Tree large, very vigorous, spreading, round or flat-topped, hardy, medium in productiveness; branches stocky, smooth, dark ash-brown, with lenticels of medium number and size; branchlets thick, with internodes one inch long, light brown, covered with short, heavy pubescence; leaf-buds large, of medium length, conical.
Leaves large, oval, of average thickness; upper surface dark green; lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex obtuse, margin doubly crenate, with small glands; petiole three-quarters inch long, thick, pubescent, with a trace of red, usually with two, small, globose, greenish glands at the base of the leaf.
Fruit early; thick-set, without a neck, one and seven-eighths inches in diameter, roundish, slightly angular, halves equal; cavity deep, wide, compressed; suture shallow, distinct; apex flattened or depressed; color dark purplish-red, overspread with thin bloom; dots numerous, large, conspicuous; stem eleven-sixteenths inch long, glabrous, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, adhering; flesh golden-yellow, medium juicy, firm, subacid, mild; good; stone free, one inch by three-quarters inch in size, roundish-oval, flattened, with rough and pitted surfaces, blunt at the base and apex; ventral suture wide, prominent, often distinctly winged; dorsal suture with a wide, deep groove.
PEARL
PEARL
Prunus domestica
1. Burbank Cat. 5. 1898. 2. Am. Gard. 21:36. 1900. 3. Waugh Plum Cult. 118. 1901.
One can grow seedlings of some plums with considerable certainty of getting respectable offspring—plums worth having in an orchard—but the chances of growing a variety of superior qualities are small indeed. It is a piece of good luck, a matter almost wholly of luck, when, as in this case, but one parent is known, to secure as fine a fruit as the Pearl plum. The variety now under notice is one to be pleased with if it came as a chance out of thousands; its rich, golden color, large size, fine form, melting flesh and sweet, luscious flavor, place it among the best dessert plums. In the mind of the writer and of those who have assisted in describing the varieties for The Plums of New York, it is unsurpassed in quality by any other plum. The tree-characters, however, do not correspond in desirability with those of the fruits. The trees, while of medium size and seemingly as vigorous and healthy as any, are unproductive. In none of the several years they have been fruiting at this Station have they borne a large crop. If elsewhere this defect does not show, the variety becomes at once one of great value. The fruits of Pearl are said to cure into delicious prunes—to be readily believed by one who has eaten the fresh fruits. This variety ought to be very generally tried by commercial plum-growers and is recommended to all who grow fruit for pleasure.
Pearl is a recent addition to the list of plums and though its history is well known its parentage is in doubt. In 1898, Luther Burbank introduced the variety as a new prune grown from the seed of the well-known Agen. The male parent is not known but from the fruit and tree, one at once surmises that it was some variety of the Reine Claude group, its characters being so like those of the plum named that no one could suspect that it came from the seed of a plum so far removed from the Reine Claude as the Agen.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy, unproductive; branches ash-gray, with numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets twiggy, thick, long, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, very pubescent early in the season becoming less so at maturity, with numerous, small, raised lenticels; leaf-buds large, above medium in length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.
Leaves broadly oval, one and seven-eighths inches wide, three and one-half inches long, thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, rugose, covered with fine hairs, with a grooved midrib; lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base abrupt, margin serrate or crenate, with small, black glands; petiole seven-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose, brownish glands on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, showy on account of their size, averaging one and five-eighths inches across, white, with a tinge of yellow at the apex of the petals; borne on lateral spurs and buds, usually singly; pedicels one-half inch long, thick, strongly pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate and with marginal hairs, strongly reflexed; petals obovate or oblong, entire, tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellow; filaments nearly one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; one and three-quarters inches by one and one-half inches in size, roundish-oval, compressed, halves unequal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture a line; apex depressed; color golden-yellow, obscurely striped and splashed with dull green, mottled, overspread with thin bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish, inconspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem thick, three-quarters inch long, thickly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, separating readily; flesh deep yellow, juicy, a little coarse and fibrous, firm but tender, very sweet, with a pleasant, mild flavor, aromatic; very good to best; stone clinging, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, long-oval, slightly necked at the base, bluntly acute at the apex, with rough surfaces; ventral suture broad, blunt; dorsal suture with a wide, shallow groove.
PETERS
PETERS
Prunus domestica
1. Prince Pom. Man. 27. 1828. 2. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 151. 1831. 3. Cultivator 8:52 fig. 1860. 4. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 375 fig. 392. 1867. 5. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 937. 1869. 6. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 289. 1889. 7. Mich. Sta. Bul. 103:35. 1894. 8. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:190 fig. 45, 194. 1897. 9. Waugh Plum Cult. 118 fig. 1901. 10. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 321, 322 fig. 1903.
Peter’s Large Yellow 1, 2. Peter’s Yellow Gage 10. Peters’ Yellow Gage 3, 4, 6, 7. Peter’s Yellow Gage 5, 8. Peters Yellow Gage 9.
Peters is an excellent old plum probably ranking in quality with the best varieties in the group to which it belongs—a sufficient recommendation to make it desirable in any home collection of fruit. This variety, however, is not equal in appearance to any one of several other sorts in its group, lacking size and color. The trees are large, hardy, robust and healthy, surpassing in these respects most of the other Reine Claude sorts. The tree-characters have made this variety a prime favorite in western New York for two generations, one pomologist after another recommending it for this section. The fruits are not sufficiently attractive to sell well, however, and the variety is now going out of cultivation except for the amateur. While a very good plum it does not appear to be worth growing in competition with Hand, Washington, McLaughlin, Jefferson, Spaulding and the latest comer among these high-quality plums, Pearl.
Of the origin of this old plum we have no certain information. William Prince, the first pomologist to mention it, gave a brief description of the variety in his “A Short Treatise on Horticulture” published in 1828 but says nothing in regard to its history. In 1831 the London Horticultural Society listed it in its fruit catalog but otherwise the variety is not mentioned in the European pomologies.
Tree very large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, hardy, productive; branches thick, ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous, rather large, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, short, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, pubescent throughout the season, with numerous, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds medium in size and length, pointed, free.
Leaves flattened, obovate or oval, two inches wide, four inches long; upper surface covered with numerous hairs, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface silvery-green, heavily pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base rather abrupt, margin slightly crenate, eglandular or with few, small, dark glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, thick, tinged red, pubescent, glandless or with one or two small, globose or reniform, greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing with the leaves, one and one-eighth inches wide, white, creamy at the apex; borne on lateral spurs or buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels about one inch long, below medium in thickness, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate and with fine marginal hairs, reflexed; petals roundish-oval or obovate, dentate to slightly crenate; anthers yellow, with a slight trace of red; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.
Fruit late, season rather short; about one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish, compressed, halves equal; cavity very shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow; apex flattened or depressed; color dull yellowish-green, often blushed or mottled on the sunny side, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, large, whitish, conspicuous; stem one and one-eighth inches long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, separating readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, somewhat fibrous, firm but tender, sweet next the skin but sour near the center, with pleasant flavor; very good; stone clinging, one inch by three-quarters inch in size, oval, turgid, somewhat acute at the base and apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture wide, indistinctly furrowed, often with a short wing; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.
POND
POND
Prunus domestica
1. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 151. 1831. 2. Mag. Hort. 9:165. 1843. 3. Horticulturist 6:560 fig. 1851. 4. Gard. Chron. 13:228. 1853. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 214. 1856. 6. Ann. Pom. Belge 9, fig. 1857. 7. Cultivator 8:52 fig. 1860. 8. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 343. 1867. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 937 fig. 1869. 10. Pom. France 7: No. 2. 1871. 11. Mas Le Verger 6:5, fig. 3. 1886-73. 12. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 466. 1883. 13. Hogg Fruit Man. 717. 1884. 14. Cal. State Bd. Hort. Rpt. 292. 1885-86. 15. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 442. 1889. 16. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 465. 1893. 17. Guide Prat. 155, 366. 1895. 18. Oregon Sta. Bul. 45:29 fig. 1897. 19. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:190. 1897. 20. W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 92. 1899. 21. Ohio Sta. Bul. 113:160, Pl. XVI fig. 1899. 22. Va. Sta. Bul. 134:44. 1902. 23. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 322. 1903.
Chili (Kerr unpublished). Diamant 15 incor. Diamantpflaume 17 incor. Dorr’s Favorite 12. English Pond’s Seedling 3. Farleigh Castle 13, 15. Fonthill 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 23. Gros Prune 14. Grosse Prune d’Agen 18, 20. Hungarian 18. Hungarian 20. Hungarian Prune 16, 19. Hungarian Prune 14. Oswego 20. Oswego 19. Plum de l’Inde ?3. Plum de l’Inde 9, 15. Pond’s Purple 9, 10, 13, 15, 17. Pond’s Seedling (English) 11, 14, 17. Pond’s Seedling 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 21. Pond’s Seedling 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 23. Pond Seedling 20. Pond’s Samling 15, 17. Pourprée de Pond 10, 15, 17. Pride of Waterloo 20. Semis de Pond 10, 15. Semis de Pond 17.
Pond is preeminent among plums for its large size. It is distinguished also by its form and its color, both being pleasing as well as distinctive. The three characters, size, form and color make this one of the handsomest of all plums. Despite the efforts of the color-plate makers, the peculiar red of this plum is not well shown in the illustration—to the disparagement of the fruit. At one time Pond was very largely grown in New York but the fruits are not as perfect, grown here, as on the Pacific Coast and the trees are not regular in bearing. The eye is pleased with Pond but the palate is sadly disappointed; at best it is not even second-rate. The fruits, however, ship and keep well, as is demonstrated by the large quantities of this variety annually sent from California to the East for sale on fruit-stands where its showiness perennially beguiles the uninformed fruit-buyer. There is a fine opportunity for some one to cross this splendid-appearing plum with one of good quality in the hope of getting an offspring as handsome but of better quality.
This variety was obtained from seed by Mr. Pond, an English amateur grower of fruits, concerning whom there seems to be no further information. The London Horticultural Society mentioned the variety as long ago as in 1831. Another Mr. Pond, a nurseryman in Massachusetts, grew a variety very similar in appearance to the English plum and permitted his name to be given it to the great confusion of the nomenclature of the two. The Hungarian prune of the Pacific Coast is Pond, why so-called does not appear; with this as with several other plums the Pacific Coast fruit-growers persist in using a name known to have been wrongly applied to an old and well-known variety elsewhere called rightly. Oswego, a supposed seedling grown in Oswego, New York, is identical with the Pond as tested by this Experiment Station and by local growers. The American Pomological Society placed this fruit on its catalog list in 1856.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, hardy, variable in productiveness; branches light gray, smooth, with small, raised lenticels; branchlets of medium thickness and length, with internodes of average length, greenish-red changing to brownish-drab, dull, sparingly pubescent, with inconspicuous small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, conical, free; leaf-scars plump, often much enlarged at the apex of the twigs.
Leaves somewhat folded backward, oval, two and one-quarter inches wide, four inches long, thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, finely pubescent, rugose, with a grooved midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base abrupt, margin crenate or serrate, with small dark glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, tinged red, with one or two globose, yellowish glands variable in size, usually on the stalk.
Season of bloom intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and five-sixteenths inches across, white; borne in thin clusters on lateral spurs and buds, singly or in pairs; pedicels thirteen-sixteenths inch long, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, lightly pubescent on both surfaces, margins with few glands and hairs, reflexed; petals roundish, crenate, tapering to short, broad claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to or shorter than the stamens.
Fruit late, season short; two inches by one and three-quarters inches in size, obovate or oval, frequently with a slight neck, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture very shallow, often a line; apex roundish; color varies from reddish-purple to purplish-red, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, reddish-brown, obscure, larger in size but fewer in number towards the base; stem thick, seven-eighths inch long, heavily pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, separating readily; flesh attractive golden-yellow, not very juicy, fibrous, firm, of average sweetness, mild, not highly flavored; fair in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-sixteenths inches by nine-sixteenths inch in size, long-oval, flattened, the surfaces roughened and deeply pitted, tapering towards the base and apex; ventral suture heavily furrowed, with a distinct but not prominent wing; dorsal suture usually widely and deeply grooved.
POOLE PRIDE
Prunus munsoniana
1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 108. 1885. 2. Cornell Sta. Bul. 38:50. 1892. 3. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 334. 1894. 4. Wis. Sta. Bul. 63:24, 53. 1897. 5. Ibid. 87:15. 1901. 6. Waugh Plum Cult. 186. 1901. 7. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 299. 1903. 8. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:245 fig., 256, 257. 1905.
Kroh 1, 6. Kroh 3, 7. Poole 2, 7. Poole 6. Poole’s Pride 3, 4, 5. Poole’s Pride 2, 6, 7.
As compared with other native plums growing on the grounds at this Station, Poole Pride has considerable merit. It is very attractive in appearance, it seems to have all the characters of a long-keeping and a good-shipping sort of its species and the trees are large, vigorous, hardy, healthy and productive. It is, however, lacking in the very important character of flavor though the texture of the flesh is all that could be desired. Its very peculiar flavor, incomparable with any other plum or fruit, while disagreeable to the writer, might be liked by some. The flesh of this plum is so transparent that the pit can be readily seen when the skin is removed. To those growing native plums, Poole Pride is recommended for trial.
This variety was raised by P. H. Kroh, Anna, Illinois, and was exhibited by him under the name Kroh at the American Pomological Society meeting in 1885. Three years later the same plum was introduced by Stark Brothers, Louisiana, Missouri, under the name of Poole’s Pride. The latter name has been so much more widely used that it has been retained even though the former is correct according to the rule of priority.
Tree large, vigorous, open and round-topped, hardy, productive, healthy; branches rough, zigzag, with few thorns, dark ash-gray, with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets twiggy, slender, above medium in length, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to light chestnut-red, glabrous, with numerous, very conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, appressed.
Leaves folded upward, ovate or obovate, peach-like, one and three-eighths inches wide, three and one-half inches long, thin and leathery; upper surface dull red late in the season, smooth, glossy, with a narrow groove on the midrib; lower surface lightly pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base rather abrupt, margin finely crenate, with small dark glands; petiole seven-eighths inch long, slender, hairy, light purplish-red, with from one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands on the stalk.
Blooming season late and long; flowers appearing after the leaves, five-eighths inch across, white; borne in clusters on short lateral spurs and buds; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch long, very slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, heavily pubescent within and along the margin which is serrate and covered with reddish glands, erect; petals small, ovate or roundish, crenate, tapering into long pubescent claws; anthers yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit early, season very long; one inch in diameter, roundish-oval, not compressed, halves equal; cavity very shallow and narrow; suture a distinct line; apex roundish; color clear, dark, currant-red, with thin bloom; dots few, large, light russet, conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem slender, five-eighths inch long, glabrous, but overspread with a grayish bloom, adhering to the fruit; skin thin, tough, separating from the pulp; flesh semi-transparent, dark amber-yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and melting, sweet, with a strong, peculiar flavor not pleasant; of fair quality; stone adhering, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, long-oval, slightly flattened, compressed at the base, pointed at the apex, roughish; ventral suture blunt, faintly ridged; dorsal suture acute, entire.
POTTAWATTAMIE
POTTAWATTAMIE
Prunus munsoniana
1. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 287. 1887. 2. Pop. Gard. 3:27 fig. 1887. 3. Cornell Sta. Bul. 38:64. 86. 1892. 4. Mich Sta. Bul. 123:20. 1895. 5. Ia. Sta. Bul. 31:346. 1895. 6. Wis. Sta. Bul. 63:53. 1897. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 25. 1897. 8. Ohio Sta. Bul. 113:156. 1899. 9. Ia. Sta. Bul. 46:287. 1900. 10. Waugh Plum Cult. 199 fig. 1901. 11. Ga. Sta. Bul. 67:279. 1904.
The plum under notice is possibly of greater cultural value than any other of its species especially for northern latitudes. It is of high quality for a native plum, the texture of the fruit being especially pleasing in eating, and though melting and juicy it keeps and ships very well because of a tough skin. It escapes both the curculio and the brown-rot to a higher degree than most of its kind. The trees, though dwarfish at maturity, are vigorous, productive and among the hardiest of the Munsoniana plums, growing without danger of winter injury to tree or bud as far north as the forty-fourth parallel. Pottawattamie is deservedly one of the best known of the native plums and if varieties of its species are to be grown in New York, is as desirable as any.
Pottawattamie, according to the most authoritative accounts, was taken from Tennessee to Iowa with a lot of Miner trees. It came under the notice of J. B. Rice, Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1875, and was introduced by him and named after one of the counties of his State.
Tree medium in size, strong and vigorous when young becoming spreading and somewhat dwarfish when older, round-topped, hardy at Geneva, usually productive; branches dark brown, zigzag, thorny, roughened by the numerous, raised lenticels of various sizes which are often narrow and much elongated; branchlets slender, long, with internodes of medium length, greenish-red changing to dark chestnut-red, glabrous, with numerous, conspicuous, large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, free.
Leaves flat or folded upward, lanceolate, peach-like, one and one-eighth inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long, thin; upper surface light green, reddish late in the season, smooth, glossy, with a grooved midrib; lower surface pale green, lightly pubescent along the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base abrupt, margin finely serrate or crenate, with small, reddish glands; petiole one inch long, slender, tinged red, thinly pubescent, glandless or with from one to five very small, globose, reddish-yellow glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season late and long; flowers appearing after the leaves, five-eighths inch across, creamy-white as the buds unfold changing to whitish, with a disagreeable odor; borne in clusters from lateral buds, in threes, fours or fives; pedicels five-eighths inch long, very slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, broadly obconic, glabrous, calyx-lobes narrow, somewhat acute, pubescent on the inner surface, serrate, with reddish glands and hairy margin, erect; petals small, oval, slightly toothed, narrowly clawed; anthers yellowish; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit early, season of medium length; variable in size ranging from seven-eighths inch to one and one-eighth inches in diameter, roundish-oval, slightly compressed, halves equal; cavity very shallow and narrow, abrupt; suture indistinct; apex roundish or depressed; color clear currant-red, with thin bloom; dots few, medium to large, whitish, somewhat conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem very slender, three-quarters inch long, glabrous, adhering poorly to the fruit; skin tough, cracking under unfavorable conditions, separating readily; flesh deep yellow, juicy, fibrous, tender and melting, sweet next the skin but sour at the center, of pleasant flavor; fair to good in quality; stone clinging closely, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, narrow, long-oval, turgid, smooth, flattened and necked at the base, abruptly sharp-tipped at the apex; ventral suture acute, inconspicuous; dorsal suture blunt, faintly grooved.
PURPLE GAGE
Prunus domestica
1. Pom. Mag. 3:129, Pl. 1830. 2. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 152, 153. 1831. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 308 fig. 127. 1845. 4. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 1. 1846. 5. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 339. 1849. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 54. 1852. 7. Ann. Pom. Belge 3:71, Pl. 1855. 8. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 519, Pl. 1. 1859. 9. Hogg Fruit Man. 377. 1866. 10. Pom. France 7: No. 9. 1871. 11. Mas Le Verger 6:3 fig. 2. 1866-73. 12. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 367. 1887. 13. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 452. 1889. 14. Guide Prat. 155, 364. 1895.
Blaue Reine-Claude 10, 11, 13 incor., 14. Die Violette Königin Claudia 13. Die Violette Königin Claudie 1. Die Violette Köning Claudie 3. Die Violette oder blaue Renoclode 10, 14. Die Violette oder Blaue Reneclode 11, 13. Purple Gage 2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Prune Reine Claude Violette 4, 10. Reine-Claude Alex. Dumas 14. Reine-Claude Violette 2, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14. Reine-Claude Violette 1, 3, 5, 9, 13. Violet Queen Claude 3, 5. Violet Gage 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14. Violette Reine-Claude 13. Violet Gage 2. Violette Queen Claude 13. Violet oder Blaue Reneclode 13.
Purple Gage is worthy of attention as one of the best flavored of all purple plums. In all but color of fruit it is a true Gage, to say which is a sufficient characterization as to quality. In size it averages larger than most of the Gages or Reine Claude plums, and in color is a rich dark purple as attractive as any of the purple plums. Another good quality of the fruit is that of hanging to the tree until it shrivels at which time it is richest in flavor. Unfortunately the trees, while averaging very well in other respects, are not productive and the variety cannot be recommended for money-making though it well deserves a place in home orchards.
Purple Gage is a European variety of unknown origin, though in the Catalogue descriptif des fruits adoptes par le Congres pomologique for 1887, it is said to have been raised by M. Galopin of Liege, Belgium. As it was not mentioned by Duhamel in his Traite des Arbres Fruitiers in 1768, it is thought to have been unknown at that date. English and American authors generally apply the name Purple Gage to this variety but in continental countries the name Reine Claude Violette is most common. It was imported into America early in the last century and in 1852 was added to the recommended list of fruits in the American Pomological Society catalog.
Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, hardy, not very productive; branches numerous, light ash-gray, with few, small, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, above medium in length, with rather short internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, marked with much scarf-skin, glabrous throughout the season, with few, small, slightly-raised lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars greatly enlarged.
Leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, three and one-half inches long, thick, stiff; upper surface dark green, distinctly rugose, lightly pubescent, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface silvery-green, covered with thick pubescence; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base rather abrupt, margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole three-quarters inch long, thick, greenish, pubescent, glandless or with one or two rather large, globose, yellowish-green glands variable in position.
Blooming season late, of medium length; flowers appearing with the leaves, nearly one and one-quarter inches across, white; borne from lateral buds, usually singly; pedicels five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, lightly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals obovate or oval, crenate, short-clawed; anthers yellow; filaments nearly one-half inch long; pistil glabrous except at the base, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; one and one-half inches by one and three-eighths inches in size, roundish or ovate, slightly compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture very shallow, often a line; apex variable in shape; color dark purple or purplish-black, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, russet, conspicuous when the bloom is removed, clustered about the apex; stem five-eighths inch long, thinly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, separating readily; flesh dull yellow, juicy, somewhat fibrous, firm but tender, sweet, of pleasant flavor; very good; stone semi-clinging, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, irregular-oval, flat, often contracted at the base into a long narrow neck, blunt at the apex, with markedly rough and pitted surfaces; ventral suture swollen, rather wide, distinctly furrowed, often with a prominent wing; dorsal suture with a wide and deep groove.
QUACKENBOSS
QUACKENBOSS
Prunus domestica
1. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 393. 1857. 2. Cultivator 6:269 fig. 1858. 3. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 345. 1867. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 941. 1869. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1871. 6. Mas. Pom. Gen. 2:151, fig. 76. 1873. 7. Barry Fr. Garden 415. 1883. 8. Mich. Sta. Bul. 103:34, fig. 6. 1894. 9. Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt. 52. 1895. 10. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:191, fig. 40 II. 1897. 11. Waugh Plum Cult. 119. 1901. 12. Va. Sta. Bul. 134:44. 1902.
Quackenbos 9, 12.
Though not a leading variety, Quackenboss is a prominent one in the list of commercial sorts for New York. Its fruits possess to a high degree the characters which make a good market plum; they are of large size, averaging nearly an inch and a half in diameter; round-oval, a better shape for the markets than the prune shapes; very prepossessing in color—a handsome, dark purple with heavy bloom; the flesh is tender and juicy with a sweet, pleasant flavor making it one of the good purple plums, though not one of the best in quality. The tree is large, vigorous, hardy, with a round and spreading top. This gives it great bearing capacity but though productive in the Station orchard, the variety does not have the reputation of being fruitful and fails chiefly as a commercial sort for this reason. It is a late-maturing variety and comes on the market at a time when plums are wanted for home canning, the demand for this purpose, for which it is most suitable, helping greatly its sale. The variety has two peculiarities; the petals are comparatively distinct from each other giving the flower, or a tree in flower, an odd appearance; and the leaves are remarkably variable in size.
It is not quite certain when or where this variety first came to notice. C. Reagles, a competent authority, of Schenectady, New York, in describing the Quackenboss for The Cultivator in 1858, says “There is a seedling tree of this identical sort in the garden of Mr. S. C. Groot of this city, which is about thirty years old.” If true, this puts its origin in Schenectady at about 1828. But beyond question a Mr. Quackenboss of Greenbush, New York, introduced the variety, though some years later, and it has taken his name. In 1871, the American Pomological Society placed the Quackenboss on its recommended fruit list.
Tree very large and vigorous, round-topped, hardy, productive; branches numerous, ash-gray, the trunk rough but the limbs smooth, with smallish raised lenticels; branchlets thick, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-drab over red, dull, pubescent, with numerous, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and length, pointed, free.
Leaves flattened, obovate or oval, variable in size averaging one and seven-eighths inches wide by three and five-eighths inches long; upper surface very dark green, nearly glabrous, with a grooved midrib; lower surface pale green, pubescent; apex obtuse, base tapering, margin finely serrate, with small black glands; petiole five-eighths inch long, pubescent, faintly tinged red, glandless or with from one to four small, globose, greenish-yellow glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white, with a yellow tinge at the tips of the opening buds; scattered on lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels three-quarters inch long, above medium in thickness, finely pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, lightly pubescent, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals obovate, crenate, with broad claws of medium length; anthers yellow with a reddish tinge; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous except on the ovary, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit late, season short; one and five-eighths inches by one and three-eighths inches in size, roundish-oval, compressed slightly, halves equal; cavity narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, often lacking; apex roundish or depressed; color bluish-black, with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, yellowish-brown, inconspicuous; stem three-quarters inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin tender, somewhat astringent; flesh deep yellow, juicy, tender, sweet, of pleasant, mild flavor; good; stone semi-free, one inch by five-eighths inch in size, flattened, irregular-oval, tapering to a long, narrow neck at the base, bluntly acute at the apex, with rough and pitted surfaces; ventral suture prominent, heavily furrowed, distinctly ridged; dorsal suture acute, often with a narrow, indistinct, shallow groove.
RED APRICOT
Prunus domestica
1. Knoop Fructologie 2:52, 54. 1771. 2. Kraft Pom. Aust. 2:27, Tab. 172 fig. 1. 1796. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 2:72. 1832. 4. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 1. 1846. 5. Goodrich N. Fr. Cult. 83. 1849. 6. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:127, fig. 64. 1873. 7. Hogg Fruit Man. 720. 1884. 8. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 447. 1889. 9. Lucas Vollst. Hand. Obst. 474. 1894.
Abricot Rouge 1. Abricote Rouge 3. Apricot Plum 5. Abricotée Rouge 6. Abricot Rouge 6, 7, 8. Abricotée Rouge 7, 8. Die Aprikosenpflaume 2. Fürstenzeller Pflaume 8. Fürstenzeller Reine-Claude 6. Prune d’Abricot Rouge 1, 8. Prune d’Abricos 2. Prune d’Abricot rouge 1. Prune Abricotée Rouge 4. Red Apricot Plum 3. Rothe Aprikosenpflaume 6. Red Apricot 6, 8. Rote Aprikosenpflaume 8. Rote Aprikosenzwetsche 9.
This plum, well known in Europe, is probably not now grown in America and it may not deserve recognition here except for its historical interest. Red Apricot is probably an inferior off-shoot of the Apricot plum although no definite record of its lineage is obtainable. It does not seem to have been known until nearly one hundred and fifty years after the Apricot was brought to notice. Kraft figured and described a long prune-like red plum under this name but because of its shape his plum was undoubtedly spurious. The variety was rejected by the American Pomological Society in 1856. It is described as follows:
Tree vigorous, shoots glabrous; fruit mid-season, large, roundish; color red over yellow; suture shallow; cavity small; stem an inch long, stout; flesh yellow, dryish, inferior in flavor; poor; freestone.
RED DATE
Prunus domestica
1. Parkinson Par. Ter. 576. 1629. 2. Rea Flora 208. 1676. 3. Ray Hist. Plant. 2:1529. 1688. 4. Kraft Pom. Aust. 2:43, Tab. 196 fig. 2. 1796. 5. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 147. 1831. 6. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 447. 1889.
A Fleur Double 5. Dattel Pflaume 6. Dattel Zwetsche 6. Die grosse rothe Feigenpflaume 4. Figue Grose Rouge 5. Figue Grosse Rouge 6. Früh Zwetsche 6. Grosse Rote Feigen Pflaume 6. Lange Violette Dattel Zwetsche 6. Lange Violette Dattel Pflaume 6. Prune figue grosse rouge 4. Prune d’Autriche 6. Prune Figue 6. Prune Datte 6. Purpur Pflaume 6. Red Date-plum 3. Rote. Dattelzwetsche 6. Rote Feigen Pflaume 6. Turkische Zwetsche 6. Ungarische Zwetsche 6. Wilmot’s Russian 5. Zucker Zwetsche 6.
Red Date is an interesting variety because of its very peculiar shape which is that of an elongated curved date. Its flavor is agreeable and all of the characters of fruit and tree are as good as in the average variety; yet it can probably be counted as nothing more than an interesting curiosity. Parkinson described the Red Date as long ago as 1629 and it seems to have maintained a place in horticulture since then. The variety was imported from France in 1901 by the United States Department of Agriculture from which source trees were obtained by this Station.
Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, dense-topped, productive; branches thorny; branchlets developing many laterals on the new wood at right angles to the direction of growth, thickly pubescent; leaf-buds free; leaves folded backward, obovate, one and one-half inches by three and one-quarter inches long; margin crenate, with small dark glands; petiole pubescent, rather long, glandless or with from one to three small glands; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across; borne in scattering clusters on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit mid-season; one and five-eighths inches by one inch in size, long irregular-oval, enlarged on the suture side, dark purplish-red, with thick bloom; flesh golden-yellow, rather dry, firm, sweet, mild; of fair quality; stone free, one and one-eighth inches by one-half inch in size, very long and narrow, somewhat oblique, acute and oblique at both base and apex; ventral suture blunt; dorsal suture with a long, narrow, deep groove.
RED DIAPER
Prunus domestica
1. Quintinye Com. Gard. 67, 68, 69. 1699. 2. Miller Gard. Kal. 184. 1734. 3. Knoop Fructologie 2:57. 1761. 4. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:102, Pl. XX fig. 12. 1768. 5. Kraft Pom. Aust. 2:36, Tab. 185 fig. 2. 1796. 6. Willichs Dom. Enc. 300. 1803. 7. Pom. Mag. 1:6, Pl. 1828. 8. Prince Pom. Man. 2:69, 90. 1832. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 298. 1845. 10. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 285, 287, 288, 383. 1846. 11. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 1:1846. 12. Horticulturist 3:29. 1848. 13. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 335, fig. 261. 1849. 14. Horticulturist 4:195. 1849. 15. Ann. Pom. Belge 75 Pl. 1853. 16. Bridgeman Gard. Ass’t 128, 129, 130. 1857. 17. Pom. France 7: No. 10. 1871. 18. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:135, fig. 68. 1873. 19. Le Bon Jard. 339. 1882. 20. Hogg Fruit Man. 697. 1884. 21. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 345. 1887. 22. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 447. 1889. 23. Guide Prat. 158, 365. 1895.
Amalia Pflaume 22, 23. Bunte Herzformige Pflaume 17, 22. Cyprische Pflaume 22, 23. Diaprée de Roche Corbon 22. Dame Aubert Rouge 22, 23. Diademe Imperial 22. De Chypre 23. Diademe Imperiale 23. Diaper 1, 10. Die Blutfarbige Pflaume 5. Diaprée Rouge 3, 4, 9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Diaprée Rouge 5, 8, 10, 13, 16, 18, 22. Diapre Rouge 8, 22, 23. Die Rothe Eierpflaume 14. Diaper Rouge 16. Diaper 17, 20, 22. Die Blutfarbege Pflaume 17. Diaprea rubra 17. Diademe 19. De Briancon 21. Gluhende Kohle 22. Hoheits Pflaume 22, 23. Imperial Diadem 8, 9, 13, 20, 22. Imperial Diadem 10, 16. Imperial Diademe 17, 21. Imperatrice 19. La Roche-Corbon 22. La Courbon 17. Mimms 10, 16. Mimms 9, 13, 17, 20. Mimms Plum 10, 16, 22. Mimms Plum 7, 8. Mimms Pflaume 22. Matchless 22. Prune Diaprée Rouge 11. Prune Imperatrice 15. Prune Diademe 15. Prune de Briancon 17. Prune de Chypre 22. Prinzessin Pflaume 22, 23. Roche-Carbon 22. Rote Diaprée 22. Rouge Corbon 22. Rote Eier Pflaume 22. Rote Cyprische Pflaume 22. Rote Marunke 22. Rote Osterei 22. Rote Masche 22. Rote Ross Pflaume 22. Rothe Eierpflaume 23. Rothe Marunke 23. Roche Corbon 1. Roche Courbon 2. Roche Corbon 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22. Roch-courbon 6. Red Diaper 6, 10, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22. Roche Courbon 8. Red Egg Plum 14. Reine de Chypre 14. Red Imperial 16. Rothe Diaprée 17. Rothe Violen Pflaume 17. Red Diaper Plum 17. Rothe Eierpflaume 17. Rothe Süsse Pflaume 17. Rothe Diapre 18. Virginische Pflaume 17.
Red Diaper is of historical value only, as it is now rarely found. It does not seem to have been known as long as Violet Diaper and may be an off-shoot of the older variety. It probably originated in France, one of its synonyms, Roche Corbon, having been derived from a small village near Tours. The Mimms plum said to have been raised from a stone of the Blue Perdrigon about 1800 by Henry Browne, North Mimms Place, Hertfordshire, England, and the Imperial Diadem said to be a seedling of about the same date raised at Duckenfield, near Manchester, England, are identical with Red Diaper in spite of their supposed separate origin. The Chypre, or Prune de Chypre, thought by some to be a synonym of this variety, is undoubtedly distinct, as it is a clingstone and is earlier. The following description is compiled.
Tree of slow growth in the nursery, hardy, vigorous and productive in the orchard. Fruit mid-season; large, obovate; cavity slight; stem one-half inch in length; skin brownish-red; bloom thin; dots very numerous, brownish, conspicuous; flesh greenish-yellow, firm, fine-grained, sweet; good; stone small, free.
RED JUNE
Prunus triflora
1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 106. 1891. 2. Cornell Sta. Bul. 62:28. 1894. 3. Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 95. 1895. 4. Cornell Sta. Bul. 106:60. 1896. 5. Ala. Col. Sta. Bul. 85:444. 1897. 6. Cornell Sta. Bul. 139:45. 1897. 7. Rural N. Y. 56:615. 1897. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1897. 9. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:242, 243, 249, 250. 1899. 10. Cornell Sta. Bul. 175:136. 1899. 11. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 386. 1901. 12. Waugh Plum Cult. 140. 1901. 13. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 324. 1903. 14. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 43:37. 1903. 15. Mass. Sta. Ann. Rpt. 17:160. 1905. 16. Md. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 85. 1905. 17. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:5, 32. 1905.
Botan 14. Hytankayo 11. Long Fruit 3. Nagate no Botankyo 10, 11, 17. Red Nagate 1, 2, 3, 6, 9. Red Nagate 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 17. Red June 2, 3. Shiro Smomo 2, 4, 7, 11, 12, 14. Shiro Smomo 9.
Red June is variously estimated by fruit-growers and pomologists. A concensus of the opinions of those who have had actual experience with the variety shows that it closely follows Abundance and Burbank in popularity among the Trifloras. The variety is distinguished from all other plums by its fruit-characters; the plums are distinctly cordate in shape with a deep cavity and a very pointed apex; the color is a mottled garnet-red overlaid with thin but very distinct and delicate bloom; the flesh is a light yellow, firm enough to endure transportation well, peculiarly aromatized, sweetish and not wholly agreeable in flavor and ranking rather low in quality; the stone adheres tightly to the flesh. The trees are large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, healthy and productive—very good for the species to which the variety belongs. Other good qualities of the variety are that it blooms late for a Triflora, and that the fruits are comparatively immune to curculio and brown-rot and hang to the trees exceptionally well for an early plum. This is one of the Trifloras that varies in season of ripening, a peculiarity of several of the varieties of this species, but usually the fruits ripen a week or more before Abundance. Red June is reported to be somewhat self-sterile and in need of cross-pollination. This variety ought to have value as an early market plum in New York.
Red June was imported from Japan by H. H. Berger and Company, San Francisco, California, under the name Shiro Smomo, about 1887. Stark Brothers, Louisiana, Missouri, obtained the variety in 1892 and introduced it as the Red June in 1893. In 1897 it was added to the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological Society. The nomenclature of this variety is much confused. The true Japanese Red Nagate (Red Nagate is one of the synonyms of Red June) has red flesh while this one has not; this variety, to which the name Shiro Smomo is most often applied, is not a Smomo plum nor is it white, (Shiro is the Japanese for white) affording another instance of the confusion in the American application of the Japanese names of the Triflora plums.