PLUMS. 113 



flavor ; fruit rather larger ; round, skin purple, 

 covered with a blue bloom. The tree can be 

 distinguished from the Purple Gage by its downy 

 branches. Fruit ripens in August. 



Heine Claude Violet (Purple Gage). This is 

 a fruit of very high quality, fully equal, in all 

 respects, to the Green Gage, and having this su- 

 periority, that while the latter is apt to crack 

 in wet summers, and will never keep well after 

 being gathered, this, on the contrary, will keep 

 for weeks, and is scar cely at all disposed to crack. 

 Size medium, form round, flattened at the top; 

 color violet, flesh greenish amber ; parting from 

 the stone. Ripens early in September. 



Imperial Ottoman. This variety, compara- 

 tively little known, is among the earliest sorts, 

 and one of the hardiest trees ; suiting itself to 

 almost any climate where the plum will thrive. 

 Col. Little, of Bangor, says it thrives well in 

 Maine ; fruit medium size, oval. In general ap- 

 pearance, resembling the Imperial Gage. Mr. 

 Downing, from whose magazine the above de- 

 scription is taken, says, " It is certainly among 

 the best of the early kinds." 



Washington Seedling. This tree came up in 

 our garden near a Washington and Blue Imper- 

 atrice Plum. The strong resemblance of its 

 fruit to the former, would indicate its being a 

 seedling of that variety. Fruit, color of the 

 Washington, beautifully spotted, and tinted with 

 red ; flesh yellow, rich, and delicious ; size and 

 form of the Imperial Gage. The tree makes 

 long-jointed and rather slender shoots. Ripens 

 the last of August. 

 10* 



