he choice of trees is not
difficult. We have a selection made in 1892 by a committee of the
R.H.S., consisting of forty experts, and their choice has been confirmed
in a remarkable degree by a report of the trial of plums at the Chiswick
Garden of the R.H.S. in 1901. At this trial on a soil that in a good
year is said to suit them generally, ninety-five varieties were tested,
and a good account was given of the following ten:--

Plums for Eating.

_Rivers' Early Transparent Gage._--"Green or greenish yellow, flushed
with red, the finest early dessert plum, a good cropper, habit bushy,
compact, vigorous."--R.[9] August 21.

_Dennistoun's Superb Gage._--"Green and of greengage flavour, a
first-rate dessert variety, of exquisite flavour, cropping well as a
bush tree in the open air, habit erect, compact, vigorous."--R. August
26.

_Jefferson's._--"Fruit larger than the two former, yellow, covered with
small red dots, habit erect, compact, very vigorous, the best 'all
round' table kind, succeeds in every form."--R. September 6.

In the list of 1892 _Belgian Purple_ was named as a plum for eating, but
it is only fit for the table in warm seasons, "dark purple, of medium
size, bears well, habit erect, compact, vigorous."--R. August 19.

Plums for Cooking.

[Illustration: PLUM--RIVERS' EARLY PROLIFIC]

_Rivers' Early Prolific_, a dark purple fruit, rather small but one
which comes in early so that it is often first in the market; thus the
tree has time to rest and recover before winter. "A very early and
valuable cooking plum; of fair quality for dessert, a great and constant
bearer." The tree does not thrive everywhere, nor is it very
vigorous.--R. July 23.

[Illustration: PLUM--CZAR]

_Rivers' Czar._--"Dark red or purple, of medium size, very good bearer,
habit erect, compact, vigorous."--R. August 2.

_Victoria_, "Fruit large and bright red, very heavy cropper, the most
popular plum and best for general purposes."--R. August 22.

_Cox's Emperor_, or Denbigh, or Denbigh Seedling, "a large dark red of
the Orleans type, habit erect, compact, vigorous, a very good free
bearing plum that always cooks well."--R. August 22.

_Gisborne's_ (like Pershore), "Fruit deep yellow, rather large, habit
erect, compact, vigorous, a great bearer."--Early September.

_Rivers' Monarch_, "Fruit large, bluish-purple, the best late C.
(Cooking) plum, habit rather diffuse and vigorous."--R. September 13.

These ten varieties ha