280 CALIFORNIA FRUITS : HOW TO GROW THEM 



very firm, and clings to the stone, which is rather small, and nearly always partly 

 surrounded by a cavity; when 1 fully ripe the quality is very good." Very widely 

 grown; is in less favor than formerly in interior valleys where color is not well 

 developed. Where the fruit is of good color it is profitable for shipping and is 

 highly regarded everywhere for domestic use. 



Quackenbos (New York). Large, oblong oval; deep purple; suture faint; 

 stalk short, slightly sunk; slightly coarse, sprightly, sweet and subacid; partly 

 freestone. 



Victoria (English). Large, obovate, suture distinct; color a fine light reddish 

 purple; stem half inch, cavity rather deep and narrow ; flesh yellow, pleasant; 

 clingstone; next to Pond's Seedling in size, beauty and productiveness. 



Hungarian Prune; English Pond's Seedling; Gros Prune d'Agen (English). 

 This variety was brought to San Jose probably about 1856, and .in some unac- 

 countable way was first contrasted with the French prune and called the "great 

 prune of Agen;" afterwards, also in a mysterious way, it took the name of 

 "Hungarian prune." It is still marketed by these names both here and at the 

 East. The true name is English Pond's Seedling. Fruit very large, ovate, 

 slightly tapering to stalk; skin thick, reddish violet, with numerous brown dots, 

 and covered with handsome bloom; rather coarse, juicy, sweet; a very showy 

 fruit; tree a strong grower and ^rolific bearer; fruit has a tendency to double; 

 sells well in local and distant markets on its style and is largely grown. Third 

 in amounts of eastern shipments in 1913. 



Giant. Burbank seedling ; very large, dark crimson upon yellow ground ; 

 flesh yellow, flavor good ; freestone. A shipping plum, disappointing as a drying 

 plum. 



Splendor. Burban'k seedling; medium size but larger than French prune; 

 clear red, drying dark, does not shake from the tree ; earlier than French prune. 



Sugar. Burbank seedling, introduced in 1898; large and sweet; sugar in 

 fresh fruit 23.92 per cent ; not of highest quality as a cured prune but sells well ; 

 also good for shipping; oval, slightly flattened; dark purple with thick white 

 bloom ; freestone ; early. Needs pruning and thinning to secure size. 



Standard. Burbank cross of Sugar and Tragedy. Large, purple, blue bloom ; 

 flesh fine grained, amber juicy and sweet; freestone; earlier than French prune. 

 Satisfactory shipping plum and considered of great promise for drying. 



Imperial Epineuse syn. Clairac Mammoth. Introduced in 1884 by Felix Gillet 

 and in 1886 by John Rock. Described by Mr. Rock as follows: "Uniformly 

 large size, reddish or light purple, thin skin, sweet and high flavor." Described 

 by Mr. Gillet: "Uniformly large, more oval than the French prune; nearly of 

 the same color but somewhat lighter or reddish nurple; earlier than the French 

 and with thinner skin." Fruit grown by Mr. Rock analyzed at the State Uni- 

 versity in 1898, showed 20.4 per cent of sugar against 18.53 per cent average of 

 three analyses of French prune. Blooms about ten days earlier and ripens about 

 three weeks earlier than the French prune. 



There has been quite widely planted another prune called Imperial which is 

 very inferior in sugar content and likely to prove much less satisfactory. 



Prune d'Agen; syn. Petite Prune d'Agen; French Prune, etc. This is the 

 drying prune at present most widely grown in this State. It is described by 

 John Rock as follows : "Medium-sized, egg-shaped, violet purple, very sweet, 

 rich, and sugary; very prolific bearer." The leading drying-prune of California, 

 commonly called "California French prune." Its standing is sketched in detail 

 on a preceding page. 



Robe de Sergeant. Though this term is given in Downing as a synonym of 

 prune d'Agen, and seems to be in French a synonym for the d'Ente prunes; 

 another prune grown in this State from an importation by John Rock, is quite 

 distinct from the foregoing. Mr. Rock describes the variety as follows : "Fruit 

 medium size, oval; skin deep purple, approaching black, and covered with a 

 thick blue bloom ; flesh greenish yellow, sweet, and well-flavored, sugary, rich and 

 delicious, slightly adhering to the stone." This variety makes a larger, darker- 

 colored dried prune than the prune d'Agen, and has sold in some cases at a higher 

 price. It has recently been in disfavor in coast valleys for defective bearing, but 

 is more satisfactory at some interior points. 



