200 THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. 



Fruit early, season short; one and one-quarter inches in diameter, roundish-oval, 

 slightly truncate, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow or a 

 line; apex roundish to flattened or sometimes depressed, often oblique; color dark 

 reddish-purple, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; 

 stem of average thickness, five-eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; 

 skin thin, tough, not astringent, separating readily; flesh lemon-yellow, juicy, coarse, 

 firm, sweet, mild but pleasant; very good; stone free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths 

 inch in size, oval, slightly oblique, blunt-pointed, with rough and slightly honey-combed 

 surfaces. 



EARLY RIVERS 



Prunus domestica 



I. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 314. 1845. 2. Horticulturist 4:40. 1849. 3. Elliott Fr. Book 

 419. 1854. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 912. 1869. 5. Am,. Pom,. Soc. Rpt. 99. 1871. 6. Mas 

 Pom,. Gen. 2:117. 1873. 7. Jour. Hort. 30:273. 1876. 8. Oberdieck Deut. Obst. Sort. 409, 411. 

 1881. 9 Hogg Frutt Man. 699. 1884. 10. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 447. 1889. ii. Lucas Vollst. 

 Hand. Obst. 470. 1894. 12. Guide Prat. 152, 356. 1895. 13. Rivers Cat. 35. 1898. 



Early Fruchtbare 12. Early Prolific 4. Early Rivers 4, 10, 12. Early Prolific 2, 3, 6, 10, 12, 

 13. Fertile Precoce 10. Fertile Pr^coce 6, 12. Friihe Fruchtbare 6. Frfihe Fruchtbare 8. Proli- 

 fique Hdtive 10, 12. Rivers' Early No. 2 i, 2, 3, 4, 10. Rivers' Early Prolific Plum ,i. Rivers' 

 Early Prolific 4, 9, 10, 12. Rivers' Early 6. River's Early 5. Rivers' Blue Prolific 7. Rivers' 

 No. 2 9, 10, 12. Rivers Frflhpflaume 8, 11. Rivers' Frfllie Fruchtbare 10. 



Early Rivers is widely known because of its earliness, productiveness, 

 regularity of bearing and desirability for culinary purposes. In New York, 

 however, the plums are so small and drop so badly as they ripen that the 

 variety is worthless for commercial purposes. Hogg, in the reference given 

 above, notes the following peculiarity of the trees of this variety: " The 

 original tree throws up suckers, which, when removed and planted out, 

 do not bloom for several years ; but scions taken from the original tree and 

 grafted, bloom the second year. A curious fact is that the grafted trees 

 fruit abundantly, and the branches are so brittle they break off; in those 

 raised from suckers the branches never break. The grafted trees in spring 

 are full of bloom, sparing of shoots, and very few leaves; the suckers are 

 more vigorous in growth, have no bloom, but an abtmdance of foliage, 

 even when six years old." This variety is a seedling of Early Tours 

 raised by Thomas Rivers of Sawbridgeworth, England, about 1834. It 

 was first disseminated under the names Early Prolific and Rivers' Early 

 No. 2 but, in 1866, Hogg with the permission of the originator, renamed 

 it Early Rivers under which name it is now generally known. 



Tree medium in size and vigor, round-topped, productive; branchlets thick, short, 

 pubescent throughout the season; leaves roundish-oval or obovate, one and three- 

 quarters inches wide, nearly three inches long, leathery; margin crenate or serrate, 



