PLUMS. 



51 



"The origin of the variety is unknown ; it must, however, 

 be recent, as it is not mentioned by Duhamel, or any of the 

 old French writers, and is even omitted by Noisette in his 

 Jardin Fruitier. 



"A good bearer as a standard, ripening in August and Sep- 

 tember. It is also well adapted to an east or west wall, where 

 its flavour becomes improved ; wood strong, spreading, short- 

 jointed, smooth, brownish violet where exposed ; leaves mid- 

 dle-sized, oval on the young shoots, obovate on the spurs, 

 doubly and somewhat irregularly serrated; above smooth, 

 shining, deep green ; below slightly pubescent ; they are 

 darker than those of the Green Gage. Petioles firm, half an 

 inch to an inch in length, with globose glands near the base of 

 the leaf; flowers middle-sized; petals roundish oblong; 

 stamens shorter than the style ; fruit, except in colour, very 

 like the Green Gage, middle-sized, roundish oval, somewhat 

 flattened at the ends ; suture moderately depressed along one- 

 side ; stalk about an inch long, rather thick ; skin violet, 

 powdered with a light blue bloom, beneath which it is en- 

 grained with pale yellow dots ; flesh greenish amber, rich, 

 sugary, and strikingly high flavoured ; stone oval, inclining to 

 ovate, compressed." 



BLUE GAGE. Pa. cAr. Mil. Lond. hort. cat. 

 Azure hative. Poit. et Turp. 

 This fruit is of a medium size, and of a roundish form ; the 

 skin is of a blue colour ; the flesh rather rich and of good 

 flavour. It is at maturity in the month of September. It 

 seems uncertain whether Mr. Coxe refers to the same fruit as 

 described here. He mentions his variety as having been 

 imported from France f but as there is no plum called Gage in 

 that country, it must have been imported under some other 

 name. 



RED GAGE. Pr. cat. 



This is a tree of the most thrifty growth and produces good ' 

 crops : the fruit is of the same size as the Green Gage and 



