For some reason Victoria, long known in America, has never attained great popularity in this country. It is a large plum attaining nearly the size of Pond, though the color-plate does not so show it, and has much the same color as the plum with which we have just compared it. Here resemblances cease for Victoria is not the same shape as Pond, is a little better in quality, is earlier and quite different in tree-characters. It would seem that this would make a good market plum as it is firm enough in flesh to ship well, as grown here keeps remarkably well, is better in quality than the average market plum and is handsome, though Americans seem to care little for red plums, preferring the yellow sorts and still more the purple kinds. Unfortunately, Victoria does not always color well in our climate. The trees of this variety at this Station, while productive, are not large nor robust, and the foliage is a little too susceptible to fungi. These defects of the tree may account for the lack of popularity of the variety in New York though even if they are to be found in all localities, which is probably not the case, this plum is still worth growing to some extent for home or market.
The origin of this plum and even its right to the name under which it is discussed here are matters of controversy. The London Horticultural Society in 1831 mentioned La Victorine in its catalog but since no description was given it cannot be identified as Victoria. Sharp’s Emperor which has been confused with this variety, was described in the same publication. These two varieties were considered as identical by Charles Downing, Hogg, Mas and others; while Royer[225] who tested Sharp’s Emperor, obtained from Liegel, thought it to be distinct, as did Thomas, the Guide Pratique and Pearson of England. Hogg in describing the Victoria says, “This is a Sussex plum, and was discovered in a garden at Alderton in that county. It became known as Sharp’s Emperor, and was ultimately sold by a nurseryman named Denyer, in the year 1844 at Brixton, near London, at a high price as a new variety under the name of Denyer’s Victoria.” Pearson in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society for 1897 says the reason that Hogg and other authorities had called these varieties identical is that they had not seen the true variety. At this Station we have not seen Sharp’s Emperor but judging from the descriptions it is distinct though very similar. The American Pomological Society placed Victoria on its fruit list in 1862 but in 1871, Sharp’s Emperor was substituted as the correct name with Victoria as a synonym. This change was probably made to comply with Downing’s nomenclature of 1869. A review of the whole controversy cannot but lead to the conclusion that Victoria is the correct name and it appears also to be in most common use.
Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; branches ash-gray, smooth, with few large lenticels; branchlets thick, short, stout, with short internodes, greenish changing to dark brownish-drab, dull, with thick pubescence, with few inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, conical or pointed, free.
Leaves folded backward, obovate, two and three-eighths inches wide, five inches long, thick, stiff; upper surface dark green, rugose, with a narrow groove on the midrib, sparingly hairy; lower surface medium green, thickly pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base cuneate, margin serrate or crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole one inch long, covered with thick pubescence, tinged red on one side, glandless or with from one to three globose or reniform, yellow glands usually on the stalk.
Season of bloom medium, short; flowers appearing with the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across, white, the buds tinged yellow; borne in clusters on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels nearly three-eighths inch long, thick, heavily pubescent; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent; calyx-lobes medium to narrow, obtuse, glandular-serrate, thickly pubescent on both surfaces, reflexed; petals roundish-obovate, entire or occasionally notched, tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellow; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period of medium length; one and seven-eighths inches by one and one-half inches in size, long-oval, oblong, compressed, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring; suture variable in depth, prominent; apex roundish or depressed; color dark red, mottled before full maturity, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, russet, conspicuous; stem thick, three-quarters inch long, very pubescent, adhering strongly to the fruit; skin thin, tender, adhering but slightly; flesh light yellow, juicy, coarse, firm, sweet, mild but pleasant; good; stone free, one and one-eighth inches by three-eighths inch in size, broad-oval, strongly flattened, deeply pitted, roughish, blunt at the base and apex; ventral suture narrow, distinctly winged; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.
VIOLET DIAPER
Prunus domestica
1. Parkinson Par. Ter. 576, 578. 1629. 2. Langley Pomona 93, Pl. XXIII fig. II. 1729. 3. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:101, Pl. XVII fig. 1768. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:70, 92. 1832. 5. Elliott Fr. Book 425. 1854. 6. Koch Deut. Obst. 572. 1876. 7. Le Bon Jard. 339. 1882. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 690. 1884. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 452. 1889. 10. Guide Prat. 157, 355. 1895.