Cultivar 459: Smith

Smith is an Americana plum raised by C. A. Smith in Caroline County, Maryland, from seed of Quaker. A contemporary South Dakota bulletin calls it one of the largest plums of its class, though the station did not grow it in its own orchard and relied on A. Norby's reports. [S1]

Norby's 1902 note describes small trees with a fair crop. The fruit was about one and seven eighths inches across, ripened on September 2, and became quite soft when ripe. [S1]

The record on orchard value is mixed. In 1903, Norby called it only fairly productive and of no special value. In 1904, he described it as a good bearer and said the fruit averaged large. In those same reports, however, he also said it was much subject to curculio and gouger, and in 1904 he added rot. He finally judged it not equal to De Soto. [S1]

In the archive, Smith stands as an eastern Americana plum noted for large fruit, but it seems to have disappointed in Upper Midwest evaluation because of insect injury, rot, and uneven practical value. [S1]

Summary source basis

• S1: Plums in South Dakota

This summary currently draws chiefly from Plums in South Dakota.

Featured source descriptions

“A. Norby reported in 1902: small trees and fair crop; ripe September 2nd; fruit quite soft.”
— ^[1]

“In 1903 A. Norby reported it was much subject to curculio and gouger.”
— ^[1]

“Said to be one of the largest plums of its class.”
— ^[1]

“In 1903 A. Norby described it as only fairly productive.”
— ^[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

• Smith, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p38
• Smith, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p38
• Smith, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p38
• Smith, Americana.Plums in South Dakota, p38

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context