54 



PLUMS. 



course of years, under the title of" Superior Gage;" and of 

 which trees of the thickness of a man's thigh were to be seen 

 throughout the country, and particularly in the garden of Mr. 

 Van Sindcren, and others in this vicinity. Mr. James Blood- 

 good, of Flushing, (since deceased,) also made the same dis- 

 covery about the same time. In the year 1824, happening to 

 be on a visit at Albany, I was again surprised to meet the 

 same plum in the garden of Isaac Denniston, Esq., under 

 the name of the "Double Imperial Gage." The trees in his 

 garden were of very large size, and he stated that he had ob- 

 tained them under this name eighteen years before, from the 

 vicinity of New York ; it having been long an object with that 

 gentleman, who is distinguished for his judgment and discri- 

 mination of fruits, to concentrate the most valuable varieties 

 of the plum. I have taken some pains to ascertain the origin 

 of this fruit, and particularly whether it was originally brought 

 from Europe, being anxious to establish the native country of 

 so superior a fruit, and I have come to the conclusion that it 

 is of American origin, there being no such plum described in 

 any European publication, and having been unable to trace it 

 farther than to the Nurseries at Flushing. I will mention one 

 circumstance which may throw some light upon the subject. 

 It has always been the custom at the establishment of the wri- 

 ter, to plant annually the seeds of the finest fruits, for the pur- 

 pose of originating new varieties; and about the year 1790, 

 his father planted the stones of twenty five quarts of the Green 

 Gage plum: they produced trees which yielded fruit of every 

 colour, and the Keel Gage, White Gage, Prince's Imperial 

 Gage, and Prince's Green Gage, now so well known and so 

 highly esteemed, form part of the progeny of the seeds then 

 sown, and there seems a strong presumptive evidence to sup- 

 pose that the Superior Gage, now called the Washington, was 

 one of the same collection. John V. JJrevoort, Esq. so well 

 known for his intelligence find for his care in making investi- 

 gations, also staled to me, some years since, that he had satis- 

 factorily traced its origin to Flushing." 



The following instance will serve to show the productive- 



