212 



PEARL 



TOOLE PRIDE 



PEARL. P. domestica. The rich, golden 

 color, large size, fine form, melting flesh, and 

 sweet, luscious flavor of the fruits, place Pearl 

 among the best dessert plums. The tree- 

 characters, however, do not correspond in de- 

 sirability with those of the fruits. The trees, 

 while of medium size and seemingly as vigor- 

 ous and healthy as any, are unproductive. 

 Where this defect does not show, the variety 

 becomes at once one of great value. The fruits 

 of Pearl are said to cure into delicious prunes. 

 This variety ought to be very generally tried 

 by commercial plum-growers, and is recom- 

 mended to all who grow fruit for pleasure. In 

 1898, Luther Burbank introduced the variety 

 as a new prune from the seed of the well- 

 known Agen. 



Tree of medium size, vigorous, vasiform, dense-topped, 

 hardy. Leaves broadly oval, 1% inches wide, 3% inches 

 long, thick, leathery ; apex abruptly pointed ; base 

 abrupt ; margin serrate or crenate, with small, black 

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

 red, glandless or with 1-3 small, globose brownish 

 glands. Flowers showy, 1% inches across, white, with 

 a tinge of yellow at the apex of the petals. Fruit mid- 

 season ; 1% inches by 1% inches in size, round-oval, 

 compressed, halves unequal ; cavity shallow, narrow, 

 abrupt ; suture a line ; apex depressed ; color golden- 

 yellow, obscurely striped and splashed with dull green, 

 mottled, overspread with thin bloom ; dots numerous, 

 small, white, clustered about the apex ; stem thick, % 

 inch long, thickly pubescent, adhering well to the fruit ; 

 skin tough, separating readily ; flesh deep yellow, juicy, 

 a little coarse and fibrous, firm but tender, very sweet, 

 with a pleasant, mild flavor, aromatic ; very good, 

 to best ; stone clinging, long-oval, slightly necked at 

 the base, bluntly acute at the apex, with rough sur- 

 faces. 



PETERS. P. domestica. Peter Yellow 

 Gage. Peters ranks with the best varieties in 

 the Reine Claude group to which it belongs a 

 sufficient recommendation to make it desirable 

 in any home collection of fruit. The fruit, 

 however, is not so attractive in appearance as 

 any one of several other sorts in its group, 

 lacking size and color. The trees are large, 

 hardy, robust, and healthy, surpassing in these 

 respects those of most other Reine Claude 

 sorts. The tree-characters have made this va- 

 riety a favorite one in western New York for 

 two generations, and one pomologist after an- 

 other has recommended it for this section; 

 notwithstanding which the variety is now going 

 out of cultivation except for the amateur. 

 William Prince, the first pomologist to men- 

 tion it, gave a brief description of the variety 

 in 1828. 



Tree very large, vigorous, round and dense-topped, 

 hardy, productive. Leaves flattened, oval, 2 inches wide, 

 4 inches long ; apex abruptly pointed or acute ; base 

 abrupt ; margin crenate, eglandular or with few, small, 

 dark glands ; petiole % inch long, thick, tinged red, 

 pubescent, glandless or with 1 or 2 small, greenish- 

 brown glands. Flowers 1% inches wide, white, creamy 

 at the apex. Fruit late, season short ; 1 V inches in 

 diameter, round, compressed, halves equal ; cavity shal- 

 low, narrow, abrupt ; suture shallow ; apex flattened or 

 depressed ; color dull yellowish-green, often blushed or 

 mottled on the sunny side with thick bloom ; dots 

 numerous, large, white, conspicuous ; stem 1 % inches 

 long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit ; skin thin, 

 tough, separating readily ; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, 

 fibrous, firm, sweet next the skin but sour near the 

 center ; very good ; stone clinging, oval, turgid, acute 

 at the base and apex, with pitted surfaces. 



POND. Fig. 204. P. domestica. Hun- 

 garian. Pond Seedling. Pond is preeminent 

 among plums for its large fruits, which are 

 distinguished also by their form and color, both 

 being pleasing as well as distinctive. The eye 



204. Pond. (XD 



is pleased with the plum, but the palate is 

 sadly disappointed, for at best it is not even 

 second-rate. The fruits, however, ship and 

 keep well, as is demonstrated by the large 

 quantities of this variety annually sent from 

 California to the East for sale on fruit-stands, 

 where it perennially beguiles the uninformed 

 fruit-buyer. The trees are satisfactory in most 

 fruit-regions, though small and not always pro- 

 ductive. This variety was obtained from seed 

 by a Mr. Pond, an English grower of fruits, 

 as long ago as 1831. 



Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, hardy, vari- 

 able in productiveness. Leaves oval, 2 J /4 inches wide, 

 4 inches long, thick, leathery ; petiole % inch long, 

 thick, pubescent, tinged red, with 1 or 2 globose, 

 yellowish glands. Flowers 1& inches across, white. 

 Fruit late, season short; 2 inches by 1% inches in 

 size, obovate, frequently with a neck, halves equal ; 

 cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt ; suture shallow, often 

 a line ; apex roundish ; color reddish-purple to purplish- 

 red, overspread with thick bloom ; dots numerous, small, 

 reddish-brown, obscure ; stem thick, % inch long, 

 heavily pubescent, adhering well to the fruit ; skin 

 tough, separating readily ; flesh golden-yellow, dry, 

 fibrous, firm, mild, not highly flavored ; fair in quality ; 

 stone semi-free to free, long-oval, flattened, the surfaces 

 roughened and deeply pitted, tapering towards the 

 base and apex. 



POOLE PRIDE. P. Munsoniana. Kroh. 

 Compared with other native plums, Poole 

 Pride has considerable merit. The plum is 

 very attractive in appearance, it seems to have 



