THE PLUM. 



529 



Ashridge black — Size medium ; quality second- 

 rate ; colour purple ; firm, round. Ripe in Au- 

 gust. Tree hardy, and a good bearer. Excel- 

 lent for kitchen use. 



Bingham's. — Size large, and handsome ; quality 

 excellent ; flesh yellow, adhering to the stone ; 

 colour deep yellow, slightly spotted with red on 

 the sunny side ; form oval. Ripe September. 

 Branches downy ; of American origin. A fine 

 dessert fruit in a warm climate. 



Bleeckers gage. — Size medium ; quality ex- 

 cellent ; flesh yellow, sweet and luscious in 

 flavour, fit for dessert, separating freely from 

 the stone ; form roundish oval. Ripe Septem- 

 ber. Branches downy ; suture scarcely per- 

 ceptible. Distinguished from the Yellow gage, 

 to which it is somewhat allied, by its longer and 

 stouter stalk. Of American origin. Synonym — 

 German gage. 



Blue imperatrice. — Size medium; quality first- 

 rate ; flesh greenish yellow, rather dry, but 

 quite rich and sugary, adhering closely to the 

 stone ; colour deep purple, with a thick blue 

 bloom ; form obovate. Ripe in October. Will 

 hang, if protected from frost, till the end of 

 November, or may be kept in the fruit-room 

 even much longer, the fruit being covered singly 

 with soft tissue-paper, and laid in an air-tight 

 drawer or shallow box ; branches long, smooth, 

 and very slender. An abundant bearer, and one 

 of our very best late plums. Synonyms — Im- 

 peratrice, Veritable imperatrice, Violette, Impera- 

 trice violette. 



BueVs favourite. — Size above medium; quality 

 good ; flesh yellowish green, juicy, rich, and high 

 flavoured ; colour pale green ; form ovate. Ripe 

 beginning of September. Suture quite distinct 

 for half the circumference ; free stone ; branches 

 smooth and reddish ; of American origin. 



Chapman's Prince of Wales. — A seedling from 

 the Orleans, but differing from it in being larger 

 in size, more inclining to oval, and of a bright 

 purplish pink, with more bloom, and superior 

 flavour to the original parent. Unlike the 

 Orleans, it never cracks, is quite smooth in the 

 young shoots, whilst the Orleans is downy. 

 Leaves large and roundish, easily distinguished 

 from any other plum. Trees vigorous in growth, 

 and most abundant bearers while yet the tree is 

 young. The blossom is protected in a remark- 

 able manner by the large foliage ; and the fruit 

 is thickly set all up the stem, which at an early 

 age is completely furnished with fruit-bearing 

 spurs. Succeeds excellently as a standard or 

 pyramid. Originated at Brentford End with Mr 

 Chapman, an extensive market- gardener there, 

 in 1830. An excellent kitchen fruit. Tree very 

 hardy, and adapted to a Scotch climate, even as 

 a pyramidal standard. 



Cheston.— Size medium; quality good; form 

 ovate; skin dark purple, with a fine blue bloom; 

 stalk quite short; flesh yellow, firm, sweet, sepa- 

 rating freely from the stone ; branches downy ; 

 ripens about the beginning of August. Tree 

 hardy, and an abundant bearer. Synonyms — 

 Matchless, Diapree violette. 



Coes fine late red. — Size medium ; quality ex- 

 cellent ; flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, and juicy, 

 with a rich vinous flavour, parting freely from 



the stone ; form nearly round ; suture well 

 marked, running along one side ; colour pur- 

 plish red, with a fine blue bloom. Ripe October 

 and November, and, with protection, will hang 

 on the tree till the end of the latter month, and 

 in the fruit-room may be preserved even later. 

 One of our best late plums. Synonyms — St 

 Martin, St May-tin rouge, Prune de St Mai-tin of 

 the French. Excellent for dessert purposes. 



Coe's golden drop. — Size very large, indeed one 

 of the largest ; quality, as a dessert fruit, of the 

 highest character ; form oval ; colour light yel- 

 low, with a number of dark rich spots on the 

 side next the sun ; suture well marked on one 

 side, on which it is a little more swollen than on 

 the other ; flesh yellow, adhering closely to the 

 stone ; flavour rich and sweet. Of English ori- 

 gin ; raised in Suffolk by a gentleman of the 

 name of Coe. Ripe by the end of September, 

 keeping through October, and also November, 

 with slight protection, and even up to Christmas 

 in the fruit-room. One of our most excellent late 

 plums. Branches smooth and pretty strong. 

 Synonyms — Coes imperial, Golden gage, Bury 

 seedling, New golden drop, Fairs golden drop, 

 Coe's. 



Columbian. — Size very large, six or seven 

 inches in circumference ; quality excellent ; flesh 

 orange, very rich and sugary, separating pretty 

 freely from the stone ; form nearly globular ; 

 colour brownish purple, with numerous fawn- 

 coloured specks. Ripe in September. Of Ameri- 

 can origin ; raised from a seed of the Green 

 gage. A very attractive dessert fruit. Tree re- 

 markable for its strong growth and productive- 

 ness. Branches and upper side of the foliage 

 downy. 



Cooper's large, Cooper's large red, Coopers 

 large American of Cox, La delicieuse of Lindley. 

 ■ — Some difficulty appears to arise in the identi- 

 fication of these names, first, we think, mooted 

 by Mr Downing. Our own opinion is that they 

 are identically the same, difference of climate 

 causing the apparent difference, both as to time 

 of ripening and the property of hanging on the 

 tree. Cox, an American pomologist, describes 

 this plum as being raised by Mr Cooper of New 

 Jersey from a stone of the Orleans. He adds, 

 that, although it is a fine large plum, it is exceed- 

 ingly liable to rot upon the tree. This opinion 

 is strengthened by that given by Mr Ives of 

 Salem, and more so by Downing, who says it is 

 scarcely known now in that country. Cox de- 

 scribes it as ripening in August, and that it is of 

 the largest size. Lindley and Thompson con- 

 sider it the same as the La delicieuse, and de- 

 scribes the latter as having its " branches long 

 and smooth ; fruit oval ; suture rather broad, 

 shallow, swelled a little more on one side than 

 on the other ; stalk an inch long, slender, slightly 

 inserted ; skin pale yellow on the shaded side, 

 but deep purple on the other ; flesh yellow, and 

 separates from the stone ; juice peculiarly rich 

 and abundant. Ripe in October with the Im- 

 peratrice." Such we have found Cooper's large 

 to be. The difference in time of ripening, and 

 also the American disposition of rotting on 

 the tree, may safely be traced to climate. Of 

 American origin. 



