PLUMS AND DAMSONS. 



165 



Earliest of All. — Small, round-oblong; colour 

 when fully ripe almost uniformly pink-red, with 

 light bloom ; flesh light-yellow and soft, cling- 

 ing, sour, with a decided Almond or bitterish 

 flavour; skin tough. Eipe on July 14. The 

 fruit drops from the stem as soon as ripe. The 

 tree is a decidedly upright grower. Its chief 

 merit is earliness. 



Engre. — Larger than Earliest of 

 All, somewhat flattened endwise, 

 the suture usually prominent; colour 

 darker; flesh soft and yellow, cling- 

 ing, sour but with almost no 

 Almond flavour, and the skin tough. 

 Ripe mid-July. A prolific bearer, 

 and the fruits are attractive. Its 

 quality is not as good as that of 

 Burbank and Abundance, but its 

 great earliness commends it. 



Georgeson. — Fruit medium to large 

 when well thinned, round, usually 

 without a point, the suture distinct; 

 colour bright-yellow with a heavy 

 whitish bloom; flesh firm and solid, 

 golden-yellow, of fairly good quality, 

 clinging. Ripe mid-August. Tree 

 a sprawling grower. The fruit is a 

 long keeper, and, if picked before 

 it is thoroughly ripe, will ordin- 

 arily shrivel before it decays. The 

 quality is medium; it has a little of the mawk- 

 ish Almond flavour, and is usually not prized 

 for eating from the hand. 



Kerr. — Fruit fairly large when well thinned, 

 tapering to a very distinct long point, the 

 suture usually well marked; colour orange-yel- 

 low, overlaid with a thick creamy bloom; flesh 

 firm and rather meaty, yellow, clinging, sweet 

 and of fair to good quality when well ripened. 

 Ripe late July. Tree of moderate spreading 

 habit. An exceedingly productive variety; 

 needs to be well thinned to produce the best 

 results. It is one of the best of the yellow 

 varieties. Its chief fault is that it tends to fall 

 before it is fully coloured, but the fruits ripen 

 and colour on the ground. If they are picked 

 just before they begin to loosen from the stem 

 and are stored or shipped, they will ripen up 

 well. 



Lutts (fig. 964). — An excellent early Plum. 

 Fruit round-oblate, in general form and appear- 

 ance very like the Burbank, but running 

 smaller; colour dark-red, marked with many 

 very fine golden dots and covered with a 

 heavy bloom ; flesh light-yellow and soft, cling- 

 ing when thoroughly ripe, with only a tinge of 



Almond flavour; skin rather tough. Ripe mid- 

 July. This is the largest and best very early 

 Japanese Plum which we have tested. The 

 tree is a good grower and productive. 



Ogon. — Fruits medium or large when heavily 

 thinned, globular, not at all conical or pointed, 

 the suture prominent; colour a clear lemon- 



Fig. 964.— Japanese Plum. Lutts. 



yellow, with a heavy whitish bloom, rarely with 

 the faintest indication of a blush cheek; flesh 

 thick and very meaty, comparatively hard, free, 

 with a very peculiar musky Almond flavour. 

 Ripe end of July. Tree a strong, upright 

 grower with heavy thick foliage. Not so uni- 

 formly productive as some other varieties, 

 although it tends to bear very heavily at 

 times. Quality not so good as that of the Red 

 June. It is said to be one of the best for 

 canning. 



Red June. — Fruit medium to large, cordate- 

 oblong, distinctly pointed, often lop-sided; 

 colour deep vermilion -red, with a thick and 

 handsome bloom; flesh light -yellow, clinging 

 or partially so, firm and moderately juicy, 

 slightly acid to sweetish, of good quality 

 though not very rich, the skin slightly sour. 

 One of the very best of the Japanese Plums, 

 because it is very handsome and productive. 

 It varies considerably in season of ripening. 

 This year the earliest fruits were ready for 

 eating on July 30. A bushy-topped, upright 

 grower. 



Satsuma. — Fruit medium to large, round- 

 oblong, with a deep suture; colour dark brown- 



