The Plums of New York | Project Gutenberg

Boddaert has much to commend it, the fruit being surpassed by that of but few other plums of its type—that of the Reine Claude. The plums are large, attractive and of very good quality. Since the variety has been known so long it must be that the tree has some fatal defect; otherwise it would be more largely grown. Boddaert is probably a Reine Claude seedling and is of foreign origin, the details of its early history not being known. Downing, in 1876, first mentioned the variety in America; the following year it was placed on the fruit list in the American Pomological Society catalog.

Tree large, medium in vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk rough; branches smooth, except for a few, raised lenticels; branchlets of medium thickness, brash, thinly pubescent; leaves oval, two and one-quarter inches wide, four inches long, thick and leathery; upper surface dark green, rugose; margin crenate, with small dark glands; petiole pubescent, thick, tinged red, usually with two globose glands.

Fruit mid-season; about one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish-ovate, strongly compressed, yellow, mottled with green before full maturity, overspread with thin bloom; stem thickly pubescent; flesh light yellow, dry, meaty, tender, sweet; good in quality; stone semi-free or free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval or ovate, turgid, with pitted surfaces.

BRADSHAW

1. Mag. Hort. 12:341. 1846. 2. Horticulturist 10:15, 253. 1855. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 190, 214. 1856. 4. Cultivator 8:25 fig. 1860. 5. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:3, fig. 2. 1873. 6. Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 303. 1878. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 61, 118. 1883. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 709. 1884. 9. Rural N. Y. 44:103. 1885. 10. Me. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 130. 1888. 11. Ibid. 144. 1889. 12. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 434. 1889. 13. Mich. Sta. Bul. 103:32, 33, fig. 6. 1894. 14. Guide Prat. 157, 359. 1895. 15. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:182. 1897. 16. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:242, 244. 1899. 17. W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 44:91. 1899. 18. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 4:158. 1901. 19. Waugh Plum Cult. 97. 1901. 20. Ont. Fruit Exp. Sta. Rpt. 16, 17 fig. 1902. 21. Va. Sta. Bul. 134:40. 1902. 22. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 43:33. 1903. 23. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:239, 254, 255, 256. 1905.

Black Imperial 5, 14. Blue Imperial 5, 14, 19, 20. Bradshaw 9, 14. Grosse Schwarze Kaiser Pflaume 12. Hart Prune 17. Large Black Imperial 8, 14, 18. Large Black Imperial 2, 3, 12. Mooney 9, 17. Niagara 7, 9, 10, 11. Niagara 13, 15, 17, ?19, 20, ?22, 23.

Bradshaw leads all other plums in number of trees in New York, according to a survey of the leading orchards made in the preparation of The Plums of New York. A study of the variety does not justify this popularity. The trees grow rather slowly and are slow in coming into bearing; the fruit is not especially high in quality and in many regions is attacked by brown-rot too freely for profitable orchard culture. To offset these faults the trees are large and well formed, bear regularly and heavily, are hardy, robust and healthy, the best of recommendations, and the plums are large, attractive in appearance and keep and ship well especially if picked a little green. The variety, curiously enough, is not nearly as badly attacked by San José scale as other plums. Probably one of the reasons why Bradshaw is so largely grown in New York is that it is easily handled in the nursery and quickly makes a very good nursery tree. Bradshaw does not deserve the high place it holds with plum-growers, and must give way sooner or later to better varieties for commercial orchards. The value of the crop is greatly lessened in New York because it ripens in the midst of the peach season.

Unfortunately, the origin of this plum is not known. The Europeans and some Americans have held that it came from America but, since it is identical with the Large Black Imperial, it must be of foreign origin. It was named by C. M. Hovey in 1846, and was described in his Magazine of Horticulture with the following explanation: “For the want of a name to distinguish a very large and excellent plum, exhibited for three or four years in succession, by E. E. Bradshaw, Esq., Charlestown, we have called it the Bradshaw plum.” Barry, in 1855, states in the Horticulturist that he “received it from Wm. Kenrick, a nurseryman in Newton, Massachusetts, under the name of Large Black Imperial; but as it has been described in Hovey’s Magazine as Bradshaw, we have adopted that name in our catalog.” Though the name Bradshaw is incorrect according to the rule of priority, it would now cause too much confusion to change it.

Niagara, a well known variety in this State, is identical with Bradshaw in all characters, in spite of a supposedly distinct origin. According to Mr. George Atwood of the State Department of Agriculture, a Mr. Moody of Lockport exhibited, about 1870, the Mooney plum, afterwards named the Niagara. Being interested in the variety, Mr. Atwood visited Mooney, at Lockport, the man from whom Moody had secured his stock. In Mooney’s yard were found several bearing trees, which had been grown from sprouts taken from the original seedling tree, grown in Canada. These trees could not be told from the Bradshaw. If the Niagara is distinct as to origin, it is probably a seedling of Bradshaw. Bradshaw was recommended to fruit-growers as a promising variety by the American Pomological Society in 1856 and has since remained on the fruit list of the society.

Tree large, vigorous, broad-vasiform, dense-topped, hardy, very productive; branches smooth except for the numerous, small, raised lenticels, dark ash-gray; branchlets short, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, often with heavy gray scarf-skin, dull, sparingly pubescent, with obscure, small lenticels; leaf-buds variable in size and length, pointed, free.

Leaves drooping, folded backward, obovate or oval, two inches wide, four and one-quarter inches long, thickish; upper surface dark green, rugose, pubescent, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface grayish-green, thickly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt, margin not regular, varying from coarsely crenate to serrate, eglandular or with few, small, dark glands; petiole three-quarters inch long, pubescent, reddish, glandless or with from one to three large, globose, greenish-brown glands on the stalk or at the base of the leaf.

Season of bloom short; flowers appearing after the leaves, one and three-sixteenths inches across, the buds creamy changing to white as the flowers expand; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels nearly eleven-sixteenths inch long, pubescent, green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, pubescent only at the base; calyx-lobes wide, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, margins ciliate, reflexed; petals broadly oval, erose, with short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long; pistil pubescent at the base, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit mid-season; two inches by one and three-quarters inches in size, oval or obovate, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt, with a fleshy ring around the stem; suture very shallow; apex roundish or flattened; color light purplish-red changing to dark reddish-purple at maturity, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem thick, seven-eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering strongly to the fruit; skin thin, somewhat tough, sour, separating readily; flesh dull yellow, often with a trace of red when fully mature, juicy, fibrous, somewhat tender, sweet, pleasant; good; stone semi-free, flattened, one and one-quarter inches by three-quarters inch in size, irregularly oval, necked at the base, blunt at the apex, strongly roughened and pitted, often with numerous, small, deep pits near the margins of both ventral and dorsal sutures; ventral suture strongly furrowed and winged; dorsal suture with a deep, narrow groove.

BRYANSTON

1. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 144. 1831. 2. Jour. Hort. N. S. 17:286. 1869. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 902. 1869. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1871. 5. Barry Fr. Garden 411. 1883. 6. Hogg Fruit Man. 688. 1884. 7. Tenn. Sta. Bul. 3: No. 5, 88. 1890. 8. Guide Prat. 155. 1895. 9. Thompson Gard. Ass’t 4:157. 1901. 10. Waugh Plum Cult. 98. 1901. 11. Mass. Sta. An. Rpt. 17:158. 1905.

Bryanstone 11. Bryanston Gage 1, 2, 6, 9. Bryanston’s Gage 3, 5, 7. Bryanston’s Gage 10. Bryanstone Gage 4. Reine-Claude Bryanston 8.

The fruits of Bryanston fall not a little short, all things considered, of being as good as those of several other of the varieties in the Reine Claude group of which this plum is a member. For this reason Bryanston is not often rated by horticulturists as one of the best plums, but the large, vigorous trees growing on the Station grounds are so especially desirable for this variety, in a group which taken as a whole is noted for poor trees, that it is here described among the leading plums. The fruit is larger than that of Reine Claude but is less attractive in color and shape and the quality is not as high. It is later than the variety with which it has just been compared and the crop is not borne as regularly. While this plum can hardly be recommended for extensive orchard plantings, it yet has too many merits to be forgotten.

This variety is said to be the result of crossing Reine Claude and Golden Drop at Bryanston Park, Blandford, England. It was first noted in the London Horticultural Society fruit catalog in 1831 but no information in regard to the date of its origin seems to have been published. In 1871 the American Pomological Society added it to its fruit catalog list but dropped it in 1897.

Tree very large and vigorous, round-topped, open, hardy, very productive; branches smooth, becoming rough near the trunk, ash-gray, with lenticels of medium size and number; branchlets somewhat slender, short, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to dull reddish-brown, marked by scarf-skin, dull, glabrous, with few, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds above medium in size and length, pointed, free; leaf-scars prominent.

Leaves folded backward, oval or obovate, one and five-eighths inches wide, three and one-quarter inches long, leathery; upper surface dark green, sparingly hairy, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface yellowish-green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin crenate, bearing small, dark glands; petiole one-half inch long, pubescent, with a little red, glandless or with one or two small, globose, yellowish glands.

Blooming season intermediate in time, short; flowers appearing with the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white, creamy at the apex of the petals in the newly opened flowers; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels one-half inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent at the base; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-ciliate, somewhat reflexed; petals roundish-ovate, erose; anthers yellow; filaments about one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous except at the base, slightly longer than the stamens; stigma large.

Fruit mid-season; one and five-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size, irregular roundish-truncate, halves unequal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture usually shallow, prominent; apex flattened or depressed; color dull yellow with greenish streaks, sometimes with pinkish blush about the cavity, mottled, overspread with thin bloom; dots numerous, small, inconspicuous; stem thick, three-quarters inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tough, sour, separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, firm but tender, sweet, aromatic; very good; stone nearly free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, broadly oval, turgid, slightly contracted at the blunt base, roundish at the apex, with rough and pitted surfaces; ventral suture broad, with a distinct but small wing; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.

BURBANK

1. Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 53, 99. 1889. 2. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 392. 1891. 3. Wickson Cal. Fruits 360. 1891. 4. Cornell Sta. Bul. 106:46, 63. 1896. 5. Ala. Col. Sta. Bul. 85:445. 1897. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1897. 7. Am. Gard. 19:75, 132, 220, 792. 1898. 8. Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:242, 249. 1899. 9. Cornell Sta. Bul. 175:143. 1899. 10. Waugh Plum Cult. 134. 1901. 11. W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 88. 1902. 12. Can. Hort. 25:272. 1902. 13. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 308. 1903. 14. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:11, 28. 1905. 15. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:256. 1905. 16. DeVries Plant Breeding 170. 1907.

Persing Nos. 1 & 2, 15. Russian plum 20M. 4. Wassu 4. Wassu 9.

Probably Abundance holds first place among the Triflora plums in New York but Burbank is a close second and in many localities has first preference. Abundance is in the lead chiefly because the trees of this variety are larger and better formed and bear more fruit than those of Burbank. To offset the advantages of Abundance the fruit of Burbank is of better quality, more handsomely colored, keeps and ships better and is less susceptible to brown-rot. The fruit of Burbank ripens a week or more later than that of Abundance, which in most seasons is a slight advantage for the first-named variety. The trees of this plum are distinguished from those of all other plums by their low, spreading habit, flat top and somewhat drooping branches, characters which make them more or less difficult to handle in the orchard and very difficult to manage in the nursery. The wood of Burbank is brittle, true of all Trifloras, but a serious defect in this one. In common with other varieties of its species, Burbank is less troubled with curculio and black-knot than the European plums. The fruit of this variety begins to color some days before ripe and should be picked before fully matured if it is to be kept or shipped. Usually the best specimens of Burbank come from thinned trees and thinning is a necessary operation in all commercial orchards. The variety does not thrive in the South, being poor in quality and rotting badly. In New York, Burbank is not being planted nearly so largely as a few years ago, the Domesticas being much more profitable than this or other Triflora plums. It is a very desirable variety for home plantations in New York.

Burbank was produced from a plum pit sent to Luther Burbank[207] by a Japanese agent in 1883.[208] The fruit of this variety proved to be very superior and Mr. Burbank sent specimens of it to the Division of Pomology, United States Department of Agriculture in 1887, where it was named in honor of the introducer. Wassu, introduced by J. L. Normand, and the Russian plum, 20 M, sent out by Professor J. L. Budd proved to be indistinguishable from the Burbank as tested by Bailey, but Kerr[209] thinks the Wassu is a distinct variety. The American Pomological Society added Burbank to the fruit list in its catalog in 1897.

Tree large, vigorous, distinguished by its low, sprawling habit and flat open top, unusually hardy for a Japanese variety, very productive, healthy; branches somewhat roughish, dark ash-gray, thickly covered with fruit-spurs, with few, large, raised lenticels; branchlets medium in thickness and length, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark brown, with gray scarf-skin, glossy, glabrous, with raised lenticels of medium size and number; leaf-buds short, obtuse, free.

Leaves folded upward, broadly oblanceolate, peach-like, one and one-eighth inches wide, three and three-quarters inches long, thin; upper surface light green, smooth, pubescent only on the deeply grooved midrib; lower surface glabrous, pubescent on the midrib; apex taper-pointed, base cuneate, margin finely and doubly serrate, with small amber or reddish glands; petiole nine-sixteenths inch long, sparingly hairy on one side, tinged red, with from one to four small, reniform or globose glands mostly on the stalk.

Blooming season early and short; flowers appearing with the leaves, white; borne in dense clusters on the lateral buds and spurs, in threes; pedicels one-quarter inch long, thick, glabrous; calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glandular-serrate, glabrous, erect; petals broadly oval, entire, short-clawed; anthers yellowish; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.

Fruit early, season long; variable in size, large when the tree is not overloaded, one and three-quarters inches in diameter, roundish-conic, halves equal; cavity deep, abrupt, regular; suture shallow; apex roundish; color dark red over a yellow ground, mottled, with thick bloom; dots numerous, large, russet, conspicuous; stem five-eighths inch long, glabrous, parting readily from the fruit; skin thin, tough, sour, separating from the pulp; flesh deep yellow, juicy, tender, firm, sweet, aromatic; good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, roundish-oval, turgid, blunt but sharp-tipped, roughish, with a slightly winged ventral suture; dorsal suture acute.

CHABOT

1. Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 29. 1886. 2. Ibid. 52, 99. 1889. 3. Am. Gard. 12:501. 1891. 4. Ibid. 13:700. 1892. 5. Rev. Hort. 132, Pl. 537. 1892. 6. Cornell Sta. Bul. 62:20, 22, 28. 1894. 7. Ibid. 106:44, 48, 51, 60. 1896. 8. Rogers Cat. 9. 1896. 9. Cornell Sta. Bul. 139:38. 1897. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1897. 11. Cornell Sta. Bul. 175:150. 1899. 12. Waugh Plum Cult. 134, 135 fig. 1901. 13. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 43:37. 1903. 14. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:250, 254, 255, 256, 257. 1905. 15. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:12, 14, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. 1905.

Babcock 15. Babcock ?15. Bailey 3, 4, 6, 7. Bailey 9, 11, 12, 15. Chase 9, 15. Chabot 15. Douglas 15. Furugiya 7, 15. Furugiya 11, 12, 15. Hytankayo 14. Hytankayo 15. Hon-smomo 15. O-Hatankyo 11. Orient 6, 7. Orient 14. O-hattankio 15. Paragon 8. Red Nagate of some 7. Uchi Beni of some 11. Yellow Japan 9, 11, 12.

When properly handled the fruits of Chabot are far the most attractive of the many Triflora plums. They are large, beautifully molded and handsomely mottled in shades of red over yellow with occasional splashes of russet and a heavy but delicate bloom. To secure the best coloring, the fruit must be picked before ripe and be matured in dark storage. Early picking is necessary also because the season of ripening is very long and the fruit drops badly if permitted to hang to the trees until fully ripe. There should be at least three pickings for this variety. Unfortunately, the quality of Chabot belies its appearance, being at best not above the average. The fruits are firm and ship well and keep rather better than those of any other plum of its species. The trees are hardy and dependable in bearing but not as productive as could be wished. The blossoms of Chabot open later than those of most other Trifloras, enabling this sort occasionally to escape frosts which injure other varieties of this species. The stamens are often short, undeveloped and wholly or in part sterile. Because of its attractive fruit this variety might well be grown more than it is for the markets.

Chabot was imported from Japan by a Mr. Chabot of Berkeley, California, and was introduced to the trade by Luther Burbank in 1886. As with Abundance, the nomenclature of Chabot is badly confused. Several names that have been found to be synonymous with the former have also been applied to the latter. J. L. Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, imported trees from Japan, among which was a tree that was different from any growing on his grounds. He named this variety after Bailey and introduced it in 1891. Later this was found to be identical with Chabot. Furugiya, another introduction by Normand, is undoubtedly Chabot. H. N. Starnes of the Georgia Experiment Station, who has tested many of the Japanese plums, published in Bulletin 68 of his station, the additional synonyms: Chase, O-hattankio, Hytankayo, Douglas, Hon-smomo and Babcock. Orient, introduced by Stark Brothers, Louisiana, Missouri, in 1893, is Chabot as tested at the New York and Ohio experiment stations. Paragon, introduced by the Rogers Nursery Company, Moorestown, New Jersey, has also proved to be identical. In 1897 the American Pomological Society added this variety to its fruit catalog list.

Tree large, vigorous, vasiform or upright-spreading, open-topped, slow-growing, hardy, productive, susceptible to attacks of shot-hole fungus; branches roughish, the fruit-spurs numerous, dark ash-gray, with raised lenticels variable in size; branchlets slender, with short intemodes, greenish-red changing to dark chestnut-red, glossy, glabrous, with numerous, conspicuous, rather large, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, somewhat appressed.

Leaves folded upward, obovate or oblanceolate, peach-like, one and one-quarter inches wide, three inches long, thin; upper surface light green, smooth, with a shallow, grooved midrib; lower surface pale green, glabrous except at the base of the veins; apex acutely pointed, base cuneate, margin finely serrate, with small, amber or dark red glands; petiole one-half inch long, slender, slightly pubescent along the upper surface, heavily tinged with red, glandless or with from one to six small, globose or reniform, greenish-brown glands usually on the stalk.

Blooming season intermediate and long; flowers appearing with the leaves, white; borne in clusters on lateral spurs in pairs or in threes; pedicels three-eighths inch long, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, pubescent at the base; calyx-lobes obtuse, glandular, somewhat serrate, pubescent at the base, erect; petals broadly oval, entire, with narrow, long claws; anthers shrivelled; filaments nearly sessile or one-eighth inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens; stigma small.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; one and five-eighths inches in diameter, cordate or roundish, halves equal; cavity deep, flaring, with concentric, russet rings; suture distinct; apex roundish or pointed; color light and dark shades of red over yellow, mottled, with occasional splashes of russet and with a thick but delicate bloom; dots numerous, small, russet or yellow, conspicuous unless obscured by the bloom, clustered around the apex; stem thick, one-half inch long, adhering to the fruit; skin medium in thickness, tender, bitter, separating easily; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy, coarse and fibrous, tender, somewhat melting when fully ripe, sweet, although somewhat tart at the center, sprightly, with characteristic Triflora flavor; good; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, oval, turgid, slightly necked, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture wide; dorsal suture unfurrowed.

CHALCO

1. Burbank Cat. 4. 1898. 2. Rural N. Y. 57:184, 653. 1898. 3. Vt. Sta. Bul. 67:8. 1898. 4. Vt. Sta. An. Rpt. 14:273. 1901. 5. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:12, 35. 1905.

Chalco has been extensively advertised by several nurseries but, from the reports received, it is doubtful if it will ever be grown commercially. The trees, in the East at least, are slow in coming into bearing; the fruits are small; and the flavor such that consumers will have to learn to like it although it is much better in quality than the Simon plum, one of its parents, being quite free from the bitterness of this parent. The tree is rather better than that of the Simon plum or of the Wickson, the two plums with which it must be compared. The amateur may care to plant Chalco but here its usefulness ends. Burbank in introducing this plum in 1898, stated that it was the first fruit offered after twelve years’ work in crossing Prunus simonii with Prunus triflora and American species. The parentage of Chalco is given as a Simon-Burbank cross. The following description is compiled:

Tree vigorous, upright or somewhat vasiform, very productive; leaves large, dark green. Fruit matures shortly before Burbank; large when well grown, oblate, dark red; flesh yellowish, firm, very juicy, aromatic, sweet; good; stone small, oval, slightly flattened, semi-free.

CHAMBOURCY

1. Rev. Hort. 39. 1898. 2. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 560, fig. 1904. 3. Can. Exp. Farms Rpt. 433. 1905. 4. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 473 fig. 1906.

Reine-Claude Tardive De Chambourcy 2. Reine-Claude Tardive Latinois 1. Reine-Claude Tardive de Chambourcy 1. Reine-Claude Latinois 2, 4. Reine-Claude tardive 1. Reine-Claude Verte 4. Reine-Claude Tardive 2, 4. Reine-Claude de Chambourcy 3. Tardive de Chambourcy 4.

This fruit was found at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century at Chambourcy, France, in the garden of M. Bourgeois; no record of its parents seems to have been made. M. Latinois introduced it into commerce in 1885-1886 and consequently his name became attached to the variety. The plum is not well known in America, there being only one published American reference. This Station received the variety for testing in 1899 from the United States Department of Agriculture. It has value on account of its high quality and its lateness, and is worthy of extensive testing.

Tree small, upright-spreading, dense-topped, productive; branchlets develop fruit-spurs near the base; leaf-buds strongly appressed; leaves folded upward, long-oval or obovate, one and five-eighths inches wide, three and three-quarters inches long, somewhat leathery; margin doubly serrate or crenate, with small dark glands; blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, over one inch across; borne in thin clusters on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.

Fruit very late, season of medium length; nearly one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish, slightly truncate, yellowish-green, with a delicate bloom and a pink blush on the exposed cheek; flesh greenish-yellow, very juicy, firm but tender, sweet, aromatic, of high flavor; very good to best; stone semi-free or free, three-quarters inch, by one-half inch in size, irregular-oval, flattened, rather blunt at the base and apex, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture strongly furrowed, often with a distinct wing.

CHAMPION

1. Wickson Cal. Fruits 360. 1891. 2. Oregon Hort. Soc. Rpt. 147. 1893. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 150. 1895. 4. Oregon Sta. Bul. 45:30. 1897.

Champion Prune, 1, 2, 3.

The Champion was introduced with the expectation that it would be a valuable fruit for curing into prunes. It has not proved to be a good plum for prune-making, as it is too juicy, about three-fourths of its bulk evaporating, but the western plum-growers have found it a very good plum for shipping in the fresh state. It is very attractive in appearance, firm, free of stone, sweet and pleasant and withal of rather high quality. The tree-characters, as the plums grow in Geneva, are in the main very good, falling short, if at all, in productiveness. They are such as to lead to the recommendation of a trial for this plum by plum-growers in general in New York.

This variety is a seedling of the Italian Prune produced by Jesse Bullock, Oswego, Oregon, about 1876, and introduced by C. E. Hoskins, Springbrook, Oregon. Since the Italian Prune comes nearly true to seed it is very doubtful if this variety is a pure-bred seedling judging from the characters of the fruit as given below:

Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive, an early bearer, subject to sun-scald; branches ash-gray, rather smooth, with few, small lenticels; branchlets short, with very short internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, sparingly pubescent throughout the season, with few inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds below medium in size, short, obtuse, free, plump.

Leaves folded upward, oval, one and five-eighths inches wide, three inches long; upper surface somewhat rugose, covered with numerous, fine hairs, with a shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent: apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin crenate, with small black glands; petiole one-half inch long, green, pubescent, with from one to three medium to large, globose, brownish glands mostly at the base of the leaf.

Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, one inch across, white with a yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals; borne on lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels five-eighths inch long, with a few scattering hairs, green; calyx-tube greenish, campanulate, sparingly pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular-serrate, somewhat reflexed; petals roundish, crenate, tapering to short, broad claws: anthers yellow; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, slightly shorter or equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit earlier than Italian Prune; about one and one-half inches in diameter, roundish, compressed, halves equal; cavity very shallow, abrupt, narrow, regular; suture shallow; apex roundish, with a slight depression at the pistil-point; color dark purplish-black, with thick bloom; dots small, russet, somewhat conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem five-eighths inch long, sparingly pubescent, parting readily from the fruit; skin thick, tough, sour, adhering but little; flesh attractive yellow, juicy, firm, sweet, pleasant flavor; very good; stone free, the cavity larger than the pit, three-quarters inch by one-half inch in size, irregular-oval, the surface distinctly roughened and pitted; ventral suture swollen, rather narrow, often with a wing; dorsal suture with a shallow, narrow, indistinct groove.

CHENEY

1. Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 15, 38. 1885. 2. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 126. 1890. 3. Cornell Sta. Bul. 38:36, 86. 1892. 4. Ia. Sta. Bul. 31:346. 1895. 5. Wis. Sta. Bul. 63:24, 31 fig. 13. 1897. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1897. 7. Gard, & For. 10:367. 1897. 8. Colo. Sta. Bul. 50:33. 1898. 9. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 412. 1899. 10. Waugh Plum Cult. 169. 1901. 11. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 294. 1903. 12. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 43:29. 1903. 13. Ia. Hort, Soc. Rpt. 488. 1904. 14. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:254, 255. 1905. 15. S. Dak. Sta. Bul. 93:11. 1905. 16. Ia. Sta. Bul. 114:129. 1910.

Cherry 16 incor.

Cheney is of little value except towards the northern limits of fruit culture in America where, because of its great hardiness, it is a most desirable fruit-plant. Of the varieties illustrated and described among the leading plums in this text, Cheney is the sole representative of Prunus nigra, the wild plum of Canada and of northern United States. The accompanying description shows that while the fruit of this variety is not such as to recommend it where other species can be grown, the tree has some characters most desirable wherever plums are grown—hardiness, vigor, productiveness and good form—so that this variety might well be used in breeding plums. The trees are very ornamental whether in flower, full leaf or fruit, but especially when in full bloom as they bear a great profusion of large white flowers which change to a pleasing pink before falling.

This plum, according to a letter from the discoverer, E. Markle, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, was found in the brush on a ridge, in Vernon County, Wisconsin, about twenty-five or thirty years ago. Mr. Markle thought it must have sprung from a seed dropped by an early voyager of the Mississippi River as there were no similar plums in the region. Noting its good qualities Mr. Markle introduced the variety, the date of introduction being about 1887. The American Pomological Society added Cheney to its fruit catalog list in 1897, where, however, it remained but two years.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, hardy, productive, bears early, somewhat susceptible to disease; branches numerous, dark brownish-gray, very thorny, with large lenticels; branchlets long, with long internodes, greenish-red changing to dull reddish-brown, dull, thickly pubescent early in the season, the pubescence decreasing at maturity, with raised lenticels which are variable in size; leaf-buds smallish, short, conical, free.

Leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, three and five-eighths inches long, thin; upper surface dark green, nearly smooth, pubescent only along the midrib which is deeply grooved; lower surface yellowish-green, pubescent along the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, margin crenate, usually in two series, sometimes with small, dark glands; petiole one-half inch long, rather slender, pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose, greenish-yellow glands usually on the stalk.

Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, showy, about one inch across, white changing to pink; borne in clusters on lateral spurs, in pairs or in threes, very fragrant; pedicels nine-sixteenths inch long, pubescent, green with a trace of red; calyx-tube obconic, glabrous, red on the outer surface but green within and pinkish along the margin; calyx-lobes obtuse or acute, serrate, with small red glands and with marginal hairs, narrow, sparingly pubescent on the inner surface, reflexed; petals broadly oval, crenate, often toothed, tapering below to long narrow claws; anthers yellowish; filaments nearly one-half inch in length; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit mid-season, ripening period very long; medium in size, irregular roundish-oval, strongly oblique, halves equal; cavity shallow, regular, flaring; suture shallow or a line; apex roundish, somewhat oblique; color at first yellowish-green with a light carmine blush changing to deep carmine on a yellow ground, covered with thin bloom; dots numerous, very small, russet, inconspicuous, densely clustered about the apex; stem slender, five-eighths inch in length, slightly pubescent, adhering to the fruit; skin thick, tough, sour, separating readily; flesh deep yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and melting, sweet next to the skin but tart at the center, not high in flavor; fair in quality; stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, broadly oval, distinctly flattened, blunt-pointed, with ridged and furrowed surfaces; ventral suture acute, narrow; dorsal suture slightly furrowed.

CLIMAX

1. Rural N. Y. 57:653, 818. 1898. 2. Cal. State Board Hort. 52. 1897-98. 3. Vt. Sta. Bul. 67:9. 1898. 4. Vt. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:222. 1899. 5. Burbank Cat. 2. 1899. 6. Nat. Nur. 8:117. 1900. 7. Vt. Sta. An. Rpt. 14:273. 1901. 8. Rural N. Y. 62:643. 1903. 9. Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul. 30:18. 1905. 10. Ga. Sta. Bul. 68:8, 35. 1905. 11. Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 66. 1907.

Royal 1. Royal 1, 3, 4.

It is hard to judge as to the merits of this variety. From the behavior of the trees on the grounds of this Station where we have had fruit of it for eight years, we should say at once that Climax has no place in the plum-growing regions of the East but others who have grown it speak so well of it, the fruit in particular, that the unfavorable opinion of the variety formed here may be unjust. Some of the expressions regarding this fruit in the foregoing references may be dismissed at once as the most wildly extravagant and absurd to be found in plum literature. From its behavior on these grounds and in the plum-growing regions of the East in general, it seems certain that Climax cannot stand the vicissitudes of the climate, suffering both in winter and summer. The trees, in size, vigor and habit of growth, are inferior to those of most Triflora varieties, and those under observation in this part of New York are not as productive as the standard Trifloras with which Climax must be compared. The fruit is handsome in shape and color, more so in color than the accompanying illustration shows, and is of good quality. Unfortunately it is very susceptible to the brown-rot, so much so that because of this defect alone Climax could hardly become a profitable commercial plum in this region. It has been quite well tested in various parts of New York and has proved so uniformly disappointing in tree-characters, in particular, that it cannot be recommended as other than a plum for the home collection where, because of its beauty and quality, it is most desirable.

Climax is another of Luther Burbank’s plums, having been introduced in 1899. The originator states that it is a selected hybrid between the Simon and Botan plums. The variety was first described as the Royal but since this name had been previously given to a European plum it was renamed Climax.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, somewhat straggling, dense-topped, semi-hardy, medium productive; branches dark ash-gray, short and stout, with numerous lenticels; branchlets short, with very short internodes, brownish chestnut-red, glossy, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free.

Leaves folded upward, oblanceolate, peach-like, one and one-quarter inches wide, three and three-eighths inches long, thin; upper surface light green, smooth, with a grooved midrib, glabrous; lower surface light green, glabrous except on the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base cuneate, margin finely serrate or crenate, with small, dark brown glands; petiole nine-sixteenths inch long, sparsely pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to seven small, globose or slightly compressed, reddish glands.

Blooming season early and of medium length; flowers appearing with the leaves, white; borne in clusters of three, on lateral spurs; pedicels, long, thick, glabrous, green; calyx tube greenish, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, with a few hair-like glands, glabrous, erect; petals roundish-oval, entire; anthers deep yellow; filaments short; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length; stigma very small.

Fruit very early, season short; one and three-quarters inches in diameter, cordate or roundish, slightly compressed, halves unequal; cavity deep, abrupt, regular, marked with faint, reddish, radiating streaks; suture deep, broad; apex pointed; color dark red, mottled; bloom of medium thickness; dots numerous, variable in size, russet, conspicuous, clustered about the base; stem thick, nine-sixteenths inch long, glabrous, parting readily from the fruit; skin thick, bitter, with a tendency to crack, separating easily from the pulp only when fully ripe; flesh yellowish, very juicy, somewhat fibrous, tender and melting, sweet, pleasant flavored, aromatic; good; stone adhering, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, somewhat long-oval, pointed, roughish, conspicuously winged and grooved on the ventral suture; dorsal suture slightly grooved.

CLING STEM

1. N. Y. Sta. Rpt. 9:347. 1890.

This plum belongs to the Reine Claude group, a group in which there is room for new varieties only at the top. Cling Stem is inferior, falling short chiefly in quality, for a plum of its type, and it is doubtful if it is worth general planting. This Station alone seems to have tested the variety, hence the rather full description which follows of a plum which cannot be recommended. The variety was sent here in 1890 from North Ferrisburg, Vermont, by L. M. Macomber.

Tree large and vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, very productive; branches rough, the bark marked by concentric rings, with numerous spurs and with many, small, raised lenticels; branchlets short, pubescent; leaf-scars swollen; leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide, three inches long, rather thick and leathery; margin doubly crenate, eglandular or with small, dark glands; petiole pubescent, tinged red, glandless or with from one to three globose glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season of medium length; flowers over one inch across, white with yellowish tinge near the apex of the petals; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.

Fruit mid-season; one and one-half inches by one and five-eighths inches in size, nearly roundish, dull light yellow, sometimes mottled with red on the exposed cheek, overspread with thin bloom; skin thin, sour; flesh greenish-yellow, tender and melting, sweet near the surface but acid at the center, mild, pleasant, but not high-flavored; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by five-eighths inch in size, nearly round, turgid; surfaces pitted; ventral suture broad, heavily furrowed, with a short, distinct wing.

BODDAERT