96 Plums and Plum Culture 



Fruit roundish, oval ; stalk three-fourths inch long, slender ; 

 cavity very slight; apex hardly noticeable; suture indistinct; 

 color black, with a thin, blue bloom; flesh tender, juicy, yel- 

 lowish amber, very firm, nearly sweet; pit small, oval, nearly 

 free'. Season August 16; size, medium. A hardy and gener- 

 ally productive variety, but the fruit is much too small for 

 market purposes." Michigan Experiment Station Bulletin 

 169:241. 



This variety has been heavily advertised and widely sold 

 in the last few years. Aside from being hardy, it seems to 

 have no special recommendation. 



BAVAY (Bavay's Green Gage, Reine Claude, Reine Claude 

 de Bavay). This variety is often unnecessarily confused with 

 Green Gage. It is larger, later, and a stronger grower. The 

 trouble is that both names, Reine Claude and Green Gage, 

 stand for a certain group of plums, as well as for certain spe- 

 cial varieties. The history of this group and its general char- 

 acters are fully discussed elsewhere, and need not be entered 

 into now. This variety, which has come to be called Bavay 

 in this country, but which really ought to be called Reine 

 Claude, is an old, old European variety. In fact, no one can 

 tell just when this or the present variety known as Green 

 Gage originated and began to be propagated by grafting in 

 their exact present forms. 



This is one of the finest plums known, and is indispensable 

 for home use. It is also valuable for certain markets, though 

 it has not been found so profitable a shipper as brighter colored 

 varieties. 



BELLE (Belle de Septembre). A large, late, reddish pur- 

 ple handsome old European variety of no special distinction, 

 but still retained in some collections. 



BITTERN. Fruit oval, with a slight neck ; size small ; color 

 purple ; dots few, minute ; bloom bluish ; skin thick ; flesh 

 tirm, greenish ; stone long, oval, cling ; flavor brisk, sub-acid ; 

 quality good; season late summer. 



This plum was sent by S. D. Willard to the United States 

 division of pomology, from whose report the foregoing descrip- 

 tion is taken. 



BLEEKER (Bleeker's Gage). Fruit round, oval; size 

 . medium large ; cavity shallow, rounded ; stem rather long ; 

 suture shallow ; color creamy yellow ; dots many, small, yel- 

 low ; bloom white ; skin thin ; flesh yellow, firm, meaty ; stone 

 medium size, round-oval, rough, thick, cling ; flavor rich and 

 sugary ; quality extra good ; season early ; tree a tall upright 

 grower. 



Originated at Albany, New York, with a Mrs. Bleeker 

 many years ago. It was formerly very popular and still de- 

 serves to be wherever the Domestica plums succeed. 



