CALIFORNIA PRUNE PROBLEMS 



THE PLUMCOTS 



317 



One of the most striking achievements of Mr. Burbank from 

 the fruit grower's point of view is the cross of the plum and the 

 apricot, which he has very fitly named the "plumcot." He has 

 combined in a single fruit enough of the diverse characters of 

 two fruits to that the ordinary observer can recognize the com- 

 bination clearly and distinguish the gift of each to it. Mr. Bur- 

 bank has secured several such crosses, the first of which to be 

 made public is the "Rutland," introduced by Mr. George C. Roed- 

 ing in 1907. The fruit is about the size of an ordinary apricot 

 with a deep purple velvety skin. One of its striking features 

 is its brilliant red flesh possessed of a strong sub-acid flavor 

 rendering it suitable for cooking, jellies and jams, and it ^is in 

 good demand for such uses. When fully ripe, it is an excellent 

 dessert fruit possessing an apricot-plum flavor. Obviously the 

 amalgamation of the apricot and the plum must produce a fruit 

 unique in character, hence its economic value is a matter still 

 largely to be determined by its development and the exploitation 

 of its uses. 



HOW A PRUNE QUEST DISTURBED THE PLUM 

 FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA 



Referring to the distinction between plums and prunes cited 

 at the opening of this chapter, and to the extent and methods of 

 the great prune industry of the State which will appear later, in 

 Part Eight of this work, it may be stated here that the Cali- 

 fornia prune product was obviously undertaken in emulation of 

 the globe-trotting French prune, which had attained position as 

 the leading commercial dried fruit of the world long before Cal- 

 ifornia arose on the horticultural horizon. Naturally, French 

 settlers in California bethought themselves of transplanting this 

 great industry in their new home, and Mr. Louis Pellier intro- 

 duced scions from the district of Agen to his place near San 

 Jose in 1856. The product was good, and planting for a large 

 output was entered upon, though slowly at. first. There was 

 disappointment over the fact that, while all fruits came sur- 

 prisingly large in California, the dried prunes were smaller than 

 the great French prunes in cartons and cannisters which sold 

 for great prices. Had we secured the true French prune : did 

 they not have larger ones which they were holding back from 

 us? This was the great question of five decades ago. Some 

 nurserymen of that day had spirits of enterprise larger than 

 their consciences. If the people demand larger prunes they 

 must have them, surely. Because of the small average size of 

 the prunes of Pelliers introduction, they christened that variety 

 ''petite prune d'Agen," which was subsequently corrupted into 



