PART SECOND. 
PEUNES. 
Tt maiT hfl naeless on our part to point out the importance of the Prune interest in 
California^nd to demoLtrate^^^^^^^ statistics and the like, of what vast import 
1; tfJ^i Sta?e this infant industry, to which development such a large area of our great 
^*''so'farJn'k'ufomi a variety of the Prune D'Ente or D'Agen, called here, on account 
of its small size "Petite Prune D'Agen," has been almost exclusively cultivated. Ihis 
Pet^?eTunrwhich is exceedingly sweet and well flavored, makes an exce en prune if 
properly dried or cured; but some objections are made concerning its small size and in 
Lme cases light color, when compared to the much larger and darker product of the 
Fr^jh ThesT wo^^^^^^^ whatever be the general qualities of that prune, are senous 
ones aud it was the main reason why we did advise the planting and testing of the best 
known sorts cultivated in the renowned prune districts of Europe We have ourselves, 
foTthe last three or four years, investigated in the most thorough manner this prune 
auesUon imported from the very prune districts of France the best known types of tha 
famous prune going there under the name of D'Ente or Robe De Sergent; and found out 
thTour Petite Prune is a true type of the D'Ente, its botanical characters being identical, 
and the ffuit as rLhly flavored and sweet as that of its French ancestor. We furthermore, 
ascertained that ?her6 was no such thing as a "Grosse" or "Petite" prune D'i-nte or 
D'Aeen and that such names had been used, and wrongly so in this btate; and 
finallv succeeded in narrowing down this prune question to a simple question of " size, 
the f uit of the D'Ente in France attaining a much larger size than that of the California 
D'eX or Petite Prune. But last summer's experience (1888) has demonstrated to us 
bevond a doubt that we were able to grow in CaWrnia as large and fine prunes as are 
^own in the valley of the Lot, in France, if planting the same sorts and taking care of 
S and pruninrtbem in the very same manner. Undoubtedly the soil and climate have 
S to do regarding the size and quality of Prunes, and it cannot be reasonablyexpected 
that in certain sections of our State, as sweet 
sections more favorably adapted to that class I 
State Horticultural Society at San Francisco, I 
or French prunes, and also St. Catherine prui 
ever grown in this State, some D'Ente pruneaJ 
we found out, has much to do with the size i 
that other renowned prune, the St. Catherine 
A peculiarity with the Prune D'Ente, is i 
from half an ounce to almost two ounces, thet^^^^— — — — -tj— - 
of the Umbs We herewith give three cuts of the Mont-Barbat D'Ente as grown on the 
same tree, to show That peculiarity of the D'Ente in growing fruit of such different sizes. 
^®''certa\n horticulturists in this State claim that there is *yP« ^ '^f^J^ere 
Prune, that is the Prune D'Ente or Eobe De Sergent. We say that it is not so. thaUhere 
are several distinct types of that prune, whicli differ greatly from each other, the botanical 
character^ of each ofThese varieties being far,of being identical ^e have in our gr^^^^^^^ 
four different types of the D'Ente, viz: ThelD'Ente proper or Eobe De Seigent (callea in 
this State Petite or French prune); the Loin D'Ente, from the valley of that name and 
an inferior type; the Puymirol D'Ente, and the D'Ente (a new and valuable type 
thftt we will not name for the present, and bearing large fruit.) 
Two thirds of the prune trees in the prune district of the Lot in France, are propa- 
Mted "true from the root," and the other third by budding or grafting. We have intro- 
fuced into tMs^tate and are propagating thU type of the D'Ente, "tr«e/rom he root ' 
having given it the name of Lot D'Ente, to distin^^uish it from our other types. irue 
frorthe root'' is what the French call "Frimc De Pied" (not grafted, but the stalk and 
the root being only one thing), such are laySrs, cuttings wnd sprouts growing at the foot 
of trees themlelves " true," as we find it witii figs, olives, filberts, curran s, and the like. 
C D'Ente and S . Catherine, "true from the root,' ' are propagated in this way : Sprouts 
growing at the foot of old and large trees, an.l but few are found to each tree, ai^ taken off 
fnd planted close together in a bed to make them root wel , and the ensuing spi ng 
pCted in nursery rSws where they are trained like any other trees, and transplanted 
where to remain, when branched. . j » i nnn t nnn (oat 
In the snow-horticultural bell of the Sierra, which extends from 1,200 to 3,000 feet 
