like, one and three-quarters inches wide, four and one-quarter inches long, thin and leathery; upper surface smooth, with a shallow, grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base somewhat abrupt, margin doubly crenate, glandular; petiole three-quarters inch long, sparingly pubescent, faintly tinged with red, usually with two conspicuous, globose, brownish glands below the base of the leaf.
Blooming season late and long; flowers appearing with the leaves; seven-eighths inch across, white, with a strong, disagreeable odor; borne in dense but scattering clusters on lateral buds and spurs, in threes or in fours; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch in length, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, narrowly campanulate or obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, slightly pubescent, margined with few hairs and with dark-colored glands, slightly reflexed; petals oval, erose, tapering to long claws of medium width; anthers yellowish; filaments seven-sixteenths inch in length; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit variable in season which is usually late and short; about one and one-eighth inches in diameter, rather large, roundish-ovate or nearly oval, slightly compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, wide, flaring; suture a line; apex roundish or somewhat pointed; color light or dark red, with thin bloom; dots numerous, russet, conspicuous; stem slender, five-eighths inch long, glabrous, detaching from the fruit at maturity; skin thick, tough, slightly astringent, adhering; flesh dark golden-yellow, juicy, coarse, fibrous, melting, sweetish next the skin but rather sour toward the center, with a strong and peculiar flavor, aromatic; fair to good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, turgid, blunt and slightly flattened at the base, ending in an abrupt but sharp point at the apex, nearly smooth; ventral suture narrow, faintly ridged; dorsal suture acute.
FOREST ROSE
FOREST ROSE
Prunus hortulana mineri
1. Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 290. 1889. 2. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 55. 1890. 3. Cornell Sta. Bul. 38:55, 86. 1892. 4. Mich. Sta. Bul. 123:19. 1895. 5. Ia. Sta. Bul. 31:346. 1895. 6. Colo. Sta. Bul. 50:36. 1898. 7. Ohio Sta. Bul. 113:154. 1899. 8. Waugh Plum Cult. 173. 1901. 9. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 296. 1903.
Forest Rose, like Forest Garden, belongs to Prunus hortulana mineri, the two being similar in many respects. Forest Rose, however, is not as attractive in color as the other variety, the difference not being well brought out in the color-plates, is smaller and does not keep nor ship quite as well. The variety under discussion is better in quality than Forest Garden and better adapted than the last named variety for the home orchard at least. While somewhat variable in productiveness, in most localities it bears annually and abundantly. The trees are rather more thorny than most of its species.
This variety is said by H. A. Terry of Crescent, Iowa, to be a seedling of Miner, grown by Scott & Company, a Missouri nursery firm, and introduced by William Stark, Louisiana, Missouri, in 1878. Terry offers no evidence to show that this plum is a seedling of Miner and there is a question as to whether more is really known of its parentage other than that it came from Missouri.
Tree medium to large, intermediate in vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, variable in productiveness somewhat susceptible to attacks of shot-hole fungus; trunk very rough and shaggy; branches rough, thorny, dark ash-gray, with numerous lenticels; branchlets numerous, slender, variable in length, with internodes of medium length, green changing to dull reddish-brown, glossy, glabrous, with numerous, small, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed.
Leaves falling early, folded upward, elongated-oval or obovate, one and one-half inches wide, four inches long, thin; upper surface dull red in the fall, rugose, glabrous, with the midrib and larger veins deeply grooved; lower surface light green, somewhat pubescent along the midrib; apex acuminate, base acute, margin crenate or serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole slender, five-eighths inch in length, sparsely pubescent along one side, tinged with red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose or oval, greenish-brown glands on the stalk.
Flowers seven-eighths inch across, white, with a disagreeable odor; borne in dense clusters on lateral buds and spurs, in pairs or in threes; pedicels five-eighths inch long, below medium in thickness, glabrous, greenish: calyx-tube green, narrowly campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short and narrow, acute, serrate, somewhat reflexed, glabrous on the outer surface, but more or less pubescent on the inner surface and along the margin, which is strewn with red glands; petals oval, dentate, tapering below into narrow, lightly pubescent claws of medium length; anthers light yellow; filaments one-half inch in length; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit late, season short; one and one-eighth inches by one inch in size, roundish-oval; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring; suture a line; apex roundish; color dull crimson overspread with thin bloom; dots very numerous, small, gray, conspicuous; stem slender, three-quarters inch long, smooth, not adhering to the fruit; skin thick, tough, astringent, inclined to crack under unfavorable conditions, adhering; flesh dull apricot-yellow, juicy, fibrous, tender and melting, sweet next to the skin but tart toward the center, aromatic; fair to good; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval, acute at the apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture somewhat blunt.
FOTHERINGHAM
Prunus domestica
1. Rea Flora 208. 1676. 2. Langley Pomona 91. 1729. 3. Miller Gard. Dict. 3:1754. 4. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 19. 1803. 5. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 299. 1845. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 286, 383. 1846. 7. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 517. 1859. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 701. 1884. 9. Waugh Plum Cult. 102. 1901.
Foderingham 1. Fotheringay 8. Foderingham Plum 2. Grove House Purple 5, 7, 8. Red Fotheringham 8. Sheen 2, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Fotheringham is probably one of the oldest varieties of plums now cultivated. Although but little if at all grown in this country, it has maintained its place among standard English varieties for at least two and a half centuries. The exact time of its origin is not certain, but it was undoubtedly during the first half of the Seventeenth Century as Hogg records a reference made to it by Rea in 1665. It was first grown extensively at Sheen, in Surrey, England, about 1700 by Sir William Temple, who gave it the name Sheen. The variety is described as follows:
Tree hardy, vigorous, productive. Fruit matures just before Reine Claude; of medium size, obovate; suture distinct; stem one inch long; color reddish-purple with thin bloom; flesh greenish-yellow, sweet, sprightly; good; freestone.
FREEMAN
Prunus domestica
As this variety grows in the Station orchard it is a remarkably fine plum. The fruits are attractive, of high quality and the tree-characters are for most part very good. It is certainly a desirable plum for any home plantation, and if it proves as productive elsewhere as about Geneva, it may well be worth growing in commercial orchards.
Freeman is a chance seedling found in the yard of a Mr. Freeman of Cortland, New York, about 1890 and shortly afterwards introduced by E. Smith & Sons of Geneva, New York, but is as yet hardly known by plum-growers.
Tree intermediate in size and vigor, upright-spreading, productive; branchlets slender, pubescent; leaves oval, one and one-half inches wide, two and three-quarters inches long; margin serrate or almost crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole reddish, glandless or with from one to four globose glands; blooming season intermediate, short; flowers appearing after the leaves, creamy-white, usually in scattering clusters at the ends of lateral spurs; borne singly or in twos.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; about one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish or roundish-oval; cavity very shallow, small, often lipped; color golden-yellow, blushed and mottled with red on the exposed cheek, covered with thin bloom; flesh light golden-yellow, firm but tender, sweet, pleasant flavor; very good to best; stone dark colored, free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, irregular-oval, somewhat flattened, abruptly contracted at the base, with surfaces roughened; ventral suture prominent.
FREESTONE
FREESTONE
Prunus insititia
1. Am. Gard. 14:148. 1893. 2. Waugh Plum Cult. 129. 1901.
Freestone Damson 2.
Freestone is a Damson separated from other Damsons chiefly in being sweeter and more free of stone. It is so inferior to varieties of its species in several particulars as to have little value for commercial planting. The fruits are smaller and the pits larger in proportion to the amount of flesh than with several better known Damsons and the trees do not bear as large crops as plums of this species should; these faults of fruit and tree condemn the plum. To offset the defects in the tree, freedom from black-knot and immunity to leaf-blight may be mentioned as compensating somewhat. Still Freestone is hardly to be mentioned as worth planting in either home or commercial orchard. The origin of this Damson is unknown. Stark Brothers, Louisiana, Missouri, who introduced the variety about 1889, describe it as “a selected sort which is very hardy, free from insects, and productive.”
Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, vasiform, hardy, not always productive; branches dark ash-gray, thorny; leaves folded upward, oval, one and one-quarter inches wide, two and one-quarter inches long; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; margin finely serrate, eglandular or with small, brownish glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, glandless or with one or two small glands; blooming season late and of medium length; flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across, the buds creamy, changing to white when expanded; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, usually in pairs; anthers reddish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil shorter than the stamens.
Fruit late, season long; seven-eighths inch in diameter, roundish-oval; cavity very shallow and narrow; flesh yellowish-green, juicy, tender, sweet, mild; fair in quality; stone free, tinged red, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval, turgid, with roughened surfaces, acute at the base, blunt at the apex; ventral suture broad, blunt; dorsal suture with a broad, shallow groove.
FRENCH
FRENCH
Prunus insititia
1. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 289. 1889. 2. Ibid. 64. 1891. 3. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:184 fig. 40 I. 1897. 4. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:245. 1899. 5. Waugh Plum Cult. 129. 1901.
French Damson 4. French Damson 1, 2, 3.
Far better than the Freestone just discussed is the French Damson, which in some respects surpasses all other plums in its group. Thus it is the largest of the Damsons, so large, indeed, as to lead many to believe that it may be a hybrid with some Domestica plum, the size of the trees, blossoms and foliage also leading to such a supposition. This excellent Damson is largely grown for the market in western New York, good quality as well as size and appearance aiding in selling the product. The fruits have but one defect, the pit is large for the amount of flesh. Curiously enough in some seasons the stone clings and in others is perfectly free. It is in tree-characters that the French plum best shows its superiority over other Damsons. The trees are large, the largest of the Damsons in New York, hardy, bear abundantly and annually and carry their foliage so well that fruit and wood usually ripen perfectly even when the trees are not sprayed. The season is a little after that of the more commonly grown Shropshire, which in most years is an advantage. French, while becoming popular, is still too little known in New York, where its behavior warrants quite general planting.
S. D. Willard, a nurseryman of Geneva, New York, probably introduced French in this country; at least it was brought to notice mainly through his recommendation. The origin is unknown, but it is probably an introduction from France and may be an old variety renamed. The figure of Prune Petit Damas Violet given by Poiteau is so very similar as to suggest that French may be identical with that sort.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive; branches numerous, ash-gray, roughish, thorny, with lenticels variable in size; branchlets inclined to develop spurs at the base, rather slender, short, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, somewhat zigzag, thickly pubescent, with inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds intermediate in size and length, pointed, free.
Leaves folded upward, long-oval, one and one-quarter inches wide, three inches long; upper surface dark green, covered with fine hairs, with a grooved midrib; lower surface pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base abrupt, margin serrate or nearly crenate, with a few, small, dark glands; petiole eleven-sixteenths inch long, rather slender, pubescent, faintly tinged with red, usually having two very small, globose, greenish-brown glands on the stalk or base of the leaf.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and five-sixteenths inches across, white; borne on lateral spurs, usually in pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch long, slender, covered with short pubescence, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, glabrous on the outer surface, thinly pubescent along the margin and at the base of the inner surface, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals oval, dentate or fringed, tapering below to short, broad claws; anthers distinctly reddish; filaments seven-sixteenths inch in length; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit late; one and one-half inches by one and one-eighth inches in diameter, ovate, halves equal; cavity very shallow, narrow, flaring; suture a line; apex roundish; color dull black, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, brownish, inconspicuous; stem slender, three-quarters inch long, sparingly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, separating readily; flesh greenish, juicy, fibrous, tender, sweet, pleasant and sprightly; good; stone variable in adhesion, seven-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval, roughened, acute at the base, blunt at the apex; ventral suture rather narrow, heavily furrowed and somewhat winged; dorsal suture with a shallow groove of medium width.
FROGMORE
Prunus insititia
1. Flor. & Pom. 265, Pl. 1876. 2. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 289. 1889. 3. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 2nd Ser. 3:51. 1900. 4. Waugh Plum Cult. 130. 1901.
Frogmore Damson 1, 2. Frogmore Prolific Damson 3.
Frogmore may be considered among the best of the Damsons in quality for the culinary purposes to which this fruit is commonly put. The flesh is tender, sweet and good, but adheres rather too tightly to the stone. The tree of Frogmore is all that could be desired in productiveness and quite equals most other Damsons in general and probably surpasses them all, at least on the grounds at this Station, in length of time that the fruit hangs on the tree. The habit of growth of this variety varies from that of Prunus insititia as commonly found, the leaves being larger, the tops more spreading and the branches less thorny. The variety has hardly been tried enough in New York to warrant either recommending or condemning it. According to the Florist and Pomologist, published in 1876, this variety originated a few years previous to the date of publication in the Royal Gardens at Frogmore, England.
Tree inferior in size and vigor, round-topped, open, hardy, very productive; branches thorny, the bark on the older branches splitting transversely to the direction of growth, making grooves or rings about three inches apart and two inches or more in length; branchlets slender, almost glabrous throughout the season, covered with light bloom; leaves bright red on first opening, somewhat folded backward, obovate, one and three-eighths inches wide, three and one-half inches long; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent, margin eglandular; petiole five-eighths inch long, slender, greenish, glandless or with one or two small, globose, yellowish-green glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one inch across, white, in scattered clusters on lateral spurs; borne singly or in pairs; anthers yellow with tinge of red; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit late, season of medium length; one and one-eighth inches by one inch in size, roundish-oval, compressed, purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, tender, sweet; good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, oval, smooth, somewhat acute at the base and apex; ventral suture blunt or with a short, narrow wing; dorsal suture with a narrow, shallow groove.
FROST GAGE
Prunus domestica
1. Prince Pom. Man. 2:52. 1832. 2. Mag. Hort. 4:45. 1838. 3. Hoffy Orch. Comp. 2:1842, 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 300. 1845. 5. Horticulturist 3:446. 1848. 6. Cole Am. Fr. Book 219. 1849. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 54. 1852. 8. Hogg Fruit Mun. 362. 1866.
American Damson 8. Frost Plum 4, 6, 8. October Gage 3.
Frost Gage is too small for market purposes and moreover the fruit withers rather quickly after picking; the quality is above the average. The plum is not a Gage, only green fruits being entitled to this name. At one time this was one of the most popular commercial varieties in the Hudson Valley, but because of its susceptibility to black-knot it has lost favor with growers. Downing in 1838 traced the history of this variety to a tree standing on the farm of a Mr. Duboise, Dutchess County, New York, Mr. Duboise stating that the original had been planted by his father. It is doubtful if this is the first tree, however, for in 1849 Charles Hamilton of Canterbury, Orange County, reported trees of Frost Gage thirty to forty years old on his place.
Tree of medium size, upright, very productive; branchlets thick; leaves flattened, oval or obovate, one and one-half inches wide, two and three-quarters inches long; margin crenate or serrate, with few, small, black glands; petiole short, usually with one or two glands; blooming season intermediate, short; flowers appearing after the leaves, white, with a little yellowish tinge; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in twos.
Fruit late; about one and one-eighth inches in diameter, roundish, dark purplish-black, covered with thick bloom; stem slender, persistent; skin tough, sour; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, firm, sweet, mild; fair to good; stone clinging, small, irregular-ovate, somewhat oblique.
FURST
Prunus domestica
1. Mas Le Verger 6:45. 1873. 2. Lange Allgem. Garten. 2:421. 1879. 3. Oberdieck Deut. Obst. Sort. 413. 1881. 4. Lauche Deut. Pom. 8, Pl. 1882. 5. Guide Prat. 159, 363. 1895.
Eugen Fürsts Frühzwetsche 4, 5. Fürst’s Frühzwetsche 2, 3, 4. Fürst’s Frühzwetsche 1, 4, 5. Quetsche Précoce de Fürst 1, 5.
Furst would undoubtedly be well worthy of very general cultivation in plum orchards were it not for the fact that it is very similar to the Italian Prune. The two fruits differ only in season, the Furst being a few days earlier, and in the tendency of the variety under discussion to shrivel about the neck. It may be that Furst will succeed in some localities where the Italian Prune is not a success.
Furst was propagated by the Baron of Trauttenberg, Prague, Bohemia, who had received it from Professor Pater Hackl, Leitmeritz, Bohemia, under the name Furst, given in honor of Eugene Furst, son of the founder of the School of Horticulture of Frauendorf, Bavaria. Furst Damson has been confused with this variety, but it is a different plum. Its fruits are distinctly necked and much inferior in quality, and its shoots are glabrous, while in this variety they are not. The United States Department of Agriculture introduced Furst in 1901 and through them this Station received cions for testing.
Tree of medium size, round-topped, productive; branchlets thick, marked with slight scarf-skin; leaf-scars very prominent; leaves folded upward, obovate, two and one-half inches wide, four and one-half inches long; margin doubly serrate or almost crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole thick, pubescent, glandless or with from one to three globose glands usually on the stalk; blooming season late; flowers one and one-eighth inches across, white, the opening buds tipped with yellow; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in twos.
Fruit late; one and seven-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size, oval, slightly necked, purplish-black, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, reddish, conspicuous; stem thick; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, very fibrous, firm, sweet, mild, with pleasant aroma; good to very good; stone one and one-eighths inches by five-eighths inch in size, free, irregular-oval, with rather long, tapering, oblique apex, the surfaces heavily pitted; ventral suture prominent, often winged; dorsal suture wide.
GEORGESON
GEORGESON
Prunus triflora
1. Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 52, 99. 1889. 2. Am. Gard. 12:308, 501, 574. 1891. 3. Ibid. 13:700. 1892. 4. Cornell Sta. Bul. 62:23, 27. 1894. 5. Tex. Sta. Bul. 32:488, 489. 1894. 6. Ga. Hart. Soc. Rpt. 94. 1895. 7. Cornell Sta. Bul. 106:51, 58. 1896. 8. Ibid. 139:40, 44. 1897. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1897. 10. Cornell Sta. Bul. 175:145. 1899. 11. Waugh Plum Cult. 136. 1901. 12. Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 13. 1904. 13. Mass. Sta. An. Rpt. 17:160. 1905. 14. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:250, 254, 255, 256, 257. 1905. 15. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:10, 30, 32, 35. 1905.
Hattonkin No. 1. 3, 4, 7. Hattankin No. 1. 5. Hattonkin 7, 11. Hattankio 7. Hattankio ?1. Hattankio No. 1. 6, 9, 12, 15. Hattonkin No. 1. 2. Mikado 10, 11, 12, 15. Normand 4, 5, 7, 8, 14. Normand Yellow 2, 3. Normand Japan 3. Normand’s Japan 4, 5. Normand Yellow 4, 5, 7. Normand ?15. White Kelsey 10, 11, 15. Yeddo 10, 11, 15.
Georgeson is not worth the trouble it has caused pomologists in straightening out its nomenclature; and Professor Georgeson deserves to have his name attached to a far better plum. The rich yellow color of the fruit makes this a particularly handsome plum, but here praises end. The flesh is so astringent and clings so tenaciously to the stone as to unfit the variety for either dessert or culinary use. Moreover, the fruits are exceedingly variable in color, size and shape, in the last character ranging from flattish to round, with sometimes round and sometimes pointed apex. The tree has too much of the sprawling habit of Burbank to make it a good orchard plant. This plum, and those that have been confused with it, can be spared without great loss to American pomology.
Georgeson was imported by H. H. Berger & Company, San Francisco, California, and brought to notice chiefly by J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, who named it for Professor C. C. Georgeson, then of Manhattan, Kansas, a student of Japanese fruits. In the Georgia Horticultural Society Report for 1889, L. A. Berckmans mentions two types of Hattankio, one of which may be this variety. Normand, in 1891, said that he received two varieties of Hattonkin from different sources and in order to separate them he numbered the earlier, No. 1, the later No. 2. Bailey and Kerr, however, in 1894, published Hattonkin No. 1 as a synonym of Georgeson and Hattonkin No. 2, the later, as a synonym of the Kerr. The Georgia Horticultural Society accepted this latter nomenclature in their report published in 1895. The Mikado, White Kelsey and Yeddo as tested by this Station have proved to be identical with Georgeson, but as tested by Kerr,[212] the Mikado alone is the same. Normand, which is said to have been imported and introduced in 1891 by J. L. Normand, is also indistinguishable from this variety. In 1897, Georgeson was placed on the American Pomological Society fruit catalog list.
Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading or broad-vasiform, not always hardy, productive; branches roughish, slightly thorny, often with bark cracked longitudinally, zigzag, dark ash-gray; branchlets glabrous, with characteristic raised lenticels; leaf-scars enlarged; leaves folded upward, broadly oblanceolate or obovate, one and three-eighths inches wide, three and three-quarters inches long, thin; margin crenate or serrate, with small, amber glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, reddish, with from one to ten brownish-red glands usually on the stalk; blooming season early to medium, of average length; flowers appearing before the leaves; borne in clusters on lateral spurs, in pairs or in threes; petals pinkish at the base; anthers reddish; pistil longer than the stamens.
Fruit early, ripening period short; one and five-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-cordate; cavity deep, wide, usually with concentric, russet lines; color greenish-yellow changing to deep yellow as the fruit reaches full maturity, with thin bloom; flesh golden-yellow, fibrous, firm, sweetish except near the center; fair to good; stone clinging, five-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, oval, turgid, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture broad, slightly ribbed; dorsal suture acute.
GERMAN PRUNE
GERMAN PRUNE
Prunus domestica
1. Knoop Fructologie 2:53, 61. 1771. 2. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 235, fig. 7. 1817. 3. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 152. 1831. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:77, 78. 1832. 5. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 310. 1845. 6. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 286, 383. 1846. 7. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 1:1846. 8. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 335. 1849. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 214. 1856. 10. Hooper W. Fr. Book 245. 1857. 11. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 519. 1859. 12. Hogg Fruit Man. 378. 1866. 13. Pom. France 7: No. 17. 1871. 14. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:171. 1873. 15. Lange Allgem. Garten. 2:418. 1879. 16. Lauche Deut. Pom. 1:1882. 17. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 434. 1889. 18. Wickson Cal. Fruits 355. 1891. 19. Guide Prat. 155, 362. 1895. 20. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:185, fig. 43. 1897. 21. Oregon Sta. Bul. 45:29 fig. 1897. 22. Waugh Plum Cult. 102. 1901. 23. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162: 254, 255. 1905.
Altesse ordinaire 13, 17, 19. Backpflaume 17, 19. Bauernpflaume 17, 19. Common Quetsche 3, 5, 11, 17, 18, 19. Couetsche 4, 19. Couetche 17. Couetch 13, 19. Couetsche Ordinaire 17, 19. Covetche 5. Covetsche 17. Damas Gros 3, 5, 11, 17, 19. Damask 3, 5, 11, 17, 19. Damas Long 1. Damas Violet of some 3, 11, 17, 19. Damas Violet Gros of some 3, 5, 11, 17, 19. Deutsche Blaue Herbstzwetsche 17, 19. Die Hauszwetsche 19. D’Allemagne 19. Die Hauszwetsche 16. Dutch Prune 10. Early Russian 11, 12, 13, 17, 19. Enkelde Backspruim 17. Enkelde Blackpruim 19. Fellemberg 13, 17 incor., 19. Gemeine Zwetsche 13, 14, 17, 19. Gemeine Hauszwetsche 14. German Plum 4, 14. German Prune 3, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19. German Quetsche 12, 13, 17, 19. Grosse German Prune 3. Grosse Hauspflaume 17, 19. Hauszwetsche 15. Hauszwetsche 13, 14, 16. Hauspflaume 14, 17. Imperatrice Violette Grosse of some 3, 5, 11, 17, 19. Imperatrice Violette of some 3, 5, 11, 13, 17, 19. Koetsche 13, 17, 19. Large German Prune 4, 17. Leipzig 3, 12, 13, 17, 19. Leipzic 5. Leipziger Zwetsche 16, 17, 19. Monsieur tardif? 19. Monsieur Tardif 17. Prune d’Allemagne la commune 4. Prune d’Allemagne 3, 5, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17. Prune d’Altesse 1. Prune Imperatrice Violette 7. Prune Plum? 2. Prune Allemand 4. Prunier Allemand 4. Prune Plum 4. Prune Quetsch 7. Prunus Oeconomica 17. Prune Zwetschen 14. Quastche 7. Quetsch 7, 13, 19. Quetsche 4, 6, 8, 14, 17, 19. Quetsche? 1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 12. Quetsch Allemande 1. Quetsch Hongroise 1. Quetschen 4. Quetsche Commune 4, 13, 14, 16, 17. Quetsch Longue? 1. Quetsche d’Allemagne Grosse 3, 5, 11, 17, 19. Quetsche Commune 19. Quetsche d’Allemagne 3, 17, 19. Quetsche D’Allemagne 13. Quetsche des Allemands 7. Quetsche Grosse 3, 5, 17, 19. Quetsche de Lorraine 13, 14, 17, 19. Quetsche de Metz 13, 16, 17, 19. Quetsche Domestique 14. Quetsche de Malogne 13, 17, 19. Quetzen 6, 17. Sweet Prune 5, 11, 12, 13, 17, 19. Teutsche blaue Zwetsche 16, 17, 19. Wahre Zwetsche 16. Wetschen 13, 17, 19. True Large German Prune 4, 5, 17, 19. Turkish Quetsche 5, 11, 12, 13, 17, 19. Zwespe 17, 19. Zwetsche 3, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19. Zwetschen 4. Zwetschke 3, 11, 17, 19.
Although one of the oldest plums under cultivation, probably the oldest of the prune type, the German Prune is still as largely grown, the world over, as any; and is seemingly more widely disseminated than any other plum. It is a little difficult, in America at least, to see why this fruit holds its popularity so long, for it is surpassed by other plums in many horticultural characters, and when all of its characters, most of which are very good, are combined there are still plums which it does not excel. In most of the attributes which gratify the senses, color, size, shape, taste and smell, it falls below expectations for a plum so universally planted. Undoubtedly the wide distribution of this plum is due somewhat to its many variations. The fruit comes almost true to seed and is often propagated by planting pits, a practice which has given many slightly different strains of this variety, each with somewhat different adaptations.
In the Old World the number of strains of this plum, especially in Germany, is legion, so many that it is probably impossible to segregate them at this late date. In America, while there are a number of these more or less distinct strains it is yet possible to distinguish the chief ones. In New York, the most commonly grown German Prune is the Rochester strain and since it agrees most closely with the fruit described in the best works on pomology, it is the strain described and illustrated in this work. The trees from which this description was made came from Ellwanger and Barry, Rochester, New York, who have long maintained a stock tree of this strain. Another German Prune, fruit of which we have not been able to obtain, is the Dansville strain grown in the nurseries of Dansville, New York. Still another of these plums is the Weedsport German Prune[213] so like the Rochester type as to be hardly worth distinguishing. The Latz German Prune is a very distinct strain; it is larger, thicker and broader than the type here described and is more of a clingstone. In some respects this is the best of the German Prunes. All accounts agree that this plum was introduced into America from Prussia by a Mr. Latz about 1850.
All of these German Prunes are characterized by large, hardy, vigorous, healthy, productive trees, characters so marked that one can say at once that it is the tree that gives the German Prune its great value. The fruit is excellent for all culinary purposes, especially for canning, and cures into a small but very good, tart, meaty, freestone, elastic prune. The chief objection to the plum for these purposes is that the fruits run small. The plums are too tart to have much value as dessert fruits. This variety is likely to remain a standard for some time in New York but will eventually be superseded by a larger fruit.
The origin of this plum is uncertain. German writers very generally hold that it came from Asia whence it was carried during the Crusades to Europe. Lauche, a German authority, says, “In the Sixteenth Century, the first dried prunes were introduced into Italy, Switzerland and Germany from Hungary. The tree on the contrary is said not to have been introduced by us until the end of the Seventeenth Century.” A Prune Plum was noted in America by Coxe in 1817, but it is impossible to say whether he meant the German Prune. Prince, however, in 1832, described the variety under its present name. In 1856, the American Pomological Society placed the German Prune on the list of the varieties promising well and six years later added it to its fruit catalog. The German Prune is used only in the fresh state in New York, but on the Pacific Coast, in some one of its several types, it is one of the half-dozen leading sorts for curing.
Tree medium to large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, hardy, usually very productive; branches ash-gray, somewhat rough, with lenticels variable in size; branchlets slender, short, with internodes of medium length, green changing to brownish-red, dull, glabrous, with numerous, small, obscure lenticels; leaf-buds intermediate in size and length, conical, free.
Leaves falling early, oval or obovate, one and one-half inches wide, three inches long, thinnish, velvety; upper surface pubescent, slightly rugose, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface yellowish-green, heavily pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin finely serrate, with small glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, tinged with red, glandless or with one or two small, globose glands usually at the base of the leaf.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, nearly one inch across, inconspicuous on account of their greenish-yellow color, which characterizes the variety; borne on lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch long; below medium in thickness, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, lightly pubescent at the base; calyx-lobes long, narrow, acute, thinly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, erect; petals narrow, long-oval or obovate, erose, tapering to broad claws of medium length; anthers yellowish; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil very pubescent at the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit late, ripening period very long; one and five-eighths inches by one inch in size, oval, slightly swollen on the ventral side, halves unequal; cavity very shallow, narrow, flaring; suture a faint line; apex pointed; color purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, brown, inconspicuous, clustered about the base; stem below medium in thickness, five-eighths inch long, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, separating readily; flesh yellowish-green, medium juicy, firm, sweetish, mild, pleasant flavor; good to very good; stone free, seven-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, the cavity larger than the pit, flattened, obliquely long-oval, pointed at the apex and base, with rough and pitted surfaces; ventral suture narrow, conspicuously winged; dorsal suture narrowly and shallowly grooved.
GIANT
GIANT
Prunus domestica
1. Gard. & For. 7:420. 1894. 2. Burbank Cat. 5, fig. 1895. 3. Cal. State Board Hort. 47. 1897-98. 4. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:185. 1897. 5. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:245. 1899. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 39. 1899. 7. Am. Gard. 21:36. 1900. 8. Mich. Sta. Bul. 187:77, 78. 1901.
Giant Prune 4, 7, 8. Giant Prune 5, 6.
Giant is distinguished for its large size and attractive color. The accompanying color-plate shows the color and shape very well, but the fruit is a little too small. Unfortunately Giant is somewhat inferior in quality, a disappointment to all, as with Agen for a parent high quality was to be expected. In quality, as in all fruit-characters, the variety resembles the male parent, Pond. The flesh is coarse, fibrous, lacking in juice, clings more or less to the stone and rots quickly under unfavorable conditions. The trees, too, lack somewhat in both vigor and productiveness. Introduced as a prune, it was supposed that this variety would prove a great boon to prune-makers, but it does not cure well and is now hardly used for drying. Giant is proving to be one of the very best shipping plums, as would be expected because of its firm, dry flesh. It is unfortunate that so attractive a plum cannot be unqualifiedly recommended, but it is doubtful if it is worth planting on a commercial scale in New York.
Giant was grown by Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa, California, from a seed of Agen fertilized by Pond, the Hungarian Prune of the Pacific Coast. The stock of this variety was offered for sale to nurserymen in 1893 and 1894, but not to fruit-growers until 1895, and then by the originator. The American Pomological Society placed it on their fruit catalog list in 1899 as a promising variety for this region and southern California.
Tree medium in size and vigor, round and dense-topped, hardy, usually productive; branches short, stocky, dark ash-gray, with large lenticels; branchlets short, with internodes of medium length, greenish-red changing to dark brownish-red, dull, thinly pubescent, heavily marked with scarf-skin and with few, small, inconspicuous lenticels; leaf-buds small to medium, short, conical, appressed.
Leaves folded backward, obovate or oval, two and one-quarter inches wide, three and three-quarters inches long; upper surface pubescent only along the midrib; lower surface pale green, lightly pubescent on the midrib and larger veins; apex abruptly pointed or acute, margin serrate or crenate, usually with small, dark glands; petiole three-quarters inch long, tinged red along one side, sparingly pubescent, glandless or with from one to four greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and three-sixteenths inches across, creamy in the buds, changing to white on opening, borne in scattering clusters on short, lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels three-eighths inch long, thick, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous or lightly pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals oval, somewhat erose, with short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, period of ripening short; two inches by one and one-half inches in size, obovate, slightly necked, compressed, halves unequal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow; apex roundish or depressed; color light to dark purplish-red, overspread with bloom of medium thickness; dots numerous, smallish, russet, inconspicuous; stem seven-eighths inch long, thinly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin of medium thickness and toughness, adhering but slightly to the pulp; flesh light golden-yellow, variable in juiciness, coarse, somewhat fibrous, firm, rather sweet, mild fair in quality; stone semi-clinging or clinging, one and one-eighth inches by five-eighths inch in size, long-oval, flattened, with rough and pitted surfaces; ventral suture strongly furrowed; dorsal suture with a shallow groove.
GLASS
Prunus domestica