10 
above the level of the sea, and comprises an immense area of territory, the prnne grows 
splendidly like all stone-fruit trees — no trouble about that — and bears heavily, too, pro- 
vided the " gum " lets it alone and spring frosts spare it— though the gum is the worst of 
the two. Now, since the kind "true from the root" is such an excellent gum-resistant 
stock, people will see at a glance that, with such a stock, prune growing might become 
possible and profitable in the very midst of our mountains, and where trees budded on 
the root do so badly. 
The chief qualities and advantages of prune trees, true from the root, may be 
summed up as follows: To be good gum-resistant stock (the very reason why this kind is 
so extensively planted in its home, in France), more long-lived than trees budded on the 
root; very vigorous growers, and heavy and regular bearers; last, in case of an accident 
happening to the body of the tree, enabling the latter to grow back true from the root. 
The fruit of our Lot D'Ente, or type true from the root, compares very well with the 
finest French prunes grown so far in California. Still, wherever prune trees grafted on 
the root do well and are not attacked by the gum, they might very well be planted, every- 
thing else being equal ; but where they do not, and are liable to be injured by the gum, the 
kind " true from tberoot" should, by all means, be preferred. 
We will now give a description of the varieties of prunes imported, tested and propa- 
gated by us, and of which we have this season trees ready for market: 
Prune D'Ente, or D'Agen, or Robe 
De Sergent. — This is the kind that pro- 
duces the famous French Prune, shipped 
all over the world from Bordeaux, France, 
with the "United States of America" for 
its best and most extensive market; and it 
is the very variety cultivated in the great 
prune district of the Lot, with Agen for an 
entrepot. (See Figs. 18, 19, 20 and 21.) 
The D'Ente is of medium to large size, 
in some instances quite large (see Fig. 19). 
The fruit is generally pear-shaped or pyri- 
form, broad at the center and tapering to- 
wards the stem. The suture is shght, the 
skin thin, covered with heavy bloom; violet 
red. The pulp is yellow, sweet, but little 
flavored; juicy, though not to excess. It 
ripens from the latter part of August to the 
beginning of September^ The tree is vigor- 
ous, very productive and a constant bearer. 
The best types of that prune are found in 
the valley of the Lot, in France, where that 
celebrated prune originated. 
Mont Barbat D'Ente.— We secured this 
type from the orchard of that name, which 
means Barbat Hill, a type that obtained 
thirty-two first premiums for the beauty 
and size of its prunes, at the District Fairs 
of the Lot, in France. (See Figs, 18, 19 
and 20, representing four samples of that 
fine prune as grown upon the same tree^ 
right upon our place, in Nevada City. ) 
Lot D'Ente, or D'Ente— "true from 
the root." — This is the type of the Prune 
D'Ente, the most propagated in the valley 
of the Lot. It is altogether propagated but 
true from the root, by the rooting of sprouts 
growing at the foot of old and large trees 
themselves true from the root — that is, not 
grafted. By grafting, only the size and 
quality of the fruit are retained, and its 
other characteristics done away with. We 
have beautifully rooted trees, one, two and 
three years in our grounds, of this valuable 
type, though in small quantities. The 
fruit is not uniformly pyriform, like that 
of the Mout Barbat, some of the trees bear- 
ing fruit of a more oval shape (see Figs. 18 
and 21). This is the type which, proepa- 
gated "true from the root," and not by 
grafting, proves such a good " gum - resist- 
ant " stock, and the only one we would ad- 
vise fruit growers living in the snow-belt of 
the mountains to plant, as being more able 
to withstand the attacks of the gum than 
budded trees. 
California D'Ente, or Petite Prnne, 
or Frencll Prune.— This good and pretty 
type of the Prune D'Ente was introduced 
from France into California in the year 
1857, by Mr. Pierre PeUier, of San Jos^, 
and has since been propagated all over the 
State, under the name of Petite or French 
Prune. The name of Petite (small) was 
given to it so as to distinguish it from a 
larger type, the Hungarian or Pond's Seed- 
ling, thought at the time to belong to the 
same family, and which went and is going 
yet on some nurserymen's catalogue under 
the wrong name of ' 'Grosse" Prune D 'Agen. 
This type of the D'Ente is excellent for dry- 
ing; the fruit is from small to medium, 
more or less pyriform, according to locali- 
ties; reddish-purple, violet-red in our mount- 
ains; very sweet, and juicy enough. 
That name of French or Petite Prune 
should be entirely dropped off by nursery- 
men, prune growers and packers, and its 
real name, California D'Ente, substituted in 
its place. The Prune D'Ente goes all over 
the world under no other name— not a box, 
canister br glass jar leaving the port of Bor- 
deaux, which ships away millions of them, 
but under that name. "French" Prune is 
no name at all, for the Saint Catherine, a 
fair rival of the D'Ente and yellow when 
fresh, is as much French as the D'Ente and 
as old, too. Prune D'Agen, that the city 
of Agen has tried pretty bad to have substi- 
tuted to the true name of that prune 
(D'Ente), has been rejected by the shippers 
of that prune in France. So let us, if we 
are to meet on the same markets, home or 
abroad, the French article, give to our 
