FRENCH 



GERMAN PRUNE 



199 



191. French. (XD 



dium, abrupt ; skin smooth, a little tough, somewhat 

 astringent, rich yellow, turning to a clear red at ma- 

 turity ; bloom light but distinct ; flesh pale yellow, firm, 

 sweet, rich, of a very decided apricot flavor ; quality 

 good to very good ; stone rather large, oval, turgid, 

 clinging. 



FRENCH. Fig. 191. P. insititia. French 

 surpasses all other plums in its group. The 

 plums are large, so large, indeed, as to lead to 

 the belief that French is a hybrid with some 

 Domestica plum; the size of the trees, blos- 

 soms, and foliage also leads to such a supposi- 

 ^ tion. This excel- 



lent Damson is 

 largely grown for 

 the market, for 

 good quality as 

 well as size and 

 appearance of the 

 fruit aid in selling 

 the product. The 

 fruits have but one 

 defect, the pit is 

 large for the 

 amount of flesh. 

 But it is in tree- 

 characters that 

 French best shows 

 its superiority over 

 other Damsons. 

 The trees are large, 

 hardy, bear abun- 

 dantly and annu- 

 ally, and carry 

 their foliage so 

 well that fruit and 



wood usually ripen perfectly. The season is 

 a little after that of the more commonly grown 

 Shropshire, in most years an advantage. The 

 origin is unknown, but it is probably an old 

 variety renamed. 



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

 productive. Leaves long-oval, 1% inches wide, 3 inches 

 long ; apex abruptly pointed ; base abrupt ; margin ser- 

 rate or nearly crenate, with a few small, dark glands ; 

 petiole % inch long, slender, pubescent, faintly tinged 

 with red, usually having 2 very small, globose, greenish- 

 brown glands. Flowers 1 % inches across. Fruit late ; 

 1 % by 1 % inches in diameter, ovate, halves equal ; cavity 

 very shallow, flaring ; suture a line ; apex roundish ; 

 color dull black ; bloom thick ; dots numerous, small, 

 inconspicuous ; stem slender, % inch long, pubescent, 

 adhering well to the fruit ; flesh greenish, juicy, fibrous, 

 tender, sweet, pleasant, sprightly ; good ; stone variable 

 in adhesion, oval, roughened, acute at the base, blunt 

 at the apex. 



FROGMORE. P. insititia. Frogmore 

 Damson. Frogmore may be considered among 

 the best of the Damsons for the culinary pur- 

 poses to which this fruit is commonly put. 

 The flesh is tender, sweet, and good, but ad- 

 heres rather too tightly to the stone. The 

 tree of Frogmore is all that could be desired 

 in productiveness, and quite equals that of 

 most other Damsons in length of time that 

 it holds its crop after maturity. The habit of 

 growth of this variety varies from that of 

 P. insititia as commonly found, the leaves 

 being larger, the tops more spreading, and the 

 branches less thorny. According to the Florist 

 and Pomologist, published in 1876, this variety 



originated a few years previous to the date of 

 publication in the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, 

 England. 



Tree small, round-topped, open, hardy, very produc- 

 tive. Leaves bright red on first opening, obovate, 1% 

 inches wide, 3 % inches long ; margin eglandular ; 

 petiole % inch long, slender, green, glandless or with 

 1 or 2 small, globose, yellowish-green glands. Flowers 

 1 inch across. Fruit late ; 1 % by 1 inch, round-oval, 

 compressed, purplish-black ; bloom heavy ; flesh golden- 

 yellow, juicy, tender, sweet ; good ; stone clinging, oval, 

 smooth, acute at base and apex. 



GAVIOTA. P. salicina X ? Gaviota is an- 

 other of Luther Burbank's plums, the par- 

 entage of which he gives as a Japanese plum 

 crossed with an Americana, although he says 

 "it probably contains admixtures of other 

 species than the two named." The variety was 

 introduced by the Fancher Creek Nursery 

 Company, Fresno, California, in 1907, and is 

 grown only in the Pacific states, where it 

 seems to be increasing in popularity, especially 

 in California. 



Tree vigorous, productive, rather tender to cold, 

 healthy, remarkable as blooming very late. Fruit mid- 

 season, very large, oval, slightly cordate; suture shallow 

 but distinct ; cavity medium in depth, broad, abrupt ; 

 skin dark red on a yellow background ; flesh yellow, 

 firm, sweet, aromatic, with a very distinct, characteristic 

 flavor ; quality good to very good ; stone remarkable for 

 its small size, pointed, oval, plump, clinging somewhat. 



GEORGESON. P. salicina. Mikado. 

 Normand. White Kelsey. The rich yellow 

 fruit is a particularly handsome plum, but here 

 praise ends. The flesh is so astringent and 

 clings so tenaciously to the stone as to make 

 the variety unfit for either dessert or culinary 

 use. Moreover, the fruits are exceedingly 

 variable in color, size, and shape, in the last 

 character ranging from flattish to round, with 

 sometimes round and sometimes pointed apex. 

 The tree has too much of the sprawling habit 

 of Burbank to make it a good orchard plant. 

 Georgeson was brought to notice by J. L. 

 Normand, Marksville, Louisiana, about 1889. 



Tree medium in size and vigor, upright-spreading, not 

 always hardy, productive. Leaves broadly oblanceolate, 

 1 % inches wide, 3 % inches long, thin ; margin crenate 

 or serrate, with small, amber glands ; petiole % inch 

 long, reddish, with 1-10 brownish-red glands ; blooming 

 season early. Fruit early ; 1 % inches in diameter, 

 round-cordate ; cavity deep, wide, usually with con- 

 centric, russet lines ; color greenish-yellow, changing to 

 deep yellow as the fruit reaches full maturity ; bloom 

 thin ; flesh golden-yellow, fibrous, firm, sweet except 

 near the center ; fair to good ; stone clinging, oval, 

 turgid, with pitted surfaces. 



GERMAN PRUNE. Fig. 192. P. domes- 

 tica. German Prune is one of the oldest 

 plums under cultivation, and is still as largely 

 grown, the world over, as any. Undoubtedly 

 its wide distribution is due somewhat to its 

 many variations. The variety comes almost 

 true to seed, and is often propagated by 

 planting pits, a practice which has produced 

 many strains. The most commonly grown 

 German Prune in the United States is the 

 Rochester strain, trees from which the descrip- 

 tion which follows was made. Another Ger- 

 man Prune is the Dansville strain grown in 

 the nurseries of Dansville, New York. Still 



