THE PRUNE. 143 



cultural society to investigate the matter. The investigating com- 

 mittee reported that the seedling Silver prune tree was^a grafted Coe's 

 Golden Drop plum. 



Reine Claude (Green Gage). — Fruit small and round; suture 

 not well marked, but showing from stalk to apex ; color yellowish 

 green, sometimes, or in the sun or at maturity, slightly marbled with 

 red ; stalk short and slender, and inserted in a shallow cavity ; flesh 

 yellowish green, free, juicy, melting; flavor delicious, mildly acid, 

 sweetish, unsurpassed. Tree of low, slow-growing, spreading habit ; 

 very productive. The nomenclature of this variety is somewhat 

 mixed, from the fact that the trees come fairly true from seeds, and 

 there have thus been propagated several varieties closely resembling 

 the Reine Claude. There is much discussion as to whether our Reine 

 Claude is the Green Gage plum of the East. The writer feels sure 

 that those he has seen in Oregon are the same. For a prune in the 

 fresh state we have no superior, in flavor, to the Reine Claude. 



Yellow Egg (White Egg, Magnum Bonum). — Large, oval, ta- 

 pering at both ends ; suture very prominent ; stalk about an inch long 

 and inserted in a very shallow cavity having a fluted border; flesh, 

 when ripe, of deep golden color, dotted with white dots, and covered 

 with a thin white bloom ; flesh yellow, clingstone, juicy, quality 

 rather poor, subacid or sweetish, coarse grained. Tree fairly vigor- 

 ous and fairly productive. Chiefly desirable on account of the 

 splendid appearance of the fruit. 



German. — A name applied to several varieties of plums and prunes, 

 the name representing a class rather than a variety, since the tree 

 comes fairly true from seed. The German prune is a great favorite 

 in central Europe, because of its being easy to jDropagate and grow. 

 It is an abundant bearer, and of fair quality and easy to cure. Fruit 

 medium size, long, oval, tapering at the ends, swollen on one side ; 

 suture very distinct ; color dark purple, with a thick blue bloom ; 

 stalk an inch long, slender, inserted in a shallow cavity ; flesh firm, 

 and of a greenish color; freestone; flavor good, subacid, sweetish. 

 Tree vigorous and productive. Two weeks earlier than the Italian. 



DoscH. — Hon. Henry E. Dosch, horticultural commissioner, writes 

 as follows concerning the prune bearing his name, and which origi- 

 nated with him : "Replying to your favor regarding the Dosch prune, 

 I beg to say : When I bought my present place, there was an acre of 

 Washington plums grafted on plum roots on the place. On one of 

 these trees grew a sprout which started below the union. The former 

 owner called my attention to it, and said that he judged from the dark 

 foliage, large leaves and immense bud shoulders that it was a promis- 

 ing seedling, and begged me to leave it. I did so, and was agreeably 



