THE PLUMS OF NEW YORK. 359 



be given as to its merits. As the variety grows at Geneva the fruits are 

 very attractive in appearance — above medium size, a dark, rich purple 

 color, and having the ftill, rounded form much liked by consumers in a des- 

 sert plum. The flesh is juicy, tender and sweet so that the quality may be 

 called good; possibly the flesh is a little too soft for long shipping or long 

 keeping as it grows here, though in one of the California references it is 

 spoken of as " valuable for eastern shipment." The trees are very satis- 

 factory except that in New York they are not quite as reliable in bearing 

 as could be wished. A fatilt, as the variety grows here and which may be 

 local, is that a large proportion of the pits are cracked and all are soft and 

 granular. The tree is reported by some as "scale proof" but unfortunately 

 this statement can neither be denied nor affirmed. A plum with the good 

 qualities possessed by Tragedy, should be better known in New York. 



The following history is contributed by Professor E. J. Wickson, 

 Berkeley, California. Tragedy originated as a chance seedling on the 

 farm of O. R. Rtinyon, near Courtland, Sacramento County, California, 

 probably in the late seventies. It was first offered to the trade in dormant 

 buds by W. R. Strong and Company of Sacramento in 1887. Since the 

 German Prune and Duane Purple grew on the place of its origin and as 

 it shows characters of both, it has been noted as a probable cross of these 

 varieties. The name Tragedy is understood to have been given to the 

 fruit by Mr. Runyon because the plum was noted to be desirable on or 

 about a day upon which a certain event held to be tragical occurred in 

 the neighborhood. In 1899, the American Pomological Society considered 

 Tragedy worthy a place in its list of fruits. 



Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, hardy, variable in productiveness; branches 

 ash-gray, usually smooth, with raised lenticels of various sizes; branchlets twiggy, 

 thick, medium to short, with short intemodes, greenish-red changing to dark brownish- 

 drab, covered with thick pubescence, with obscure, small lenticels ; leaf-buds inter- 

 mediate in size and length, obtuse, plump, appressed. 



Leaves folded backward, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches wide, 

 three and three-quarters inches long; upper surface dark green, glabrous except for 

 the few hairs on the deeply and narrowly grooved midrib; lower surface pubescent; 

 apex acute or obtuse, base acute; petiole five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, 

 faintly tinged red, glandless or with one or two small, globose, greenish-brown glands 

 usually at the base of the leaf. 



Blooming season early, short; flowers appearing with the leaves, seven-eighths 

 inch across, white; borne on lateral buds, usually in pairs; pedicels one-half inch 

 long, thick, pubescent greenish; calyx-tube green, with roughened surface, campanulate. 



