FRUITGROWERS CONFERENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10048, 7 February 1896, Page 3

FRUITGROWERS CONFERENCE

. JAPANESE PLUMS. (Continued from January 80.)

Having thus looked into the botanical history of these plums as far as at) present known, we have now to consider thorn from a fruitgrower's point of view, namely, their commercial value, and in doing so one of the first questions that crops up is the great confusion which exists in the names of the varieties. If the varieties obtained from Japan have been named at all, they have usually como as Botan or Botankio, Hattankio or Smomo; but these names refer to classes or groups of varieties, and ib may also be said that tho Satsama or Blood class appears to comprise several varieties. So the attempt made by Europeans to apply these names definitely has resulted in confusion most perplexing and bewildering to the fruitgrower. In explanation of this matter, upon seeing an essay road by Mr. L. A. Berkmans, bofore the Georgia State Horticultural So-1 ciety in 1889, Professor Kizo Tamari, of the Imperial College of Agriculture, Tokio, Japan, wrote a long letter to the American < Agriculturist in Octobor, 1891, from which 1 quote. He says" lb is to be regretted that there should be so much complaining about the confusing nomenclature of Japanese fruits in the United States. Tho cause of this is frequently ascribed to tho undeveloped condition of pomology in Japan, and that in place of well-established names only local names are employed. Naturally there are various local names for tho samo varieties, bub hardly more so than is the case in America. To quote from Charles Downing, ' Some varieties are sold under three dozen names for the same thing.' Local names aro here used in special localities only, and when such varieties aro introduced to the public generally, established names are used. The fact is, the nomenclature of Japanese fruits is more confusing in America than ib is in Japan. The leading cause for these conditions is principally that these fruits were collected by foreigners directly from persons who have tho trees for their own use, and are indifferent as to their names, or importers have them collected by middlemen who have no knowledgo of the fruits and their names, and who are nob reliable. Further confusion is produced by the difference between the origin of tho Japanoso and English languages. When writing a Japanese word in Roman characters, there is no longer any meaning as to its spelling, the aim in this case boing only to approach to the original sound. Japanese words may sound like murmurs to Americans, and when a wrong name has been established it is not easily corrected, and even where names have been correctly written originally, they are not rarely changed in copying. Naturally, names unpronounceable by the English tongue, cause perplexity, and alter the original sound. "Thore are three sorte included under the common name 'plum' in English or 'Smomo' in Japan. Theso aro Hattankio, Beni Smomo, and Smomo. Botankio is said to be a round-shaped variety of this group. Kelsey's plum is no doubt a variety of Hattankio. Beni Smomo comprises a group of red-fleshed plums. In Satsuraa, my native place, Housmomo and Yonemomo are the most noted and familiar fruits of this group. Tho former is smaller in size and deeper in colour than the latter, which is the raoro highly esteemed, In some districts the plums of this group are called Uchi Beni, which means ' insidered.' Tho skin of this group is nob coloured, although the fruit appears purplish and mottled according to the colour of the flesh. Summarising theso facts, and in order to simplify the classification of these kinds of plums in regard to the colour of tho fruit only, I state thab Hattankios are never coloured inside or outside, though thoy are slightly tinted in the skin. Beni Smomos coloured inside. Smomo may have coloured or colourless skins, bub are uever coloured inside."

So much for Professor Tamari. His explanation doos not help much in straightening out the confusion. All that wo can gather from it is that tho various names which we have received with the plums are terms which ore applied loosely in Japan, and ftnyono of which may apply to several varieties of a particular type, ripeningover-two or three months. While as a general rule ib may be desirable to retain tho original names of fruits, yet in this case it seems hardly worth while to try to do so, as the more one studies it the confusion grows the more confounded, as while Professor Tamari seems to imply that the names apply to colour, rather than to shape; bub upon this point Professor Georgeson, of Manhattan, Kansas, who has made a critical study of Japanese fruits, says" Quito a number of the many varieties springing from this species are designated by two general names, a fact which is very confusing to a stranger when ho begins to study them. These names are Botankio and Hattankio. These two names are common, but it is a mistake to suppose that they apply to two, and only two, varieties. They are the names of two ill-defined classes of plums, and are applied rather loosely to several varieties, which differ in colour and sizo, and somewhat also in shape. The round plums are designated by the term Botankio, while those of an oval or pointed shape are called Hattankio. A mistako often made by foreigners, and by some natives also, is to suppose that the distinction is based on colour, though it is a fact that most of the Botankios are red. The name Hattankio is also sometimes given to tho almond white. Botan is tho name of the pseony, and ha-botan means cabbage, and one of the many meanings of kio is large or great. If these objects had anything to do with the naming of tho plums ib seems probable that botan referred to the rounded shape and nob to tho colour, since their pjeonies are found in a great variety of colours, and that hattankio referred to the resemblance in shape to the-almond.

There are various colours in each of these classes of plnms, from deep purple to light red yellow and nearly white. The Hattankio class seems to have been exported most abundantly, being represented in America by tho Kelsey, Safcauma, Burbank, Abundance, Berkmans, Normand, and Kerr. The Botans are represented chiefly by Ogan and Willard, while the Smomos seem to be known only in the littlo cherry-like Bergor, which passes nnder a variety of names. From the foregoing, ib would appear that to attempt to retain Japanese names for thab class of plum will never clear up the confusion of varieties ; the loose group of names of the Japanese are ontiroly unsuited to the retirements of European horticulturists, The methods of cultivating fruits in Japan enforces the adoption of local and generic names, and there seems to be littlo attempb to apply specific names with the certainty and distinctness with which they are used amongst us. " Plum trees," Prof. Georgeson writes, "are rarely found planted in orchard form, as aro tho pears for instanco, but thoy are scattered here and thereabout the dwelling-houses, or in tho gardens, wherever the situation may appear to bo favourable. It is also exceptional to find the trees receive much care or training. The bearing branches aro often broken off and carried away bodily. 16 is nob uncommon during mid-summer to meeb a pedestrian with a plum branch loaded with green fruib on his shoulder. It may be a present from a friend or ib may be for sale, but ib shows at all events that the owner has no great regard for his tree. In such conditions of cultivation ib is nob strange that no specific abtontion is given to names of the different forms. In addition, the national peculiarity of eating all fruib in a green or half-ripe condition tends to obliterate many distinctions. Plums half red, half green; poaches hard and crisp, and persimmons (those withoub natringency), when folly grown,- are all devoured with the greatest relish. They associate mollownesss with decay. I know a lady in Japan who saw a little neighbour eating green plums (ctalera was raging at the • time), ana in pity of his danger she procured some ripe ones, and persuaded' him to exchange. -In great, indignation he complained to -bra mother in what was Japanese for —• the mean old thing had exchanged bim soft rotten plums for good ones. As there seems to be so little hope of definitely naming * the many varieties with Japanese names,' is ib nob wise to ab once give up the' attempt, and with the ! -exception of a few, such as Ogon aud Sabsuma, to attach distinguishing namos of our own as new • varieties appearand todiscard altogether tho Japanese class names, such Botan, Botankio, Hattankio, and Smomo, as they only tjnd to per; j -' v - • " v "'' u '' • :*]

- Between 30 and 40 varieties - are now named in the United States, and wo can -"v. hardly do better than accept their names for these, of course retaining the right to , name any diatincb varieties wo may knporh from Japan or originate here. * '

[To be continued.)