Of the origin of this very good Americana variety little is known except that it probably came from Missouri, as it was introduced, in the fall of 1859, by the Osceola Nursery Company, Osceola, Missouri. Although an old variety it was not listed by the American Pomological Society until 1899. In regions where Americana plums are grown, American Eagle ought to be better known, its chief defect being the dull color of the fruit.
Tree vigorous, spreading; leaves large; petiole glandular. Fruit mid-season; large, varies from roundish-oval to nearly oblate, dark red, covered with thick bloom; stem short, pubescent; flesh yellow, juicy, fibrous, sweet, aromatic, with characteristic Americana flavor; of good quality; stone clinging, three-eighths inch by one-half inch in size, roundish, turgid, conspicuously winged; surface smooth.
AMES
AMES
Prunus americana × Prunus triflora
1. Vt. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:220. 1899. 2. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 112. 1899. 3. Ia. Sta. Bul. 46:261. 1900. 4. Waugh Plum Cult. 203. 1901. 5. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 293. 1903. 6. S. Dak. Sta. Bul. 93:9. 1905. 7. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 422. 1905. 8. Rural N. Y. 65:730. 1906.
De Soto × Oregon No. 3 6. Japan Hybrid No. 3 2.
Though Ames has been known to the public scarcely ten years, its good qualities have given it relatively high rank among Americana plums with which it must be compared. Though supposed to be a cross between Prunus americana and Prunus triflora, the variety shows few, if any, traces of the Triflora parentage, except, possibly in the shape and color of the fruit. The variety is distinguished from other Americana plums by reddish dots on the fruit instead of the yellowish dots commonly found on the plums of this species. The fruit of Ames is very attractive in color, the quality is fair, it keeps and ships well and it is fairly free from rot, characters which make it desirable where the native plums are grown.
This variety was produced by Professor J. L. Budd[204] of Ames, Iowa, by crossing De Soto with pollen of a “large Japanese plum received from Oregon.” For a long while it was known as De Soto × Oregon No. 3 and as Japan Hybrid No. 3, but was named Ames by Professor John Craig, now of Cornell University.