EED OR PURPLE PLUMS. 297 



55. DAMSON. Thomp. 



Common Damson. 

 Purple Damson. 

 Black Damson. 

 Early Damson, (of many.) 



The common, oval, blue Damson is almost too well known to 

 need description, as every cottage garden in the country con- 

 tains this tree, and thousands of bushels are annually sold in 

 the market for preserves. The tree is enormously productive, 

 but in the hands of careless cultivators is liable to be rendered 

 worthless by the knots, caused by an insect easily extirpated, 

 if the diseased branches are regularly burned every winter or 

 spring. 



Branches slender, a little thorny and downy. Fruit small, 

 oval, about an inch long. Skin purple, covered with thick blue 

 bloom ; flesh melting and juicy, rather tart, separates partially 

 from the stone. September. 



As the Damson is frequently produced from seed, it varies 

 somewhat in character. 



The SHROPSHIRE or PRUNE DAMSON is an English purple va- 

 riety, rather obovate in figure, but little superiour to our com- 

 mon sort. The SWEET DAMSON resembles the common Dam- 

 son, and is but slightly acid. 



The WINTER DAMSON is a valuable market sort, from its 

 extreme lateness. It is small, round, purple, covered with a 

 very thick light blue bloom ; flesh greenish, acid, with a slight 

 astringency, but makes good preserves. It bears enormous 

 crops, and will hang on the tree till the middle of November, 

 six weeks after the common Damson, uninjured by the early 

 frosts 



56. DUANE'S PURPLE FRENCH. P. Man. Ken. 



A superb looking purple fruit of the largest size, and of very 

 fair quality, occasionally, in warm dry seasons, first rate. It 

 was imported from France by James Duane, Esq., of Duanes- 

 burgh, N. Y., but without a name, and is now generally known 

 under the present title. We have seen this fruit, about Albany, 

 confounded with the Purple Magnum Bonum. The tree is 

 easily known by the gray appearance of the wood, and large 

 leaves, which are unusually woolly on the under surface. It is 

 a highly attractive dessert fruit, ripening rather before the olum 

 season, and bearing well. 



