VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 175 



PACIFIC. One of the most beautiful, largest and best flavored of purple 

 freestone Plums. Trees sturdy, hardy, prolific. Fruit mid-season, 

 ripens during long period. Favorably known in Oregon and Washing- 

 ton. Not fully tested in the East. 



PEARL. See Reine Claude. 

 PETERS. See Reine Claude. 

 PURPLE GAGE. See Reine Claude. 



REINE CLAUDE. For over two centuries the standard of high dessert 

 quality because of its richness, texture, juiciness and aroma. As 

 ordinarily handled and unthinned, it is not remarkably attractive in 

 appearance, but when well grown on healthy trees and thinned, it is a 

 handsome, yellowish-green Plum. Fruit mid-season, large. Tree 

 small, subject to sun scald, very prolific, an annual cropper, rather 

 short-lived. 



Reine Claude has a numerous progeny differing in season, period 

 of ripening, size, prolificacy, etc. The ones discussed below have the 

 characteristic high quality of the parent. All except Purple Gage are 

 greenish-yellow, though some of them, notably McLaughlin and 

 Yellow Gage, often have blushed cheeks in the sun. The following 

 comments on individual members of the group will help in making a 

 selection of varieties : 

 BAVAY. Tree medium size and vigor, precocious, annually prolific; 



fruit medium size, late, during long season, freestone. 

 HAND. Tree vigorous, hardy, not very productive, fruit large, mid- 

 season, almost freestone. 



IMPERIAL GAGE. Tree vigorous, upright, hardy, prolific; does best in 

 light soils; poor on clay. Fruit mid-season, rather small, almost 

 freestone. 



JEFFERSON. Tree vigorous, slow to bear, uncertain, not as hardy as 

 could be desired, pernickety as to soils. Fruit medium size, long 

 ripening, semi-freestone. 

 LAWRENCE. Trees precocious and abundant croppers. Fruits large, 



mid-season, freestone. 

 MCLAUGHLIN. Trees large, vigorous, hardy, precocious, fairly prolific. 



Fruit early, short season, medium size, clingstone. 

 PEARL. Trees medium size, healthy, hardy but not very prolific. Fruit 



mid-season, large, clingstone. 

 PETERS. Tree large, sturdy, hardy, healthy. Fruit large, late, short 



season, clingstone. 



PURPLE GAGE. Trees large, sturdy, hardy, but not 'very prolific. 

 Fruit large, mid-season, long ripening, often shrivel as they become 

 fully ripe and are then of richest flavor, semi-clingstone. 

 WASHINGTON. Tree hardy, healthy, annually prolific, but rather slow 



to begin bearing. Fruit large, mid-season, freestone. 

 YELLOW GAGE. Tree large, sturdy, hardy and usually prolific. Fruit 



large, mid-season, long ripening, sub-acid, freestone. 

 SHROPSHIRE. Doubtless the best known Damson grown in America. 

 While French is larger, Shropshire is sturdier, hardier, healthier. Trees 

 remarkable for annual loads of fruit. Like most other Damson varie- 

 ties, this is purely a culinary kind, though its fruits may be eaten raw 

 after being slightly frosted. Fruit late, long season, small to medium, 

 purple, clingstone. 



