THE SUGAR PRUNE 147 



To add to the value of the Sugar prune, the 

 tree on which it grows is unusually vigorous and 

 astoundingly productive; in fact, almost to a 

 fault. 



Analysis of the fresh fruit at the State Univer- 

 sity discloses the fact that it is nearly one-fourth 

 sugar — the exact amount being 23.92 per cent, 

 contrasted with the 18.53 per cent sugar content 

 of the French prune, and the 15.33 per cent of 

 primes in general. 



Xot only does the Sugar prune contain far 

 more sugar than any of the varieties from which 

 it sprang, but it fully equals the French prune 

 in flavor, and it is two to three times as large. It 

 is far more productive, and can be grown for one- 

 third to one-half the cost of producing the French 

 prune. In flavor it is fully equal to the celebrated 

 Imperial, and, in most striking contrast to that 

 fruit, it is exceedingly productive. 



Add that the new prune excels all other vari- 

 eties in the extreme earliness of its time of fruit- 

 ing, and it will be obvious that the Sugar prune 

 marks at least a long step toward the ideal at 

 which I aimed. It ripens at a time when the 

 weather is hot and dry, so that it can be rapidly 

 cured. A week or two later when the other varie- 

 ties are maturing, the weather is often foggy and 

 cloudy and sometunes even rainy, so that fruit 



