11 
prnne its true name, "California D'Ente." 
Loire D'Ente.— The type commonly 
kept and propagated in the valley of that 
name, in the northwest of France, and 
which, for that reason, we have called 
"Loire" D'Ente; it is certainly a false type 
of the D'Ente proper, as is found in the 
valley of the Lot; its botanical characters, 
wood, buds, leaves and also fruit, vary 
considerably from those of the true D'Ente, 
It is a very prolific kind; the fruit is ob- 
long, with a well-defined suture, and cer- 
tainly notpyriform; 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 has not the sweet, 
and rich flavor of the true type. 
This is the type that some nurserymen in 
California have imported from the nurseries 
of the Loire Valley, thinking that it was a 
pure type of the D'Ente, and which they 
are advertising under the name of Kobe De 
Sergent, or true Prune D'Agen. 
Pnymirol 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 uniform- 
ily large and of a fine shape, like shown in 
Fig. 23; 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. We cannot but 
highly recommend this fine variety. 
Violet Perdigron.— Tree quite vigorous 
and productive; fruit medium large, per- 
fectly round; skin deep purple, covered 
with a deep azure bloom; flesh reddish at 
maturity, moderately juicy, and but slightly 
perfumed; parts well from the stone. Very 
late, hanging splendidly on the tree; cures 
very nicely, and keeps a round shape when 
cured. A very desirable kind to eat fresh, 
for its good keeping qualities. As a prune 
however, it has nothing whatever to com- 
pare with the D'Ente, and Saint Catherine. 
Red Perdigron.— This is the prune 
which, cured in a particular way at Brig- 
noles, in Southern Prance, constitutes the 
Brignoles Prune of Provence. The fruit is 
quite large, perfectly round, light pink 
color, juicy, nicely flavored in fact a splen- 
did prune for dessert. Its curing qualities 
are not good, on account of its juice, and 
dried is far from being so sweet as the 
D'Ente. 
Saint Catlierine.— An old variety, and 
one of the most celebrated kinds. Exten- 
sively cultivated in the valley pf the Loire 
(France), where the D'Ente gives poor re- 
sults. 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 on the 
sunny side. The flesh is yellow, firm and 
juicy, adhering but little to the stone; (here 
in California, we find it a perfect freestone), 
the flavor is very rich, perfumed; one of the 
best prunes to eat fresh. It ripens, accord- 
ing to localities, from the later part of Aug- 
ust to the middle of September. A vigor- 
ous 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. 22.) 
Italian Questclie.— Medium to large; 
dark purple; cures well. 
German Qnestclie,— Fruit long, oval, 
purple; separates from the stone ; cores 
well.i 
Alsatian Questche.— Smaller than the 
German Questche, but of the same quality. 
Knight's (Jreen Drying.— Fruit very 
large, almost round; greenish-yellow, firm, 
sweet, good for dessert; said to be splendid 
for drying. (Didn't bear yet with us.) 
Dame Anbert.— A magnificent yellow 
plum, of the size of Coe's Golden Drop, but 
like the latter, drying badly, and sub acid 
when dried. Superior to Coe's fresh ; 
splendid for preserving. 
Double Prune d'Agen or Donble Robe. 
— Fruit very large, growing to four ounces; 
egg-shaped; skin thin, reddish-purple and 
covered with bloom; pulp yellow, soft, very 
juicy, sweet and highly flavored. One of 
the very best dessert plums. Much of the 
fruit grows in pairs, hence its name, 
"Double Kobe;" an entirely different kind 
from Hungarian, or Pond Seedling. 
On account of the fruit being so juicy, it 
is hard to cure; dried it makes a very large, 
jet-black prune, but quite acid like' the 
Hungarian, Coe's and Dame Aubert ; not 
very suitable for market. 
New and Talnable Prnne, (for the sea- 
son of 1889-90.)— We secured this fine vari- 
ety several years ago from the South of 
France, where it had just been put to 
market; it is a parent of the D'Ente, 
though its botanical characters differ some- 
what from the latter, and was discovered 
in an old abandoned monastery of the Lot. 
The fruit grows uniformly large, is of first 
quality, curing nicely and making as fine a 
prune as the best D'Ente or St. Catherine 
prunes. 
