Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; less than one inch in diameter, roundish-oval or somewhat obovate, compressed, halves equal; cavity frequently yellowish, shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture an indistinct line; apex roundish or flattened; color dull crimson, thickly mottled, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, glabrous, adhering poorly to the fruit; skin thick, tough, slightly roughened, astringent, adhering; flesh golden-yellow, very juicy, fibrous, tender and melting, sweet next the skin, but astringent toward the center; fair to good; stone semi-free to free, five-eighths inch by three-eighths inch in size, roundish-obovate, tapering at the base, blunt at the apex, with smooth surfaces; ventral suture winged; dorsal suture acute, or with a faint, narrow groove.
WOOD
WOOD
Prunus americana
1. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 60. 1894. 2. Wis. Sta. Bul. 63:64. 1897. 3. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 433. 1898. 4. Waugh Plum Cult. 168. 1901.
Wood is one of the comparatively new Americanas and seems to have considerable merit, especially for cold climates. It is attractive in color; above the average size; good in quality, though not the best of its species; and the trees in habit of growth and in productiveness are better than most Americanas. It is sufficiently early to fit into the short seasons of northern latitudes very well. Wood is one of the sorts that can be recommended for the coldest parts of this State.
This variety, according to a letter from the originator and introducer, Joseph Wood of Windom, Minnesota, is a seedling from a choice plum found growing on the bank of the Des Moines River, Cottonwood County, Minnesota. It was not mentioned in pomological literature previous to 1894 and is of too recent origin to be widely distributed or well known.
Tree of medium size, spreading, hardy, dense-topped, an annual and abundant bearer; trunk shaggy; branches roughish, thorny, zigzag, brownish ash-gray, with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets slender to medium, above the average length, twiggy, with short internodes, greenish-red changing to dark brown, lightly pubescent when young becoming glabrous in the fall, with numerous, conspicuous, large, much raised lenticels; leaf-buds of medium size and length, conical, appressed.