PLUMS. 697 



DIAPREE ROUGE (Diaper; Imperial Diadem; Minims; lied 

 Diaper; Roche Corbon). Fruit, large; obovate. Skin, pale red, 

 thickly covered with brown dots, so much so as to make it appear of a 

 dull colour, and covered with thin blue bloom. Stalk, half an inch 

 long, inserted in a slight cavity. Flesh, greenish yellow, firm, and 

 fine-grained, separating, but not freely, from the stone, juicy, and of a 

 rich, sugary flavour. 



A good plum for preserving or the dessert ; ripe in the middle of 

 September. Shoots, downy. 



Imperial Diadem and Mimms were introduced as new plums, but proved to be 

 identical with this. It is called Roche Corbon from a village near Tours. The 

 Diapree Kouge of Knoop has the flesh closely adherent to the stone. 



Diapree Violette. See Chcston. 



Dorelle's Neue Grosse Zwetsche. See Nouvelle de Dorelle. 



DOVE BANK. This bears a very close resemblance to Goliath. 

 It is a clingstone, has downy shoots and leaves, and, in my opinion, is 

 not distinguishable from that variety. 



DOWNTON IMPERATRICE. Fruit, medium sized ; oval, narrow- 

 ing a little towards the stalk, and slightly marked with a suture on one 

 side. Skin, thin and tender, pale yellow. Flesh, yellow, separating 

 with difficulty from the stone, juicy and melting, with a sweet and 

 agreeable sub -acid flavour. 



An excellent preserving plum, but only second-rate for the dessert ; 

 ripe in October. The tree is strong and very vigorous, and the young 

 shoots are smooth. 



It was raised by T. A. Knight, Esq., the President of the Horticultural Society, 

 from the seed of Magnum Bonum, impregnated with Blue Imperatrice, and the 

 fruit was first exhibited at the Society in 1823. 



DRAP D'OR (Cloth of Gold; Mirabelle Double; Mirabelle Grosse; 

 Yellow Damask; Yellow Perdrigon). Fruit, below medium size; 

 smaller, but much resembling the Green Gage in shape, being round, 

 indented at the apex, and marked on one side by a distinct but very 

 shallow suture. Skin, tender, fine bright yellow, and marked with 

 numerous crimson spots when exposed to the sun, covered with thin 

 white bloom. Stalk, slender, half an inch long, inserted in a small 

 cavity. Flesh, yellow, melting, with a rich, sugary, and delicious 

 flavour ; separating from the stone. 



An excellent little dessert plum ; ripe the middle of August. The 

 young shoots are downy. The tree is not a vigorous grower, but in 

 general a pretty good bearer ; succeeds well against a wall, and is 

 better suited for a dwarf than a standard. It is very subject to produce 

 numerous tufts of slender shoots, which ought to be removed, as they 

 tend much to the injury of the fruit. 



Drap d'Or Esperen. See Golden Esperen. 



