146 LUTHER BIH iiANK 



and combined them in lupcrlatiTe degree, end 

 which, in addition, bed the peculiarly deeiimhle 

 quality of ripeninf about the fint of Aoguilt two 

 or more weeka in adranee of the usual period of 

 the prune han'est 



This almost perfect prune was placed on the 

 market in 1900 imder the name of the Sugar 



Prune. 



A description of the new fruit wm ^iven 

 by Mr. B. M. LeLonfi^, secrete r thr 



California State Board of Horticulture, as 

 follows: 



**The Sugar prune is an extremely early prune, 

 ripening August 1 ; it gfrows superbly with yellow 

 flesh, tender, and rich in sugar. The skin is very 

 delicate^ at first of a light purple tinted with 

 green, changing at maturity to dark purple, oov* 

 ered with a thick white blot^m. The form is ovoid, 

 slightly flattened, measuring five by six and a 

 half inches in circumference, average siae fifteen 

 to a pound, which is two or three times larger 

 than the French prune; the fruit stalk is short, 

 and severs ver}' easily from the stem as the fruit 

 reaches maturity; the pit is of medium siae, flat- 

 tened, sligiitly wrinkled and most often separated 

 from the flesh : the skin is so thin or porous that 

 the fniit begins to shrink on the troe as soon as 

 ripe." 



