Neio Varieties of Plums. 215 



doubt even those I had first received from France, I wrote to 

 Mr. Yan Houtte, of Ghent, for 100 of the true sort, to replace 

 those which I had sent out incorrect in 1845. I sent these to 

 my friends with the fullest conviction they were correct, as 

 Mr. Van Houtte assured me they were ; and, as Malines is so 

 short a distance from Ghent, I concluded that they must be. 

 My chagrin may, therefore, be imagined when these plants, and 

 grafts from them, came into leaf, in the spring of 1847, to find 

 them to all appearance nothing but our old green gage, difl!ering, 

 in leaves and shoots, from those I received first from France, (the 

 true sort,) which, as I have before stated, much resembles the 

 Washington in habit. Mr. Low, of Clapton, also advertised 

 plants of Reine Claude de Bavay in the autumn of 1845 or 

 spring of 1846. I bought some plants to ascertain if they 

 were correct, i. e., if they resembled in habit what I consid- 

 ered to be the true sort, with broad shining leaves. These 

 proved to be the Green Gage : consequently, I am led to assume 

 that all those sold by Mr. Low were the same. There are, 

 therefore, in France, Belgium, and England, three varieties 

 of plums bearing the name of Reine Claude de Bavay, viz., 

 the Green Gage, Coe's Golden Drop, and the true sort. The 

 uncertainty respecting this plum gave me great annoyance 

 last summer, and I determined upon a journey to Malines, to 

 see the parent tree when in fruit. When I arrived at Malines, 

 I found Major Esperen recently deceased, and I much feared 

 that my attempt to get a view of the tree would be fruitless. 

 I obtained, however, through the kindness of Mr. Yan Houtte, 

 an introduction to Madame Esperen, who seemed to take 

 pleasure in pointing out to me the numerous proofs of the 

 horticultural skill of her departed husband. I may here men- 

 tion, merely to show how superiorly the Belgians and French 

 manage their fruit trees in the open quarters, (I cannot give 

 them equal credit for wall trees,) that two small gardens here, 

 not more than one rood each, contained some hundreds of 

 pyramidal pears, plums, and apples, nearly all perfect speci- 

 mens, and covered with fruit." 



The October Green Gage, Reine Claude d'Octobre, \s\ so 

 much like Reine Claude Tardive as not to be worth keeping 

 distinct ; this is a rather small round plum, exactly like the 

 Green Gage in color and shape, flesh melting and rich, with 



