AITKIN 



ARCH DUKE 



191 



this variety which has kept it from being more 

 largely grown outside of prune-making regions. 

 The name is derived from Agen, a region in 

 France where the variety is extensively grown. 

 In 1856, Louis Pellier, San Jose, California, 

 introduced Agen on the Pacific coast, where 

 it soon became and still is the leading plum. 



Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, dense-topped, 

 hardy, very productive. Leaves obovate, 1% inches 

 wide, 3 ^4 inches long, velvety, thickly pubescent ; apex 

 abruptly pointed ; base acute ; margin doubly serrate ; 

 petiole 1 inch long, slender, pubescent, tinged red, with 

 2 or 3 small, globose, greenish-brown glands. Flowers 

 midseason, 1 % inches across. Fruit late ; 1 % by 1 inch, 

 obovate, the base necked, halves equal ; cavity shallow, 

 narrow, flaring ; suture very shallow, indistinct ; apex 

 roundish or flattened ; color violet-purple ; bloom light ; 

 dots numerous, small, brown, obscure ; stem thick, 1 

 inch long, glabrous, adhering to the fruit ; flesh greenish- 

 yellow, tender, sweet, aromatic ; very good to best ; 

 stone semi-free or free, oval, flattened, with pitted 

 surfaces, abrupt at the base and apex. 



AITKIN. P. nigra. Beatty. Itasca. Ait- 

 kin is favorably mentioned and undoubtedly 

 has value for the Northwest. The variety 

 was found growing wild in Aitkin County, 

 Minnesota, by D. C. Hazelton on land ad- 

 joining his farm. It seemed to possess merit, 

 and was introduced in 1896 by the Jewell 

 Nursery Company, Lake City, Minnesota. Be- 

 cause it originated near Itasca Lake, it has 

 been confused with the Itasca plum, which 

 preceded it by nearly ten years. 



Tree vigorous, productive, ripening its wood very 

 early. Fruit earliest in season of its group ; large for 

 its class, oval, deep red, with no bloom ; skin thin, 

 not astringent ; flesh yellow, juicy, sweet and rich ; 

 good ; stone large, oval flattened, clinging. 



AMERICA. P. Munsoniana X P- salicina. 

 America is the most promising cross between 

 P. Munsoniana and P. salicina. The fruit is 

 unusually attractive golden-yellow with a 

 red cheek and waxy lustre turning currant-red 

 when ripe; it ships exceptionally well; and is 

 of very good quality for cooking, but is with- 

 out merit as a dessert plum. The trees are 

 large, very vigorous, as hardy as either of its 

 parents, and enormously productive. The 

 qualities of fruit and tree are such that the 

 variety ought to succeed in commercial planta- 

 tions in which any but the hardiest native 

 plums are cultivated. America is almost free 

 from rot. This variety is one of Luther Bur- 

 bank's productions, introduced by the origina- 

 tor in 1898. 



Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy, 

 very productive. Leaves broadly lanceolate, peach-like, 

 1 % inches wide, 3 % inches long, thin ; apex taper- 

 pointed ; base abrupt ; margin finely and doubly crenate, 

 with numerous small, dark glands ; petiole *& inch 

 long, tinged red, pubescent along one side, glandless or 

 with 1 or 2 small, globose, reddish glands. Flowers 

 midseason, ^ inch across. Fruit early; 1% inches in 

 diameter, round-oval, halves equal ; cavity shallow, flar- 

 ing ; suture shallow, a distinct line ; apex roundish ; 

 color clear, dark, currant-red over golden-yellow, mot- 

 tled ; bloom light ; dots numerous, small, white, in- 

 conspicuous ; stem slender, ^ inch long, glabrous, 

 adhering to the fruit ; flesh yellow, juicy, fibrous, 

 tender, sweet ; fair in quality ; stone clinging, pointed, 

 with pitted surfaces. 



APRICOT. P. domestica. Since John 

 Parkinson described the "Apricocke" plum in 

 1629, several types of this variety have ap- 



peared in literature; these have become so 

 badly confused that it is impossible to separate 

 them. Pomological writers now recognize at 

 least two types, one of which is superior to 

 the other. The better of these can. readily be 

 identified as the "Abricotee" of Duhamel, and 

 should be considered the true Apricot. Little 

 is known of the early history .of this variety, 

 except that it was very generally distributed 

 throughout Europe early in the seventeenth 

 century. The American Pomological Society 

 rejected Apricot in 1858, though it is doubtful 

 whether they had the true type. This variety 

 is not to be confused with the P. Simonii, 

 sometimes called "Apricot," or the native 

 plum of the same name. 



Tree large, vigorous, productive. Fruit midseason ; 

 large, roundish or slightly elongated, with prominent 

 suture, yellow, blushed with red, overspread with thin 

 bloom ; flesh yellow, sweet, pleasant, slightly musky ; 

 good ; stone small, free. 



ARCH DUKE. Fig. 183. P. domestica. 

 Arch Duke is one of the leading plums for 

 the market. The qualities which give the 

 fruit high place among commercial varieties 

 are: large size, handsome color a rich, dark 



183. Arch Duke. (XD 



purple with thick bloom and firmness of flesh 

 and skin, so that it both keeps and ships well. 

 The plum of Arch Duke compared with that 

 of Grand Duke, known by all plum-growers, 

 is nearly as large, with neck thicker, the same 

 color, bloom heavier, quality higher, flesh 

 firmer, stone free, and season earlier. The 

 tree-characters, like the fruit-characters, are all 

 good. While this variety is suitable for both 

 home and market use, it appears after a thor- 

 ough test in many parts of the country for 

 nearly forty years to be especially well adapted 

 for a market fruit. Arch Duke was raised by 

 Thomas Rivers, Sawbridge worth, England, and 

 was sent out in 1883. 



