=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 314, 1845. =2.= _Horticulturist_ =4=:40. 1849. =3.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 419. 1854. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am_. 912. 1869. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 99. 1871. =6.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =2=:117. 1873. =7.= _Jour. Hort._ =30=:273. 1876. =8.= Oberdieck _Deut. Obst. Sort._ 409, 411. 1881. =9.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 699. 1884. =10.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 447. 1889. =11.= Lucas _Vollst. Hand. Obst._ 470. 1894. =12.= _Guide Prat._ 152, 356. 1895. =13.= Rivers _Cat._ 35. 1898. _Early Fruchtbare_ 12. Early Prolific 4. _Early Rivers_ 4, 10, 12. _Early Prolific_ 2, 3, 6, 10, 12, 13. _Fertile Précoce_ 10. Fertile Précoce 6, 12. _Frühe Fruchtbare_ 6. Frühe Fruchtbare 8. _Prolifique Hâtive_ 10, 12. _Rivers’ Early No. 2_ 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. Rivers’ Early Prolific Plum 2. _Rivers’ Early Prolific_ 4, 9, 10, 12. _Rivers’ Early_ 6. River’s Early 5. Rivers’ Blue Prolific 7. _Rivers’ No. 2_ 9, 10, 12. Rivers Frühpflaume 8, 11. Rivers’ Frühe Fruchtbare 10. Early Rivers is widely known because of its earliness, productiveness, regularity of bearing and desirability for culinary purposes. In New York, however, the plums are so small and drop so badly as they ripen that the variety is worthless for commercial purposes. Hogg, in the reference given above, notes the following peculiarity of the trees of this variety: “The original tree throws up suckers, which, when removed and planted out, do not bloom for several years; but scions taken from the original tree and grafted, bloom the second year. A curious fact is that the grafted trees fruit abundantly, and the branches are so brittle they break off; in those raised from suckers the branches never break. The grafted trees in spring are full of bloom, sparing of shoots, and very few leaves; the suckers are more vigorous in growth, have no bloom, but an abundance of foliage, even when six years old.” This variety is a seedling of Early Tours raised by Thomas Rivers of Sawbridgeworth, England, about 1834. It was first disseminated under the names Early Prolific and Rivers’ Early No. 2 but, in 1866, Hogg with the permission of the originator, renamed it Early Rivers under which name it is now generally known. Tree medium in size and vigor, round-topped, productive; branchlets thick, short, pubescent throughout the season; leaves roundish-oval or obovate, one and three-quarters inches wide, nearly three inches long, leathery; margin crenate or serrate, with few, small, dark glands; petiole pubescent, with from one to three small glands usually on the stalk; blooming season intermediate, short; flowers appearing after the leaves, seven-eighths inch across; borne on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in twos; petals roundish.