THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. l6l 



At first sight Berger is a wholly insignificant plum, being no larger 

 than a sweet cherry; but the variety is so distinct in several characters 

 that every collection should have a tree or two of it and the plum-breeder 

 will find it most interesting and valuable. Its peculiarities are: A flavor 

 quite distinct from that of any other Triflora plum; its cherry-like appear- 

 ance; early ripening, maturing in this State shortly after the middle of 

 July; its pronounced upright habit of growth; its light green foliage; and 

 its habit of bearing its fruit close to the old wood. In common with many 

 other Japanese varieties, the nomenclature of Berger is badly confused. 

 According to Bailey, who received specimens of this variety from various 

 sections of the country, H. H. Berger & Company of San Francisco sent 

 out this plum under several names. Berckmans of Georgia received it as 

 Red Nagate; N. S. Piatt of Connecticut as Satsuma; to another person 

 in the South it came as Shiro Smomo, while T. V. Munson of Texas grew 

 it under the name of Berger, a term finally adopted by Bailey. In the 

 meanwhile. Stark Brothers of Louisiana, Missouri, introduced a plum very 

 similar to this under the name Strawberry but the variety was dropped 

 by them in 1893. Whether or not this " Strawberry " or " Uchi-Beni," 

 as it was sometimes called, was really the Berger it is impossible to say 

 but it is certain that both of these names have been applied to the Berger. 

 The following description is a compilation. 



Tree vigorous, upright, open-topped, medium hardy; leaves narrow, light colored; 

 blooming season early; flowers white, small. 



Fruit very early; unusually small, roundish but truncate at the ends, attractive 

 light to dark red, covered with thick bloom; flesh firm, meaty, light yellow, sweet, 

 of pleasant flavor; fair to good; stone very small and cherry-like, free, with 

 smooth surfaces. 



BLACK BULLACE 



Pruims insititia 



I. Parkinson Par. Ter. 576, 578. 1629. 2. Gerard Herball 1498. 1636. 3. Miller Card. Diet. 

 3:1754. 4. Abercrombie Card. Ass't 13. 1786. 5. Deane A^. E. Farmer Diet. 266. 1797. 6. 

 Miller Gard. Diet. 3:1807. 7. Land. Hort. Soe. Cat. 144 . 1831. 8. Phillips Com. Orch. 306. 1831. 

 9 Prince Pom. Man. 2:105. 1832. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 689. 1884. 11. Jour. Hort. 27:476. 

 1874. 12. Garden 59:226. 1901. 



Black Bulleis i. Bullesse 2. Farley's November 11. 



This variety is interesting chiefly as an early type of the Insititia 

 plums, its thorny branches, wa\Tvard grovidh, small and austere fruit, all 

 bespeaking a wild fruit. The plums when ripened by frost are not xm- 

 pleasant to taste and are borne in prodigious quantities. The variety, how- 



