11 
fruit is oblong, with a well-defined suture, 
and certainly not pyriform; much darker 
in color, fresh, than the Lot or California 
D'Ente; it ripens a week or two before the 
two latter ones; it dries well, but bus not 
the sweet, and rich flavor of the true type. 
This is the type that some nurserymen 
in California have imported from the nur- 
series of the Loire Valley, thinking that it 
was a pure type of the D'Eute, and which 
they are advertising under the name of 
Robe De Sergent, or true Prune D'Agen, 
which it is not. 
Puymirol D'Ente. — This is another 
type of the D'Ente, but differing much in 
its botanical characters from the D'Ente 
proper; it originated at Puymirol, in the 
southwest of France. The fruit is uuiform- 
ily large and of a fine shape, like shown in 
Fig. 17. It is somewhat more early than 
the D'Ente, very sweet, and dries well; it 
makes a first quality prune. The tree is 
productive, the fruit growing around the 
limbs much like the Greengages and St. 
Catherine, close together. 
Saint Catherine.— An old variety, and 
one of the most celebrated kinds. Ex- 
tensively cultivated in the valley of the 
Loire (France), where D'Ente gives poor 
results. Besides making a superior prune, 
it is also much esteemed for preserving, 
and is excellent for dessert. The fruit is of 
medium size, obovate or roundish oval, 
with a rather well marked suture on one 
side; skin just thick enough to allow the 
fruit to dry splendidly; of a golden pale 
yellow; overspread with a thin bloom, 
and sometimes becoming rose violet ou the 
sunny side. The flesh is yellow, firm and 
juicy, adhering but little to the stone; 
(here in California we find it a perfect free- 
stone), the flavor is very rich, perfumed; 
one of the best prunes to eat fresh. It 
ripens, according to localities, from the 
later part of August to the middle of Sep- 
tember. A vigorous grower and constant 
bearer; propagated "true from the root." 
The fruit fresh stands shipping well; dried 
it retains the most of its bulk, and turns 
very dark. 
In size the St. Catherine compares well 
with the French or D'Ente prune? (See 
Fig. 16). 
Italian (Jnestche.— Medium to large; 
dark purple; cures well. 
German Questche,— Fruit long, oval 
purple; separates from the stone; cures 
well. 
That New and Valuable Prune. 
(The " " D'Ente.) 
We have for the last two years mentioned 
in our Catalogues this new and large-fruited 
variety of the French prune not yet put to 
market, and which we secured five years 
ago from the Prune District in France. 
This remarkable prune, that we have 
fruited for the last three years upon our 
place, is a parent of the D'Ente, or French 
prune, and was discovered ten years ago 
in an old abandoned monastery near 
Clairao, in the valley of the Lot, in France. 
It is undoubtedly the largest and finest 
dessert variety of that famous prune, the 
D'Ente, or French prune. The fruit grows 
uniformly large, is more oval in shape than 
the D'Ente proper, and exactly of the same 
color as the French prune, that is, bright 
red to violet red; it dries splendidly, and is 
equal to the very best prunes of the French 
for sweetness, flavor, size and beauty; it 
dries, too, very dark. 
Before putting this fine prune to market, 
we have endeavored to find out everything 
about it; that the fruit is uniformly large 
and beautiful, curing nicely, there is no 
question about it, and the appearances are 
that it is a good bearer. 
For the present, however, and for obvious 
reasons, we will keep to ourselves the name 
of that remarkable prune, till we are ready 
to introduce it to market; so for this reason 
we shall decline any orders for trees or 
cions. 
Almond Blossom. 
