352 »v 
and Field, varieties characterized by obovate shape, 
medium size and reddish or mottled color. The 
trees are hardy and productive, but the fruit is poor 
in quality. Of these. Lombard is the most commonly 
grown, characters to recommend it being hardiness, 
productiveness, regularity in bearing and freedom 
from the scourge of the crescent sign, curculio. 
Lombard has the fatal fault of poor quality and for 
this reason should be discarded. Bradshaw is the 
Plum Imperial E pine use, ’Natural Size. Fig. S-{ 
next most commonly grown plum in Eastern Amer¬ 
ica, and has about the same good and bad qualities 
as Lombard. It is handsome in appearance and a 
little better in quality, but the trees are not as 
hardy nor as productive. Niagara, rather com¬ 
monly grown, is identical with Bradshaw. Field is 
a seedling of Bradshaw and much like it. but a little 
earlier. Bond is the largest plum of this group, and 
is exceedingly attractive to the eye. but a sad dis¬ 
appointment to the palate. This is the variety that 
so often beguiles city people in buying the plums 
displayed on fruit stands. Eastern growers should 
not attempt to compete with California in growing 
this handsome humbug. 
THE PRUNES.—The next most important group 
of plums for Eastern America are the prunes. These 
are oval-shaped, purple plums, with firm, long- 
keeping flesh, which may he dried into prunes for 
the markets. Only two prunes are now commonly 
grown in Eastern orchards, German and Italian. 
The York State and Fellenburg prunes sold by some 
nurserymen are the Italian. These two splendid 
varieties have much to recommend them. When 
dead ripe they are splendid dessert fruits, and are 
among the best of all for culinary purposes, having 
a delicious, sprightly flavor. These prunes ought 
long to remain standards in Eastern plantations, 
but there are several others commonly grown in the 
Sectional 1 ieio of Imperial Epineusc. Fig. 85 
West that should be grown in the East. Three of 
these, indeed, ought almost to revolutionize the 
growing of plums in this part of the continent. We 
come now to a consideration of these three fruits. 
THREE FINE SORTS.—Imperial Epineuse is the 
hest of the three, and should be tried by every plum 
grower in the East. The tree is particularly large 
and vigorous, and bears its crop on the main limbs, 
well protected from the sun. The fruit is large and 
handsome, with a reddish purple color, lighter or 
~ Vhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
darker according to the exposure of the sun. In 
quality the plums are not surpassed by any other 
variety. This is one of the standard sorts grown in 
California, and at present the trees might have to 
be obtained from some Western nurseryman. Agen 
is another plum of the prune group much neglected 
in the East, although it is more grown than any 
other prune in California. The trees are vigorous, 
healthy and bear regularly and abundantly. The 
plums have a high percentage of sugars and solids, 
so that they cure readily into a firm, sweet, long- 
keeping prune in California, but here in the East, 
because of these same characters, would make a 
most excellent long-keeping dessert plum, Agen 
ought to he grown in every home orchard, and. 
where the fruits attain sufficient size, the variety 
should be planted in commercial plantations. Lack 
of size is a defect of this variety which has kept it 
from being more largely grown out of prune-making 
regions. Still another plum from the Far West 
which should be grown in the East is Pacific. The 
trees of this variety are unusually robust, very 
hardy and very productive. No purple plum is more 
beautiful in color or shape and few equal it in size 
or excel it in quality. It is grouped among the 
prunes, but has not proved a good prune-making 
plum, but is an excellent dessert and shipping fruit. 
Pacific is worth trying in the Eastern States as a 
commercial variety. 
ANOTHER CROUP.—Still another group of plums 
is composed of Diamond, Grand Duke, Arch Duke, 
A New Pear of Composite Ancestry. Fig. 86 
Quackenboss and Monarch. The fruits of all these 
have thick skins, heavy bloom, firm flesh, clinging 
stones and are poor in quality, but all ship well. 
The trees are very hardy, thrifty and productive. 
Monarch is the best of the group; it is too little 
known in the East. It should take the place of 
Grand Duke and Arch Duke, both of which are 
rather commonly grown in Eastern plum regions. 
Quackenboss has many good qualities, but the trees 
are unproductive. 
GREEN GAGE.—(Of the several groups of these 
European plums the Reine Claude or Green Gage 
sorts are most notable in the East, because of the 
high quality of the fruit. The plums are sweet, but 
not too sweet, and each has a distinctive flavor. At 
their best the fruits are beautifully colored—delicate 
yellow marbled with white and crimson—and the 
size, while not large, is large enough when the fruits 
are thinned. The trees of the plums of this group, 
of which Green Gage and Bavay are the best, bear 
long and are productive, but, unfortunately, are not 
hardy, healthy, robust or long-lived. Still, these 
Green Gage plums ought to be grown in the East to 
keep up the reputation tor quality, 
YELLOW EGG—The last ot the groups to he 
named, and possibly the one of least importance, is 
the Yellow Egg group, composed of varieties with 
large, handsome fruits, but so very poor in quality 
that they are scarcely worth growing. Out of the 
dozen or more plums of this group but two. Yellow 
Egg and Golden Drop, are much grown in the East. 
The first is fit only for the kitchen and is none too 
good cooked. The second. Golden Drop, bears large, 
handsome, well-flavored plums, but the trees do not 
March 1, 1010 
thrive in New York, lacking vigor, being slow in 
coming in hearing and subject to all the ills of 
plum-kind. In conclusion, let me end as I began by 
saying that the plum is now a much neglected fruit 
in the East. My message is, grow more plums and 
grow the handsomest, most delectable plums to be 
found. Get away from the poorly flavored Lom¬ 
bards, Bradshaws and their kind and grow the best. 
Put time and attention into plum growing, and a 
Plum Pacific, Natural Size. Fig. 87 
fair share of the several million of dollars now going 
to the Pacific coast for plums will remain in the 
East. u. P. HEDRICK, 
New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 
An Interesting New Pear 
HE pear shown at Fig. SO was reproduced from 
Plate 234, “Plant Immigrants,” of the Office of 
Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction. It has a 
composite ancestry, representing three* fairly distinct 
species in several varieties. The start in its develop¬ 
ment was made on the former R. N.-Y. Trial Grounds, 
Little Silver. N. .T., as early as 1S95, when blooms of 
the Oriental pear, Golden Russet, bearing apple- 
shaped insipid fruits, but with good wood and 
foliage, that are supposed to be resistant to blight, 
were pollinated with Lawrence, a choice high- 
flavored«variety of the ordinary European pear, 
Pyrus communis. Several seedlings resulted, fruit¬ 
ing in 1901-2. The fruits were a distinct improve¬ 
ment in quality on Golden Russet, but of no great 
edible value. Blooms of the most promising indi¬ 
viduals were again pollinated with Kieffer, also of 
Oriental parentage. Seedlings of this second cross¬ 
ing came into hearing in 1907, and without waiting 
for the fruit characteristics, which turned out very 
indifferent, a number of blooms were pollinated with 
Anjou. Bartlett, Duchesse d’Angouleme, -Lawrence and 
Winter Nelis, all being carefully labeled. Something 
over 30 seedlings were grown, and in 1909 trans- 
Sectional \ icw of Pacific Plum. Fig. 88 
ferred to the U. S. Plant Introduction Garden, Chico, 
California, where they have since grown and fruited 
under the F. S. P. I. No. 433442. During transit 
the pasteboard labels on the seedlings became 
softened and detached, so that the exact varietal 
parentage of the individuals could not be ascertained 
on arrival. Fruit and tree characters and prospec¬ 
tive values vary greatly, but several of these dilute 
varieties now representing only one-sixteenth of the 
original Golden Russet blood, promise to be worthy 
