196 



DE SOTO 



DOWNING 



parks in which a small, compact, flowering 

 tree is wanted. De Caradeuc originated with 

 A. De Caradeuc, Aiken, South Carolina, be- 

 tween 1850 and 1854. 



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

 "variable in productiveness. Leaves oval, 1 inch wide, 

 2 inches long, thin ; apex acute ; base broadly cuneate ; 

 margin often in two series of fine serrations, without 

 glands ; petiole slender, % inch long, pubescent, tinged 

 with red, eglandular or with 1 or 2 very small, globose, 

 greenish glands. Flowers 1 inch across. Fruit very 

 early ; 1 ^4 inches in diameter, round, halves usually 

 equal ; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt, regular ; suture 

 a dark line ; apex roundish ; color crimson-red over a 

 yellow ground ; bloom light ; dots few, light, russet, 

 clustered about the apex ; stem slender, % inch in 

 length, glabrous, adhering to the fruit ; flesh yellow, 

 very juicy, fibrous, tender and melting ; sweet ; poor 

 in quality ; stone clinging, round-oval, turgid, blunt, 

 -with pitted surfaces. 



DE SOTO. Fig. 188. P. americana. Tray- 

 er. De Soto holds first place among Americana 

 plums in the favor of fruit-growers. The va- 

 riety is better suited to the orchard than other 

 Americanas, having 

 little of the way- 

 wardness in tree of 

 most sorts of its 

 species. The trees, 

 also, are enormously 

 productive, so much 

 so that in many 

 cases their vitality is 

 weakened by over- 

 bearing, unless 

 thinned. The fruits 

 of De Soto, while 

 not so large nor so 

 brilliantly colored as 

 those of some of the 

 Americanas, are not 

 surpassed in quality 

 by the product of 

 any, and keep and 

 ship as well as any. 

 The variety be- 

 comes, therefore, a 

 market sort of value in some regions. The 

 fruits are more subject to curculio than those 

 of most of the native plums. De Soto blights 

 in the South somewhat, and does not stand the 

 drouths of the Mississippi Valley so well as 

 .some other varieties. De Soto was found on 

 the bank of the Mississippi River near De 

 Soto, Wisconsin, by a Mr. Tupper, in 1853. 



Tree small, spreading, open-topped, hardy, produces 

 heavy crops annually, bears young. Leaves falling early, 

 oval, 1% inches wide, 4 inches long; apex taper- 

 pointed ; base abrupt ; margin very coarsely and deeply 

 doubly serrate; petiole % inch long, pubescent, tinged 

 red, glandless or with 1 or 2 globose, brownish glands. 

 Flowers 1% inches across. Fruit midseason ; 1% 

 inches in diameter, round, compressed, often strongly 

 truncate at the base ; cavity shallow, abrupt ; suture 

 very shallow or a line ; apex round or somewhat pointed ; 

 color dark crimson over orange-yellow ground ; bloom 

 light ; dots very numerous, small, light russet, incon- 

 spicuous ; stem slender, % inch long, sparingly pubes- 

 cent; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender, 

 melting, mild ; fair to agood ; stone nearly free, oval, 

 turgid, blunt-pointed, smooth. 



DIAMOND. Fig. 189. P.domestica. Black 

 Diamond. To judge Diamond by appearance 



of fruit would be a grievous error. The plums 

 are large, beautifully colored, well-formed and 

 tempting to the eye, but one taste out of 

 hand is sufficient. The flesh is coarse, and 

 the flavor unpleasant to one accustomed to 



188. De Soto. (XD 



189. Diamond. (XD 



good plums. The firm flesh and tough skin 

 of the fruits commend them as market plums. 

 The trees are above average in size, vigor, 

 hardiness, and productiveness. Thus, all char- 

 acters excepting quality of fruit bespeak the 

 favor of plum-growers. Diamond is planted 

 largely for the markets, in which the plum 

 sells on appearance. This variety was raised 

 from seed in Kent, England, by a man named 

 Diamond, its origin antedating 1831. 



Tree above average in size and vigor, upright-spreading, 

 dense-topped, hardy, very productive. Leaves obovate, 

 2 inches wide, 3 ^4 inches long ; apex obtuse ; base 

 acute ; margin serrate, with small, brown glands ; petiole 

 % inch long, slender, pubescent, reddish, with 1-4 small, 

 globose or reniform, greenish-yellow glands. Flowers 

 1 inch across. Fruit midseason ; 2 by 1 % inches, oval, 

 necked, swollen on the ventral side, compressed ; cavity 

 very narrow and abrupt ; suture shallow, often a line ; 

 apex round or pointed ; color dark purplish-black ; 

 bloom heavy ; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicu- 

 ous ; stem slender, 1 inch long, finely pubescent, adher- 

 ing well to the fruit ; flesh pale yellow, sometimes with 

 a faint red tinge next the skin, coarse, firm, mild, 

 subacid ; of fair quality ; stone with a trace of red, 

 semi-clinging, long-oval, necked at the base, abruptly 

 sharp-pointed at the apex, with pitted surfaces. 



DOWNING. P. Munsoniana. Charles 

 Douoning. Downing is one of the best varie- 

 ties of its species. The trees are large, usually 

 productive, not often sterile as are some of 

 its near kin; and, for a southern plum, the 

 variety is remarkably hardy. The only fault 



