a higher price than the red or dark plums.

The following are the five best:--

1. July Greengage (see before) early in August.

2. Dennistoun's Superb (see before) mid-August.

3. Early Transparent (see before) end of August.

4. Reine Claude Comte d'Althann, briefly Comte d'Althann, a
comparatively new plum from Bohemia. First-class certificate R.H.S.
"Medium to large, greyish green, deeply flushed and dotted with red,
covered with a beautiful white bloom, very heavy crop, habit bushy,
compact, vigorous, remarkably good dessert plum, succeeding equally well
as a wall tree, bush, or standard, remarkably prolific." R.H.S., R.
August 22.

5. Jefferson (see before).

6. If more are wanted M'Laughlin's Gage is "rather large, pale yellow,
flushed with red, a good cropper, habit erect, compact, vigorous, one of
the finest dessert plums." R. August 17.

7. Guthrie's Late Green, "very good cropper, habit bushy, compact,
vigorous, a most delicious dessert plum." R. August 30.

Nos. 2, 5 and 6 are splendid specimens of American plums, No. 7 is
Scotch, named after the late Mr Guthrie of Dundee.

The following are well known but not so good in some respects: Bryanston
Gage, Oullin's Golden Gage, Golden Transparent. Coe's Golden Drop has
been described. Angelina Burdett is sometimes classed with the gages. It
is "dark red, shaded with purple, a good cropper, habit bushy and
compact, a delicious dessert variety that hangs well in the trees for
some time after it is ripe." R. August 22.

MARKET PLUMS

If a planter prefers to grow gages, he must protect his trees from
bullfinches and other birds. The former often carry off the buds in
winter, and ruin all hopes of a crop. Such a plantation near a wood
would usually be a failure. If the trees are washed in early winter with
No. II. mixture, the buds will have some protection. Lime should be
thrown over the branches on a damp day. The gun in many cases must be at
work from dawn to dusk. The gardener must learn to distinguish between
friend and foe. Mr Lea's list in "Small Farms in the Midlands" is as
follows: Early Prolific, Victoria, Black Diamond ("the wood is
remarkably tough"), Pond's Seedling ("tolerably tough"), Pershore Egg
Plum, _i.e._ Gisborne ("hardiest of all plums, surest cropper, comes
early into bearing, the wood tough, and though the price is low, pays
well"). He also mentions Prince Englebert and Jemmy Moore ("alias Cox's
Emperor, alias Denbigh"), but wi