16 



THE WASHINGTON PLUM. 



Washington Plum. Hort. Soc. Fruit Cat. no. 270. 



The origin of this variety is remarkable. The 

 parent tree was purchased in the market of New 

 York, sometime in the end of the last century. It 

 remained barren several years, till, during a violent 

 thunder-storm, the whole trunk was struck to the 

 earth and destroyed. The root afterwards threw 

 up a number of vigorous shoots, all of which were 

 allowed to remain, and finally produced fruit. It 

 is therefore to be presumed, that the stock of the 

 barren kind was the parent of this. Trees were sent 

 to Robert Barclay, Esq. of Bury Hill, in 1819; and 

 in 1821 several others were presented to the Horti- 

 cultural Society by Dr. Hosack. 



It is certainly not surpassed in richness of flavour, 

 beauty, and other good qualities, by any. In fla- 

 vour it is fully equal to the Green Gage and Coe's 

 Golden Drop ; and the beauty of its foliage, which is 

 very remarkable, is quite unlike the usual shabby 

 aspect of a plum-tree. 



Our drawing was made from specimens commu- 

 nicated by Mr. Barclay, — by whose Gardener, Mr. 

 David Cameron, we are informed that it fruits 

 equally on an east and west wall : it has been tried 



