Notes Upon Plums, 187 



a list for home purposes and can be best grown by top working upon Lom- 

 bard or some strong growing variety. A historic plum, of Old World origin. 

 Gueii. — Fruit large, oval ; skin dark purple, covered with a thick bloom. 

 Tree very hardy and productive ; strong grower ; quality fair, chiefly 

 valuable for culinary purposes, ripens aboi;t August 25th, or a little too early 

 for the market orchard. It had its origin at Lansingburg, N. Y. I had the 

 honor of introducing this variety at Geneva, having obtained the buds at 

 Athens, N. Y., about twenty-two years since. [Fruit pointed or conical, 

 —I,. H. B.] 



* Heron. — Fruit large, light-purple and red ; a free-stone of fine quality, 

 ripening early in August. A good producer, but the foliage has shown a 

 weakness that seemingly unfits it as an orchard variety for our latitude. 



Hudson River Purple Egg (Fig. 40, III.). — A variety, as the name indi- 

 cates, having its origin on the Hudson River. Fruit long and oval, dark 

 purple, ripening Sept. i to 10 ; good producer only when the tree has age, 

 and the most vigorous of all plums as a grower. It requires ah annual cut- 

 ting-in of the young growth to keep it within bounds until heavy fruiting 

 checks the growth. One of the most valuable of its season as a market sort, 

 but inclined to suffer from the depredations of the black -knot in seasons 

 favorable for the development of the disease. Its productiveness is greatly 

 increased by working on other sorts. 



* Ickworth Imperatrice. — A roundish-oval, purple, medium sized, rich, 

 juicy plum, and when well ripened most excellent for eating. Sets fruit 

 rather scattering and will hang a long time on the tree. Rather slow 

 grower, but very hardy. It is doubtful whether it will become a popular 

 market sort, but holding well into October makes it desirable. 



Imperial Gage. — Origin, Flushing, Long Island. Fruit medium to large, 

 oval, green, inclined to yellow when ripe, rich and juicy, excellent in qual- 

 ity and of deserved popularity in a general collection ; has not. proved a 

 valuable market variety with me ; and as the demand for it is becoming less 

 annually, it is fair to presume that the experience of others is the same as my 

 own in regard to its value in the commercial orchard. 



Imperial Ottoman. — ^A very early ripening variety of excellence, but little 

 known. Fruit medium in size ; round ; skin dull yellow ; flesh juicy, sweet 

 and good. Tree hardy and very productive. Fruit ripens last of Jul}', and 

 should be more generally known. Ripening early, it sells readily in the 

 markets and a few trees that we have fruited for fifteen years have been a 

 good investment ; and yet we doubt whether a single tree could be found 

 growing in a nursery in the state. 



Italian Prime, or *Fellenberg (Fig. 44). — One of the best of the prune 

 family. Fruit large, oval ; skin dark blue with fine bloom ; fine to eat from 

 the hand or for preserving and sells at highest price in market ; often hang- 

 ing into late September. [Tree a round-headed grower, with well-marked 

 foliage. Fruit long and blunt-pointed, unequal-sided, blue with a ver>' dense 

 bloom, a third larger than most of the strains which are grown under the 



