AN ENCYCLOPZAZDIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 
Plum—continued. 
of high excellence. Beginning and middle of September. One 
of the most delicious Plums for dessert, and considered the finest 
of the Gage tribe. Two seedlings have been raised by Mr. Rivers 
from this variety, and named EARLY TRANSPARENT and LATE 
TRANSPARENT GAGE. The first-named is said to ripen ten days 
before, and the other ten days after, the typical sort. ‘‘The two 
seedlings and the parent differ entirely in their growth, but are 
almost identical in the quality and size of the fruit. The EARLY 
TRANSPARENT is upright and compact, but vigorous; the LATE - 
TRANSPARENT is dwarf and compressed” (Rivers). 
Victoria, Fruit large, roundish-oval, bright red, covered with a 
thin bloonr; flesh very juicy and sweet. September. A well- 
known and first-rate culinary Plum, very extensively cultivated 
in market gardens, and worthy of a place in every collection. 
The tree is a most abundant bearer, both as a standard and 
against a wall. 
Washington, Fruit large and handsome, deep yellow when 
ripe, marked with crimson, and covered with pale bluish bloom ; 
flesh firm, rich, and sugary. Middle of September. One of the 
best culinary Plums, also sometimes used for dessert. 
te Magnum Bonum. Fruit very large, oval, deep yellow, 
with thin, white bloom; flesh firm, rather coarse, sub-acid. 
September. _A very large and valuable variety for cooking and 
preserving ; it is usually known as the EGG PLUM. The tree is 
vigorous, ‘and generally bears well. 
Winesour. Fruit rather small, oval, dark purple; flesh juicy, 
sub-acid. Middle of September. A very valuable variety for 
preserving and for culinary purposes; much esteemed in some 
districts, but not so good in others. 
Woolston Black. Fruit medium, round, deep purple, with blue 
bloom; flesh melting and richly flavoured, particularly after 
becoming shrivelled. Beginning of September. Dessert. 
Of the Bullace (Prunus insititia) there are several 
varieties. The species grows wild in many parts of 
Britain, and the fruits are much like Damsons, except that 
they are round, instead of being oval. They are used for 
cooking and preserving. The sorts best known are named 
respectively BLACK, Essex, Roratn, and Warre. The 
trees are usually enormous bearers. Amongst Damsons 
the following are recommended : 
on _ Fruit small, roundish 
— — oundish-oval, dark 
le or nearly 
black. Mid of September. A well-known variety, 
much esteemed for preserving. ; 
Crittenden’s, or Fruit larger than other varieties of 
Cluster. 
Damson, roundish-oval, black, with a thin bloom. Middle of 
September. This is considered the best sort of Damson ; it was 
raised in Kent, and has recently been brought into prominent 
notice because of its extraordinary fertility. The tree forms a 
handsome pyramid. 
Prune. Fruit oval, larger than the COMMON Damson, and con- 
sidered better for preserving, but the tree is not generally so 
productive. September. Much esteemed in the North. 
Rivers’ Early. A seedling raised by Mr. Rivers from Sr. 
ETIENNE PLUM. Early in August. It is very early, and a valu- 
able addition. 
White. Fruit oval, pale yellow, witha thin bloom; flesh yellow, 
agreeably acid. End of September. 
Funai. The Fungi parasitic on Plums need not be 
greatly dilated upon, since few of them do much injury 
to any part of the tree. A considerable number of 
Pyrenomycetes have been found growing upon the dead 
branches; but they are not known to be injurious to the 
living plants, with a few exceptions mentioned below, 
and even these are scarcely dangerous, except under 
conditions that specially favour their growth. The leaves 
are sometimes thinly covered with a white coating, com- 
posed of filaments of the nature of those described under 
Oidium. After a time, there become visible, scat- 
tered over this coating, small, round, black particles, 
like grains of gunpowder. These, by the help of the 
microscope, are seen to be perithecia, in each of which 
is inclosed a single ascus, and in this lie eight colourless, 
oblong, very minute spores, which escape by the walls 
of the perithecium bursting when ripe. The latter body 
is provided on the top with from three to seven upright, 
stiff, slender outgrowths, each of which bifurcates four 
or five times near the tip. This Fungus has received 
the names Podosphera Kunzei, and P. tridactyla. The 
latter name is now generally adopted. Reproduction is 
effected both by the spores described above, and by 
_ means of conidia, developed as described under Oidium. 
Fy 
Plum—continued. 
Though not uncommon, the Fungus is seldom very hurt- 
ful to Plum-trees; but, where desirable to check its growth, 
this may be effected by dusting the leaves with flowers 
of sulphur, or by syringing them with a mixture pre- 
pared from sulphur and quicklime, as recommended 
under Mildew, or with potassium sulphide solution (see 
Oidium). i 
Another Fungus parasitic on Plums, and named Eroascus 
Pruni, gives rise to a peculiar condition of the fruit, 
known as “ Bladder Plums.” The presence of this Fungus 
is easily recognised by the great increase in the size of the 
young fruits, as compared with healthy fruits of the same 
age, by their elongated, pointed form, by the greyish-green 
bloom on their surface, and by the diseased fruits being 
hollow, like bladders, with frequently barely a vestige of 
the seed. After a short time, these enlarged fruits turn 
to a dirty -yellow colour, fade, and shrivel up. The 
mycelium of this Fungus lives all the year round in the 
soft bast of the twigs, which often show distinct traces 
of its presence. From these it extends into the ovaries 
of the flowers, along the woody bundles, and thence 
spreads throughout the tissues, and comes to lie close 
below the skin of the ovary. Branches grow out from 
the mycelium, burst through the skin, and stand erect, 
side by side, over the surface. Each reaches a length of 
rather over sbin, with a breadth of about a quarter 
as much, and is supported on an oblong stalk-cell, about 
one-fourth of its length, which rests on the surface of 
the epidermis, not pressing between its cells. Each of 
the longer cells is an ascus, and has inclosed in it eight 
round spores, which are set free by the bursting of the 
ascus, about the time the fruit withers. The spores are 
scattered far and wide by the wind, and such as fall into 
favourable situations propagate the disease anew. The 
only remedy likely to prove useful is to cut off, and burn 
without delay, the fruits and branches that show traces 
of the Fungus. 
The leaves of Plum-trees frequently show thickened. 
fleshy, orange-red spots, of irregularly-rounded outline, 
These are the work of a Fungus known as Polystigma 
rubrum. <A section through one of these spots will 
probably pass through one or more flask-shaped spaces, 
some of which are perithecia, inclosing numerous asci, 
in each of which are eight minute, oval, colourless spores. 
Other of the flask-shaped bodies are pycnidia of the same © 
Fungus; and in them lie numerous slender, curved, rod- 
like, colourless sporidia, each formed on the tip of a 
small stalk. Both kinds of flasks have the walls in- 
separable from the surrounding tissues, and both openby = 
narrow mouths on the lower surface of the spots. On 
examination, with the microscope, of a thin slice from 
the leaf, the tissues are found crammed with the fila- 
ments of the Fungus, and much altered. However, the 
spots are rarely so numerous as to do much harm to 
the leaves, though they take nourishment from them, 
and prevent the proper fulfilment of their functions. — 
This Fungus is widely spread, in Europe, Asia, and North — 
America. Where the Fungus is doing harm to Plum- 
trees, it will be well to collect and burn the diseased 
leaves, and also those which have fallen. Sorauer recom- 
mends digging the latter into the ground in early spring, 
before the young leaves burst from the buds, to prevent 
risk of their being infected. As regards the prevention 
of diseases of Plum- , it is very desirable to remove 
from their neighbourhood Sloe-bushes and Bird Cherries, 
since the disease-producing insects and Fungi live on these 
species as well as on the Plum. 
Plums frequently suffer badly from the action of Oidium 
fructigenum, for a full account of which, including 
remedies, see Pear (Funea1). The Fungus sometimes 
covers the entire surface of the fruits, rendering them 
quite white, and causing them to dry up. me 
Inszcr Pusrs. These are not very hurtful in the 
