6 The Journal 
nA 
of Heredity 
BRANCH OF THE HERALD PRUNE WITH TWO DRIED FRUITS 
This branch was taken from the original tree. The fruits do not readily drop to the ground when 
ripe, but cling to the branches where they are not crowded, and they dry naturally in the sun. 
Photograph reduced. (Fig. 13.) 
Indiana Agricultural Experiment Sta- 
tion, through the courtesy of Prof. H. J. 
Reed, and top-worked for the sake of 
comparison to the identical Prunus an- 
gustifolia tree. Every graft of both 
varieties grew and later produced fruit. 
It was soon noticed that the Herald 
prune is a less vigorous grower, and 
this is verified by numerous trees on 
similar stock root-grafted during the 
same season. The leaves are somewhat 
smaller both in length and width, the 
bark is more brown, even on the under 
or shady side of the branch, and the 
fruit buds develop more abundantly on 
the new wood. The flowers on Herald 
scions, which were forced in water in 
the greenhouse, as well as those that 
were produced in 1918 and 1919 on the 
top-worked tree, show quite a distinct 
difference from those of the Milton 
variety that were similarly forced and 
grown. The limb of the corolla of the 
Milton flower measures on the average 
about 13 mm. while that of the Herald 
flower measures 17 mm. The individ- 
ual petals of the latter also show cor- 
respondingly increased measurements. 
A heavy frost occurring on March 
10, 1918, destroyed most of the flowers 
of both varieties and, of those that 
escaped, many were destroyed by cur- 
culio injury. However, one normal 
prune and six normal plums were se- 
cured, and from these the following 
comparisons were made. Five of the 
Milton variety were ripe and had 
dropped on June 16, with their stems 
remaining attached to the tree, while 
the last of sixth fruit ripened and 
dropped as late as June 29. The Herald 
variety ripened its fruit with the fruit 
of the Milton plums, but clung to the 
tree and had begun to shrivel when the 
last of the Milton variety dropped, and 
then it actually had to be detached. 
The plums soon deteriorated in the lab- 
oratory while the prune shriveled and 
cured easily. The fruits of both varie- 
ties are practically the same in color 
and consistency. The plums are 
slightly longer than they are broad, 
while the prunes are more oblong in 
shape. The dots on the plum are de- 
cidedly more numerous on the upper 
half, while on the prune they are 
distributed quite uniformly all over the 
fruit. Both varieties are of the cling- 
stone type, but the pit of the prune is 
larger in all dimensions than,that of 
the plum. The Herald prune scions 
seem to make an uncongenial union 
with Prunus angustifolia, for the entire 
lot of those that were top-worked—six 
