New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 419 



The variety is named from Middleburg, Schoharie County, New 

 York, where it is said to have been found many years ago as a chance 

 seedling. Mr. S. D. Willard, the veteran plum-grower of Geneva, 

 N. Y., whose recent death all lament, has the credit of first calling 

 attention to Middleburg. In 1886 he mentioned its good qualities 

 at the meeting of the Western New York Horticultural Society. 



Tree above medium in size, vigorous, round and open-topped, hardy, productive; 

 leaves oval, rather thick, dark green; blooming season early to medium, short; flowers 

 appearing after the leaves, one inch across, white, borne singly or in pairs. Fruit 

 very late, season long; one and five-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size, 

 distinctly oval, varies in color from light to deep purplish-red, overspread with thick 

 bloom; dots numerous, inconspicuous; stem one inch long, adhering well to the fruit; 

 flesh light yellow, rather juicy, firm, sprightly when first mature, becoming sweetish, 

 strongly aromatic, pleasant flavor; very good; stone semi-free or free. 



Pearl. — The rich, golden color, large size, fine form, melting 

 flesh and sweet, luscious flavor, give Pearl a place among the best 

 dessert plums. In the Station collection of this fruit, it is sur- 

 passed in quality by no other variety. Unfortunately, the tree 

 characters are not as good as the fruit characters. The trees are 

 vigorous, healthy, seemingly hardy and attain fair size, but in the 

 decade they have been fruiting at this Station they have not borne 

 large crops. On other soils or under different environment, if the 

 defect of unproductiveness can be overcome, Pearl becomes at once 

 a plum of great value. In California it is said that this variety 

 makes delicious prunes, a statement which no one will doubt who 

 has eaten the fresh fruits. How the variety will stand shipment 

 to large markets remains to be seen. We should say that it 

 could be as well shipped as Reine Claude. It can certainly be 

 profitably grown for local markets and can be most highly recom- 

 mended to all who grow fruit for pleasure. Nurserymen do not 

 commonly include it in their catalogues but it is hoped that the 

 prominence given it here and in " The Plums of New York " will 

 induce some to do so. 



Pearl is one of Luther Burbank's early introductions but seems 

 not to have had the advertising that some far less worthy plums 

 have had. It was catalogued by Burbank in 1898 and received by 

 this Station in the spring of the same year. One parent is given 

 by the originator as the well-known Agen so popularly grown in 

 California. Burbank does not state what the male parent was 

 but from the fruit and tree, it may be assumed that the pollen came 

 from some variety of the Reine Claude group. Were it not for the 

 statement of the originator, no one would suspect it to be an off- 

 spring of Agen, but the veriest tyro in plum-breeding would put it 

 down as a relative of Reine Claude. 



Tree of medium size, vigorous, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy, not very productive; 

 leaves broadly oval, thick, leathery, dark green; blooming season intermediate in 

 time and length; flowers appearing after the leaves, showy on account of their size, 



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