THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. 205 



is as a prune, chiefly because it is not of high quality, but also because 

 it is none too attractive in color, size or shape, cutting a rather poor figure 

 in comparison with a great number of other Domestica plums. The variety 

 fails in tree as well as in fruit. The trees are variable in size, suffer from 

 cold in exposed situations and while rather productive bear their crops 

 in clusters hard to pick and well placed to insure infection from brown-rot 

 when that disease is epidemic. For some reason the fruit of this variety 

 shrivels at this Station not only after being picked, but while still on the 

 tree. In New York, Englebert has been thoroughly tested, has been found 

 wanting and is not now recommended. 



This variety was obtained from a seed of the "Date Prune," by M. 

 Scheidweiler, Professor of Botany at Ghent, Belgium. 1 The date of origin 

 has not been given, but it was probably produced about the middle of the 

 last century since it was described as a new fruit in the Horticulturist for 

 1855. Englebert was added to the American Pomological Society catalog 

 fruit list in 1871 under the name Prince Englebert, but in 1897, according 

 to the rules of the Society, the name was simplified to Englebert. 



Tree variable in size, vasiform, dense-topped, hardy except in exposed locations, 

 productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous, long-oval, raised 

 lenticels; branchlets thick, rather short, with internodes above medium in length, green 

 changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, heavily pubescent throughout the season, with 

 few, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds small, short, obtuse, appressed. 



Leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one and seven-eighths inches wide, three 

 and one-quarter inches long; upper surface covered with very fine hairs, with a shallov 

 groove on the midrib; lower surface pale green, finely pubescent; apex roundish- 

 pointed, base obtuse, margin finely crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; 

 petiole three-quarters inch long, pubescent, faintly tinged red, glandless or with one or 

 two small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of the leaf. 



Blooming season early to medium, of average length; flowers appearing after the 

 leaves, about one inch across, white except for a yellowish tinge near the apex of the 

 petals; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, usually in pairs; pedicels one-half 

 inch long, below medium in thickness, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanu- 

 late, pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse, sparingly pubescent on both surfaces, glandular- 

 serrate and with marginal hairs; petals broadly oval or roundish, crenate, abruptly 

 tipped with short, broad claws; stamens often inclined to revert to petals; anthers 

 yellowish; filaments five-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens. 



Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and five-eighths inches by one and 

 three-eighths inches in size; oval, swollen on the suture side, halves equal; cavity shallow, 

 narrow, abrupt; suture a line; apex bluntly pointed or roundish; color dark purplish- 



1 Mas Le Verger 6:61. 1866-73. 



