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Early Tours. Hitt.
Hitt. p. 348.

Branches downy. Fruit below the middle size, oval, about one inch and a quarter deep, and an inch in diameter. Stalk half an inch long. Skin deep purple, covered with a thick blue bloom. Flesh brownish yellow, with a few red streaks near the stone, from which it separates. Juice sweet, with an agreeable flavour. Ripe on a south wall the end of July.

8. PRUNE DAMSON. Nursery Catalogues. Branches downy. Fruit of the smallest size among Plums, oval, two inches and three quarters longitudinal circumference. Stalk half an inch long. Skin dark

blue, covered with a thick pale blue bloom. Flesh green, adhering to the stone.

rich.

Juice smart, but not

Ripe in the middle of September.

There are several sorts of Damson with black fruit cultivated in England; such as the Common Black, with smooth spiny branches; Royal Damson, similar to the Prune Damson, but said to be larger; and the Shropshire Damson, with smooth branches, but not spiny. These are much alike in figure, but they differ a little in size, and possess different degrees of merit. This latter quality, however, depends upon the manner in which the tree has been propagated; the soil and situation in which it grows; and the health and vigour of the tree itself. Damsons raised from suckers, and planted in hedge-rows, or grown among nut-bushes, or crowded among and under other trees, can never be expected to produce such fine, thick-fleshed, high-flavoured fruit, as those which are grown upon sound healthy. standards, in proper situations, unincumbered with coarse strong-growing trees.

9. VIOLETTE HÂTIVE. Nursery Catalogues. Violet. Langley, p. 92. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 262. Early Violet. Ib., No. 263.

Branches numerous, slender, downy. Fruit small, oval, rather pointed at the apex, and compressed towards the stalk; about one inch and three eighths long, and an inch in diameter. Suture shallow, in some extending from the stalk to the apex. Stalk half an inch long, slender, inserted in a small shallow cavity. Skin purple, when fully ripe of a deep blue or violet colour, and covered with a thin blue bloom. Flesh Flesh green, and with an agreeable

adheres to the stone. Juice sugary, acid.

Ripe the beginning of August.

Ripened at Twickenham in 1729, on a west wall, July 15. O. S., or July 26. N. S. Langley.

An old Plum, cultivated by John Tradescant before 1629. It is a most excellent bearer, and ought to be planted in the garden of every poor cottager throughout the kingdom. It might then not unaptly be called the Cottager's Plum.

SECT. II. - Green-fruited.

10. GREEN GAGE. Langley, p. 94. t. 24. fig. 4. Hooker, Pom. Lond. t. 38.

Dauphine. Duhamel, 25. t. 11.

Grosse Reine Claude. Ib.

Abricot Vert. Ib.

Verte Bonne.

apex.

Ib.

Branches smooth. Fruit middle-sized, round, having a narrow suture extending from the stalk to the Stalk half an inch long, a little bent, and inserted in a small funnel-shaped cavity. Skin yellowish green, but when fully exposed to the sun of a purplish colour, marbled with russetty muddy red. Flesh yellowish green, very melting, and separates partly from the stone, leaving part of the pulp behind. Juice abundant, saccharine, of the richest and most exquisite flavour.

Ripe on the open standard the middle of August. Ripened at Twickenham in 1727, on an east wall, July 30. O. S., or August 10. N. S.

This is, without exception, the best Plum in England; and when grown upon a healthy standard, and fully exposed to the sun, although not so large, is much richer than when produced against a wall. It is also a hardy and most excellent bearer.

A plant of this sort was sent from France by the Earl of Stair to the second Duke of Rutland, by the name of Green Spanish. The name of Green Gage is said to have originated from the following accident:— The Gage family, in the last century, procured from the Monks of the Chartreuse at Paris, a collection of fruit trees. When they arrived in England, the ticket of the Reine Claude had been rubbed off in the passage. The gardener being from this circumstance ignorant of the name, called it, when it bore fruit, Green Gage. Vide Hort. Trans. Vol. i. Appendix, p. 8. by the Right Honourable Sir Joseph Banks, Bart.

11. LITTLE QUEEN CLAUDE. Miller, No. 16. Petite Reine Claude. Duhamel, No. 26.

Branches slender, downy. Fruit small, of a roundish figure, having a small suture, and being a little more swelled on one side than on the other, about one inch and a quarter deep, and a little more in diameter. Stalk half an inch long, inserted in a small hollow. Skin yellowish green, covered with a thick bloom. Flesh pale yellow, and separates from the stone. Juice rich and well flavoured. Stone oval, with an obtuse point. Ripe the end of August.

12. LUCOMBE'S NONESUCH. Pom. Mag. t. 99. Branches smooth. Fruit extremely like a Green Gage in colour, but more streaked with yellow, covered with a fine glaucous bloom, generally compressed in the direction of its suture, which is the reverse of the usual

mode of compression in stone fruit; about one inch and three quarters deep, and rather more than two inches in diameter. Stalk half an inch long, straight, inserted in a rather wide hollow. Flesh firm, of the colour and consistence of a Green Gage, and adheres to the stone. Juice plentiful, of a flavour better than an Orleans, but inferior to that of a Green Gage. Stone ovate, not very

uneven.

Ripe about the end of August.

A valuable variety, lately raised from seed by Messrs. Lucombe, Prince, and Co. of Exeter.

It bears well as a standard, is remarkably handsome, as it were variegated with dull yellow and orange, and larger than the usual size of the Green Gage.

SECT. III.

Red or Purple-fruited.

13. CHERRY. Miller, No. 27.

Virginian Cherry. Ib.

Mirabolan. Duhamel, 46. t. 20. f. 15.

Prunus Cerasifera. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 285.

Branches slender, wiry, smooth. Fruit small, heartshaped, somewhat like the Bigarreau Cherry, except having a small slender prickle at its summit; about one inch and three quarters deep, and a little more in diameter. Suture obliterated. Stalk three quarters of an inch long, very slender, inserted in a very small round cavity. Skin pale red, sprinkled with a few small grey specks, rather thick, very acid. Flesh yellow, soft, very juicy, sweet, mixed with a little acid, and slightly adheres to the stone.

Ripe the middle of August.

This is planted chiefly in shrubberies and in the pleasure ground, for its early flowering. The fruit, however, is very handsome in the dessert, and also makes very excellent tarts.

14. CHESTON. Miller, No. 12.

Matchless. Langley, Pom. t. 23. f. 2..

Branches downy. Fruit small, a little more long than broad, somewhat oval, pointed. Stalk half an inch long. Skin deep purple, covered with a blue bloom. Flesh deep yellow, and separates from the stone. Juice sweet, brisk, and agreeable.

Ripe the middle of August.

It ripened at Twickenham, in 1727, on a west wall, July 15. O. S., or July 26. N. S. Langley.

In 1811 this ripened on my south wall, July 31., but in the following year it did not ripen till August 31. 15. DIAPER. Miller, No. 15.

Red Diaper. Ib.

Diaprée Rouge. Duhamel, No. 37. t. 20. f. 12.
Roche-Corbon.

Ib.

Branches smooth. Fruit above the middle size, oval, about one inch and a half long, and an inch in diameter. Stalk half an inch long, rather deeply inserted. Skin pale red, mottled with amber; but when exposed to the sun it is marbled with a deeper red, full of russetty specks, and covered with a thin blue bloom. Flesh greenish yellow, melting, and separates from the stone. Juice plentiful, and of an excellent flavour.

Ripe the middle and end of September, and will hang some time upon the tree, like the Imperatrice.

16. EARLY ORLEANS. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 181. Hampton Court. Nursery Catalogues.

Branches downy, somewhat red at the extremities. Fruit about the size of the common Orleans, somewhat globular; in some specimens a little elongated, having a shallow suture extending from the base to the apex. Stalk three quarters of an inch long. Skin deep red, or purple, marbled with darker and lighter shades, sprinkled with pale dots, and covered with a pale blue

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