The Damson takes its name from Damascus from whence it was brought into Italy at least a century before the Christian era. What is a Damson? In England and America it is an oval, usually black, Insititia. The European continental countries have an entirely different conception of a Damson from that of the English and Americans. The Germans speak of our common plums as Damson-like, while the French use the term Damas indiscriminately. The English, however, have not always made a sharp distinction for Parkinson in 1629 speaks of the great Damaske or Damson Plummes as sweet prunes imported from France and Gerard in 1636 described the Damson tree as synonymous to the Plum. The term Damson is applied to a group as well as to a variety. For a further history of this plum in Europe and America see the index for references to the Damson in Chapter I. DAWSON _Prunus domestica_ _Dawson Seedling._ _American Prune._ Dawson is a prune-like plum characterized by an elongated neck, a peculiar putty-like color of flesh and by large size. The quality is very good and the trees in all characters are well up to the average of those of the plums on the Station grounds. The plum is worthy a more extensive trial than it has yet had. The following history of the variety is given by its originator: In 1884, P. P. Dawson of Payette, Idaho, planted a lot of Italian prune pits. In 1891 one of the seedlings produced fruit which was so distinct as to size that Mr. Dawson deemed it worthy of propagation. The variety was introduced by Mr. Dawson and A. F. Hitt, Weiser, Idaho, about 1898. Tree above medium in size, vigorous, round and dense-topped, productive; branchlets thick, short, twiggy, marked with scarf-skin; leaf-scars prominent; leaves flattened, oval, two and one-quarter inches wide, four inches long, dark green, rugose; margin doubly crenate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole pubescent, glandless or with one or two small glands usually at the base of the leaf; blooming season late, short; flowers appearing with the leaves, white with yellowish tinge; petals fringed at the apex. Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; medium in size, strongly obovate, distinctly necked, dark reddish-purple, overspread with medium thick bloom; flesh light but dull yellow, tinged red near the surface, dry, firm, medium sweet, mild but pleasant; of good quality; stone clinging, above medium in size, long-oval or ovate, flattened, distinctly necked, with roughened surfaces; ventral suture broad, blunt. DECAISNE _Prunus domestica_ =1.= _Gard. Chron._ =23=:461. 1863. =2.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:43. 1873. =3.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 411. 1887. =4.= _Guide Prat._ 159. 1895. _Decaisnes Pflaume_ 2. Prune Decaisne 1, 2.