PLUMS. 291 



inches and a half in circumference, rather more protruded 

 in the middle than at either extremity. Stalk an inch long, 

 slender, curved. Skin amber coloured on the shaded side, 

 very full of small red specks, but where fully exposed to the 

 sun it is of a beautiful red. Flesh gold colour, and closely 

 adheres to the stone. Juice somewhat sharp* but when'well 

 enatured it has an excellent flavour. 



Ripe the end of September, and will keep for some weeks 

 upon the tree. 



31. PURPLE GAGE. Pom. Mag. t. 129. 

 Reine Claude Violette. According to the Pom. 



JYois. Man. Comp. p. 496. 



Reine Claude Violette. Bon. Jard. 1827. p. 291. 



Die Violette Konigin Claudie. Sickler, Teuisch. Obs. 

 Gart. Vol. xxi. p. 64. t. 6. 



Branches smooth, almost like the Green Gage. Fruit^ 

 except in colour, very like the Green Gage, middle-sized^ 

 roundish oval, somewhat flattened at the ends. Suture mo- 

 derately depressed. Stalk about an inch long, rather thick. 

 Skin violet, powdered with a light blue bloom, beneath which 

 it is ingrained with pale yellow dots. Flesh greenish am- 

 ber, "rich, sugary, and strikingly high flavoured. Stone oval, 

 inclining to ovate, compressed. 



Ripe the end of August and beginning of September. 



The origin of this variety is unknown ; it must, however, 

 be recent, as it is not mentioned by Duhamel, nor by any of 

 the older French writers, and is even omitted by Noisette in 

 his Jar din Fruitier. It is of very high quality, fully equal 

 to the Green Gage in all respects, and having this superiori- 

 ty, that while the latter is apt to crack in wet summers, and 

 will never keep after having been gathered, this, on the con- 

 trary, will endure, if the climate be dry, through August and 

 September, even till October, and is scarcely at all disposed 

 to crack. 



32. QUEEN MOTHER. Ray, No. 19. Lqngley, p. 94. 

 t. 24. fig. 3. HiU, p. 353, 



Branches smooth. Fruit of a smallish size, nearly globu- 

 lar, about three inches and a half in circumference. Stalk 

 short. Skin dark red next the sun, on the other side pale 

 yellow, full of reddish spots. Flesh yellow, and separates 

 from the stone. Juice saccharine and rich. Stone very 

 small in proportion to the fruit. 



Ripe the beginning and middle of September. 



