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THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



It is characteristic of most Japanese Plums, that 

 even though they are uncoloured when picked, 

 they ripen if kept in a cool and dry place. 



Abundance (fig. 961). — Fruit medium to large 

 when thinned, round-oblong, the suture more 



Fig. 962.— Japanese Plum. Burbank. 



or less prominent; colour pink - coppery - red, 

 marked with many minute dots and a thin 

 bloom; flesh firm but juicy, sweet, with no 

 trace of mawkish or Almond flavour when well 

 thinned or well ripened. Ripe early in August. 

 An excellent Plum, and one 

 which most people delight to 

 eat. Its great fault is to over- 

 bear, and in that case it is very 

 liable to the fruit-rot fungus. 

 AVith us it has been less injured 

 with this fungus than the Lom- 

 bard. Tree an upright grower. 

 I believe Abundance is the best 

 single variety of Japanese Plum. 

 Berger. — Small and Cherry- 

 like, flattened endwise, bright 

 light-red, with prominent bloom; 

 flesh firm and meaty, yellow, 

 free; skin not tough nor sour. 

 Ripe mid-July. This is one of 

 the most distinct of all the 

 Japanese Plums. It has the 

 flavour of some of the domes- 

 tica varieties. The handsome 

 little fruits fall when ripe, and 

 should be caught on straw or hay spread under- 

 neath the tree. They are not much larger than 

 Cherries, and, coming after the sweet Cherries 

 are gone, they seem to piece out the Cherry 

 season. The tree is a distinct and upright 



grower, and the fruits are borne well down on 

 the older wood. We believe that the Berger 

 is well worth growing in every garden. 



Burbank (fig. 962). — Fruit medium, larger 

 upon vigorous and well-thinned trees, round- 

 oblong; colour orange-yellow overlaid 

 with splashes, streaks, and dots of red, 

 giving a more or less marble appear- 

 ance, but becoming more or less uni- 

 formly red on the cheek; flesh firm and 

 meaty, yellow, sweet and rich, clinging. 

 Ripe mid- August,. Tree an exceedingly 

 spreading flat-topped grower, and needs 

 strong heading-in to keep it in shape. 

 When well thinned the fruit is large 

 and of excellent quality, perhaps as 

 good as any of the Japanese Plums. It 

 is also a good keeper. It usually colours 

 upon the tree some days before it is 

 ripe. In many cases the fruit does not 

 become soft and edible even when ap- 

 parently full ripe. Heretofore we have 

 regarded Burbank as the best all-round 

 Japanese Plum, but we are now inclined 

 to give that place to Abundance. 

 Chabot (fig. 963). — Fruit medium to large, 

 oblong-conical, the suture usually pronounced; 

 colour deep-orange, red on the sunny side, with 

 a whitish bloom and many minute golden -yel- 

 low dots; flesh soft to firm, yellow, with no 



Fig. 963.— Japanese Plum. Chabot. 



Almond flavour, sweet, of excellent quality, 

 clinging. Ripe early September. Tree a strong, 

 upright grower, prolific, the fruit handsome, 

 good, and long-keeping. One of the best of 

 the Japanese Plums. 



