36 BULLETIN 179, 17. S. DEPABTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



"Fort Belknap," now known as Belknap, is on the Brazos River, 

 in Young Comity, northern Texas. Another variety, material of 

 which has not been seen but which is referred to this group by 

 Waugh (76, p. 181), is reported to have been found by Dan Irby, of 

 Texas, ''growing on the gi-ounds of an old Indian settlement in his 

 vicinity." Crimson Beauty, likewise reported to be of Texas origin, 

 probably came from cultivated material. The introducer, A. L. 

 Bruce, writes that it came from trees in Grayson Comity, growing in 

 ground "bemg used as a home garden." The variety Captain was 

 introduced about 1892 by A. M. Ramsey & Son, of Austin, Tex., under 

 the name Colmnbia. Mr. Ramsey' obtained it from J. M. Shell, of 

 Georgetown, Tex., and Mr. Shell writes that he in turn received the 

 variety from Mr. Berckmans, of Augusta, Ga., as Cumberland, and 

 sold it as such. It is evident that the name Columbia originated by 

 an error either in writing or reading the label intended for Cumber- 

 land. Later the name Columbia was changed to Captain to avoid 

 confusion with a domestico. variety. While perhaps it may be difficult 

 to furnish definite proof, it is nevertheless extremely probable that 

 these varieties were all originally carried to Texas from the region of 

 the kno\\ii. natural range of the species, either by the Indians or by 

 the early settlers. 



Prunus Hortulana Hybrids. 



Among the cultivated varieties are a few supposed to represent 

 hybrids of Prunus Jiortulana with P. triflora, P. americana, P. mun- 

 soniana, and P. Jiortulana mineri. 



Prunus Hortulana Mineri Bailey. 



Prunus hortulana mineri Bailey, 1892, N. Y. Cornell Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 38, 

 p. 23. 



A form differing in botanical characters but little from the species. 

 The bark of the trunk in mature trees shows a slight approach to the 

 scaly character of that of Prunus americana. The branches are per- 

 haps somewhat more rigid than in the species and the foliage is a 

 darker green. This form blooms a few days earlier and the fruit also 

 ripens earlier. It is, however, impossible to distinguish mineri from 

 the species in herbarium material. 



The "Mner group" is a group well recognized by pomologists, but 

 careful study both in the herbarium and in the field fails to reveal 

 any distinctive characters other than as indicated above. It is 

 usually contrasted by pomologists with the "Wild Goose group," 

 Prunus munsoniana, or with P. americana, but not with the "Way- 

 land group," P. Jiortulana, to which it is clearly most closely related. 

 The varieties referred to this form have mostly originated under cul- 

 tivation and would therefore not be expected to show the intergrada- 

 tion with the species that is found in a number of specimens from a 



