Hudson is limited in cultivation, belonging almost wholly to the Hudson
River Valley where it has long been somewhat of a favorite for both home
and market planting. The variety has few qualities of fruit to commend
it especially outside of the region where it is now grown and even here
its value is probably overrated. The fruits are of only medium size,
not markedly attractive in appearance and the quality is below the
average among standard plums. The trees are for most part very good in
constitution and habit of growth and in particular bear very well; they
have the faults of not bearing early and of being subject to black-knot.
The variety, and perhaps it is well, is being less planted than formerly.
Nothing is known of the origin of the Hudson except that it has been
grown in the Hudson River Valley for a good many years. About 1870 it
attracted the attention of S. D. Willard of Geneva, New York, who,
thinking it a valuable acquisition, commenced its propagation. In 1897,
it was listed by the American Pomological Society as a successful variety
for this region. J. R. Cornell, a well informed fruit-grower of Newburgh,
New York, in a letter written February 21, 1910, says, “I recall Hudson
very distinctly as it was grown when I was a small boy over fifty years
ago. I would not be surprised, if the facts could be obtained, to learn
that the variety came from Europe, in fact, I incline to that opinion.”
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, very productive, hardy;
branches ash-gray, smooth except for the small, raised
lenticels; branchlets slender, with long internodes,
greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, glabrous early in
the season becoming lightly pubescent at maturity, with small,
inconspicuous lenticels; leaf-buds below medium in size and
length, conical, strongly appressed.
Leaves flattened, obovate or oval, two inches wide, three
and three-quarters inches long; upper surface dark green,
smooth, sparsely hairy along the grooved midrib; lower surface
silvery-green, faintly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt,
margin serrate, eglandular or with small dark glands; petiole
five-eighths inch long, thick, lightly pubescent, glandless or
with from one to three greenish-yellow glands.
Blooming season short; flowers appearing after the leaves,
one and one-eighth inches across, white; borne in scattering
clusters on lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels
nine-sixteenths inch long, glabrous except for a few
scattering hairs; calyx-tube green, campanulate, pubescent
at the base; calyx-lobes obtuse, lightly pubescent on both
surfaces, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals obovate, crenate,
tapering to short, broad claws; anthers yellowish; filaments
three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the
stamens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account