THE national nurseryman. 
173 
JAPANESE PLUMS, 
Professor Bailey’s Third Report—His Earnest Effort to Classify 
a Confusing List—The Foreigners are Here to Stay — 
The Latest Impressions of some Tested Varieties. 
Much interest has been manifested by nurserymen in the 
investigations of the Japanese plums by Professor L. H. Bailey 
of Cornell University. The professor has just issued his third 
report upon these plums. In it he says : 
“In two bulletins (Nos. 62 and 106) we have made reports 
upon the history and varieties of plums which have recently 
come into this country from Japan. A crop of many of the 
varieties upon the Cornell grounds in 1897, enables us to make 
a third report. The nomenclature of this class of plums is in 
the greatest confusion, and the plums themselves are too little 
understood to warrant unqualified recommendation. It will 
be several years yet before we can expect thoroughly to classify 
our knowledge of them. This confusion is of itself a strong 
reason why these reports should be made, for, while we do not 
expect that we have arrived at a full knowledge of the varie¬ 
ties, the confusion would increase rather than diminish if no 
attempt were made to record the tests from year to year. The 
confusion among these plums has arisen because the Japanese 
class-names have been retained in this country, and because 
various parties have disseminated the varieties under numbers 
or without names. The writer has, therefore, given new names 
to varieties which are passing under class-names and numbers; 
but the renaming of any variety is not to be regarded as a 
recommendation of it. At first it was intended to include in 
this report copious extracts from the current press respecting 
the varieties of Japanese plums, but it so frequently happens 
that persons have different varieties under the same name that 
there is danger of adding to the confusion rather than dimin¬ 
ishing it by too free quotations from contemporaneous writ¬ 
ings. We have merely set down the behavior of such varieties 
as have fruited with us this year, making such corrections of 
nomenclature as seem to be necessary in order to clarify the 
subject. 
“ I am still convinced that the Japanese plums have come to 
stay. By this I do not mean that they are destined to sup¬ 
plant the domestica and native plums, but that they are bound 
to supplement those types with varieties that are adapted to 
particular purposes and conditions. As a class, they are vigor¬ 
ous, hardy and productive in tree, and the fruit is handsome, 
long keeping, and covers a long season. 
“These plums are now beginning to attract attention in 
Europe, aid the following report comes from South Africa (E. 
Tidmarsh, in Rep. Grahamstown Botanic Gardens, 1895, 5): 
' The Japanese plums, although not quite equal in flavor to the 
best sorts grown in Europe, have valuable properties for this 
climate. For one thing, these varieties, so far as I have tried 
them, grow freely grafted on the peach. A number of the 
European sorts refuse to grow on the peach, and this is a 
drawback in two ways. First, the peach stock is, on the whole, 
best adapted to this climate, and secondly, it is a difficult mat¬ 
ter to raise suitable plum stocks in this country.’ 
“Persons in the South should consult bulletin 85, Alabama 
Experiment Station, on Japanese plums, by F. S. Earle. 
“ Thus far the Japanese plums have been comparatively free 
from black-knot, and until this year our trees have not been 
seriously attacked by the shot-hole fungus or leaf-blight. Dur¬ 
ing the past season, however, this leaf-blight has been much 
worse upon the Japanese varieties than upon the domesticas 
alongside them, and this, too, in spite of the fact that they 
were thoroughly sprayed. The leaves did not drop to any 
extent, however, even though they were badly riddled by the 
fungus. 
“In many cases these notes are made from the first crop on 
young trees. But they record the present state of our knowl¬ 
edge respecting this new and much confused type of fruits. It 
is our habit to set the wood of new varieties (either as buds or 
grafts) in the tops of Lombard plums, and several of the varie¬ 
ties have been fruited only in this way. 
“A most perplexing feature of the Japanese plums is the 
variation in the season of ripening in different years. In our 
first Japanese plum bulletin, we said that the Burbank is from 
two to four weeks later than the Abundance. We had not 
then fruited the varieties side by side. In our second bulletin 
we said that the difference in ripening was only a week or two, 
and added that upon our grounds the Burbank, in 1895, 
less than a week later than Abundance. These same trees were 
compared this year (1897), and the Burbank was fully three 
weeks later than Abundance. In 1895 the Red June ripened 
from July 28th to August ist; this year the fruit upon the same 
tree was not ripe for eating until August 23d. Tht.se differ¬ 
ences may be due to the differences in the two seasons, for in 
1895 the late summer was hot and dry and this year it was cold 
and wet; but one would not expect that season would make so 
great comparative difference between any two varieties as we 
found between Abundance and Burbank. 
Abundance —The best known of the Japanse plums, although it is 
not yet clearly distinguished from some of its allies. We have two 
types. The Abundance is a good plum, considering its season (ripened 
with us this year about August 25th, being about two weeks later than 
hitherto), beauty and productiveness. It must be thinned if good 
specimens are desired. It is also subject to fruit-rot. Its quality is 
fully equal to that of the Lombard. 
Bailey —A handsome plum, with a soft flesh, and of medium to 
good quality. Tree a speading grower. Two weeks later than Abund¬ 
ance this year 
Burbank —Now too well known to need comment. The best single 
variety of Japanese plum yet thoroughly tested in this state. Ripe 
with us this year from the 10th to the middle of September. 
Chabot —The tree is a strong upright grower, productive, and 
the fruit is handsome, very firm, and of good quality. I can detect no 
difference betweeh Chabot, Bailey, Chase and Yellow Japan, and the 
same also passes as Hattonkin; but Chabot, being the oldest name, must 
hold. 
Douglas —Sometimes called Sweet Botan. This is the plum which 
I called Munson in Bulletin 62, but which Price renamed Douglas 
(Bull. 32. Texas Exp. Sta.) because there was already a Munson plum, 
one of the natives, upon the lists. 
Georgeson —Most of the plums passing as Hattankio belong here. 
It seems to be the only clear yellow Japanese plum known in this state, 
except Ogon. It assumes various forms. Best yellow variety that I 
know. 
Hale —A handsome globular, red and speckled plum, parting easily 
from the stem ; flesh rather soft and juicy, of good quality and a 
peachy flavor, tending to be sour rather than sweet; tree moderately 
spreading, and a good grower, and evidently productive. 
Louisiana —A curious fruit, in some respects suggesting Kelsey. 
Falls from the tree very early. Perfectly hardy with us thus far. 
Mr. Normand says that it is a “seedling of a Japanese crossed with a 
native plum.” 
Ogon —A handsome clear yellow freestone plum, already well 
known, and fully described in Bulletins 62 and 106. It is very early 
