104 Fifteen Vaineties of Early Plums. 



7. Early Orleans. 



8. Wilt.iot's New Early Orleans. 



9. Itall^n Damask. 



10. Lawrence's Early. — (of the London Catalogue, not 

 the Lawrence's Favorite of Downing.) These fonr resemble 

 each other so much as to be hardly worth cnltivating as dis- 

 tinct varieties in the same garden. After the most careful 

 comparison of the first two, all the difference I could detect 

 consisted in small russet specks, which, after the bloom was 

 rubbed off, might be seen on the Wilmot's, but not on the 

 other. "Whatever difference exists between the others is, I 

 think, more in the tree than the fruit. The Lawrence's Early 

 is, however, much the most productive, and therefore pref- 

 erable. 



They may be described as of medium size, nearly round, in- 

 clining a little to oval, flattened at the ends; skin very dark, 

 purplish red under a thick blue bloom ; stem half an inch in 

 length ; flesh juicy, somewhat fibrous, parting freely from the 

 stone ; flavor sprightly and good, but inferior to the English 

 wheat. Ripe from the 15th to the 25th of August. 



11. Ghiston's Early. — This proves identical with the Gis- 

 borne's of the London Caialogne ; it is middle-sized, long oval, 

 pointed at the ends; skin yellow; flesh yellow, coarse, and of 

 poor flavor, too poor for any thing but to go into the rejected 

 list. 



12. Peoly's Early Blue is a tolerably good plum, but in- 

 ferior to many others. Medium size ; form oblong; skin dark 

 blue, with a light blue bloom ; flesh yellow and good. In 

 season about the 20th of August. 



13. Precoce de Tours. 



14. Early Cross. — These two are not as fully proved as 

 the others, but, so far as they are, I think highly of them. 

 Both are among the earliest ripe. The Early Cross is a na- 

 tive of Salem, named for its originator. It is a clingstone, 

 very sweet. 



15. Jauxe Hative is earlier than any of the others described 

 above but not otherwise valuable. 



I may mention, as showing the variation of fruits in dif- 

 ferent climates, that, in the London Catalogue^ the cipher is 

 prefixed to the Cheston, English Wheat, and Lawrence's 

 Early, while here they are of fine quality. 



