PLUMS. 299 



green, assuming an orange cast on the sunny side, with a 

 purpHsh bloom, and more or less mottled with crimson dots. 

 Flesh yellow, firm, very sweet and luscious, separating freely 

 from the stone. Stone oval, acute at each end, wrinkled all 

 over, and nearly even at the edges. 

 Ripe in September. 



The parent tree of the Washington Plum, it appears, was 

 purchased in the market of New- York, towards 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 aftervvards threw up 

 a number of vigorous shoots, all of which were allowed to 

 remain, and finally produced fruit. It is therefore to be pre- 

 sumed, 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 Horticultural Society by Dr. Hosack of New-York.* 

 54. Wentworth. JMiller, No. 26. Langleij. Pom. 

 t. 2.5. f. 4. 



Dame Aubert. DuliameU No. 41. t. 20. f. 10. 

 Grosse Luisante. lb. 



Fruit of the largest size, of an oval figure, having a deep 

 suture extending from the base to the apex, about two inches 

 and a quarter long, and one inch and three quarters in di- 

 ameter. Stalh three quarters of an inch long, inserted in a 

 rather deep cavity. Skin thick and leathery, of a yellow co- 

 lour, tinged with green on the shaded side, and covered with 



• The above description not being exactly correct, I here subjoin a true account 

 of it. The parent tree of the W^ashington Plum grew on a farm on the east side of 

 the Bowery, called Delancey's farm ; it had been grafted with a Reine Claude, or 

 Green Gage Plum, which had many vears borne fruit, and was a pretty large tree. 

 This tree was killed by lightning down to the root, below the graft ; several suckers 

 had sprung up from the roots, which were dug up by a market woman, and some 

 of them were sold in the New-York market. Mr". Bolmar, who kept a store in 

 V.hatham-street, purchased two of them and planted them in his gaiden in 1814. 

 About the middle of August, 1818, Mr. Bolmar called at my nursery and wished mo 

 to come down and see them, being then quite full of fruit, and nearly ripe ; I was 

 jurprised at the beauty of its large glossy leaves and very large size of the fruit. 

 The trees were standards, and lo-idod with fruit. I informed him that it certainly 

 was a new kind of Plum. The fruit appeared to be between the large Rcine Claude 

 and White Magnum Bonum Plums, in form more like the former, and the colour 

 more like the latter, but larger than either, with a freestone like the Reine Claude. 

 He gave me scions of it for budding, and fruit to make a drawing, which was done 

 by L'-nev, and is now in my possession, dated August 19th, 1818, from the young 

 trees which I then budded ; some of them were sent to Mr. Robert Barclay of Burr 

 Hill, with a number of other things, in November, 1819, and in November, 1821. 

 Dr. David Hosack, the patron of Horticulture, purchased twelve of the young trce« 

 of me to send to the Horticultural Societv of London. Mr. Bolmar informed me of 

 the market woman, of whom he had purchased the trees, and I found four other 

 trees, with the same kind of fruit, in her garden and in the neighbourhood where 

 the old tree grew. At this time, 1833, the whole of Delancey's farm is thickly co- 

 vered with housee, making pan of the city of New-York. — Am. Ed. 



