l86 THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. 



August Pflaume ij. Blacke Damascene ?i. Blew Damson i. Black Damascene 5. Black Dam- 

 son ?8. Black Damson 9, 11, 17. Blew Damask 3. Black Damosine 4. Blue Damson 10, 11. 

 Bullace ij. Common Damson 6, 15. Common Damson 8, g, 10, 11, i^, ij. Damascene 2. Damas- 

 cene 7, 16. Damson 17. Damas Noir ?8. Damascus ?8. Damas Commun 13. Early Damson 

 of many g, 10, 17. Haber Pflaume 17. Hafer Schlehe 17. Jakobs Pflaume 17. Kleine Blaue 

 Julians Pflaume 17. Kreke 17. Krieche 17. Purple Damson 9, 10, 17. Prunus Insititia 17. 

 Round Damson 8, 15. Round Black Damson ?8. Sm.all Round Damson 8. Sankt-JuUans Pflaume 

 17. Schlehen Pflaume 17. Wahre Schlehen Damascene 17. Zipperle 17. Zipperlein 17. 



The common Damson, the Damson of the ancients, probably little 

 changed since before Christ's time, is still worthy of cultivation even though 

 a score or more of its offspring are offered to take its place. In productive- 

 ness, vigor of tree and hardiness it is scarcely surpassed by any of its kind 

 and while its fruits are smaller and more astringent than the best of its 

 offspring they are not surpassed for the chief use of all Damsons — ^the 

 making of preserves. The chief asset of the Damson is its great adapt- 

 ability to various soils and climates, surpassing all newcomers of its type 

 in this respect. So while undoubtedly some of the improved Damsons 

 surpass the parent variety under many conditions, there yet remain locali- 

 ties in which the original stock is possibly most valuable. 



The Damson takes its name from Damascus from whence it was 

 brought into Italy at least a century before the Christian era. What is 

 a Damson ? In England and America it is an oval, usually black, Insititia 

 The European continental cotintries have an entirely different conception 

 of a Damson from that of the English and Americans. The Germans speak 

 of our common plums as Damson-like, while the French use the term 

 Damas indiscriminately. The English, however, have not always made a 

 sharp distinction for Parkinson in 1629 speaks of the great Damaske or 

 Damson Plummes as sweet prunes imported from France and Gerard in 

 1636 described the Damson tree as sjmonymous to the Plimi. The term 

 Damson is applied to a group as well as to a variety. For a further history 

 of this plum in Europe and America see the index for references to the 

 Damson in Chapter I. 



DAWSON 



Prunus domestica 

 Dawson Seedling. American Prune. 



Dawson is a prune-like plum characterized by an elongated neck, a 

 peculiar putty -like color of flesh and by large size. The quality is very 

 good and the trees in all characters are well up to the average of those 

 of the plums on the Station grounds. The plum is worthy a more exten- 



