MOST GENERALLY ESTEEMED. 433 



of the oven. In the middle of this upper door or flap is a round 

 vent-hole, for the escape of the moist vapor, k is an iron damper 

 or slide, to be placed in the flue at I /, in order to regulate the heat. 



" A thousand fully ripe quetsches (prune plums) make about ten 

 pounds of dried prunes. 



" Plums of different kinds may be dried, either whole or deprived 

 of their skins and stones. In the latter case, they are styled pru- 

 nelles." 



Characters and Classijication. The characters of the plums are 

 represented by the texture of the flesh as combined with its juiciness 

 and flavor ; and what are termed gages (a word really of no mean- 

 ing as applied to the fruit) represent fruits of round form, very deli- 

 cate, and of a rich, sugary, juicy high flavor. The prunes are known 

 as those fruits that are dry in the texture of their flesh. The cha- 

 racter of size is one of which Washington may be taken as large, 

 Green Gage as medium, and Mirabelle as small ; while the wood 

 being smooth or downy, needs no explanation, and the depressed line 

 on one side, called a suture, is the same as in cherries or peaches, 

 and often serves as a guide in detecting varieties. The classification 

 by most writers of divisions of green, white, or yellow, and of blue, 

 or red, or purple, we adopt only in our text descriptive of each dis- 

 tinct variety ; preferring as a practical matter, here as elsewhere in 

 our work, to follow that of, in short, best, very good, and good. 



VARIETIES. 



These are far too numerous for any practical use ; and while we 

 may have possibly reduced too much, we yet feel that the uses and 

 wants of the community will be best supplied in this fruit by a few 

 really valuable, and for the particular purposes pointed out in our 

 text descriptive. 



CLASS I. Most generally esteemed. 



Autumn Gage. 

 Eoe's Autumn Gage. 



American. Productive ; branches, smooth. Fruit, medium, oval, broad- 

 est at base, pale yellow, whitish bloom ; flesh, greenish yellow, juicy, 

 sweet, separates freely from stone, long, compressed, and pointed at boih 

 ends; stalkj three-fourths inch long. September 15th. 



Bleecker's Gage. 



German Gage. 

 Raised at Albany, N. Y., about forty years since, by Mrs. Bleecker. Tho 

 tree is of healthy, hardy habit, and a regular, sure bearer. Branches^ 

 downy; leaves, dark green. Fruit, medium size, roundish oval, very regu- 

 lar ; suture^ slight ; skin, yellow, with numerous imbedded white specks, 

 19 



