Cultivar 435: Old Gold

Old Gold is an Americana plum introduced by C. W. H. Heideman of Minnesota. [S1] It appears in South Dakota fruit lists by the late 1890s, and one bulletin says it had already fruited locally. [S2] This places it in the early northern prairie record for named yellow plums, not just as a brief catalog mention. [S1] [S2]

South Dakota station notes say two trees received from the introducer in 1895 grew well but were light bearers. [S1] The fruit was described there as medium to large and yellow, ripening on September 7 in both 1903 and 1904. [S1] A Madison grower, A. Norby, called it the finest yellow variety he had seen, with medium size and fair quality. [S2] The station bulletin was less favorable and rated its quality poor. [S1] Sources disagree on eating quality, calling it fair or poor. [S1] [S2]

The surviving record suggests Old Gold was valued mainly for its yellow fruit and its place in hardy prairie plum plantings, not for heavy crops. [S1] It fruited in South Dakota conditions, and the station trees showed good growth, but the main production note is that they were light bearers. [S1] These excerpts do not state hardiness directly, so the clearest evidence is that it was grown and fruited under South Dakota conditions in this period. [S1] [S2]

Disease is the clearest caution attached to Old Gold. In 1903 it was reported as the only variety in the station orchard severely attacked by shot hole, or leaf spot fungus, and H. C. Warner of Forestburg also called it subject to shot hole fungus. [S1] This mix of yellow fruit, modest productivity, and notable disease susceptibility may help explain why it is remembered more as a documented regional cultivar than as a widely praised plum. [S1]

Summary source basis

• S1: Plums in South Dakota
• S2: Fruit Culture

This summary currently draws chiefly from Plums in South Dakota, with 1 additional supporting sources linked below.

Featured source descriptions

“Two trees received from the introducer in 1895 have made a good growth, but are light bearers.”
— ^[1]

“"Subject to shot hole fungus." (H. C. Warner, Forestburg, S. D. 1903.)”
— ^[1]

“1903 ripe September 7; 1904 September 7.”
— ^[1]

“In 1903 this was the only variety in the orchard that was severely attacked by the shot-hole, or leaf spot fungus.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

• No direct linked parent cultivars promoted yet.

Parentage claim text

• No direct breeding_cross claim text yet.

Derived or downstream cultivar links

• No derived or downstream lineage links yet.

Source-story quotations

• Old Gold, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p31
• Old Gold, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p31
• Old Gold, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p31
• Old Gold, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p31

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context