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Chapter 6 On-the-Job Training

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which of the following is an example of learning-by-doing?

a. An individual who wants to become an account studies for the CPA exam.
b. A parent helps a child with his math homework.
c. A student takes an engineering course in order to obtain an engineering degree.
d. A prelaw student obtains a summer internship at a law firm and learns how to write
a brief.
e. An adult goes to the doctor to make sure she is ready to work after surgery.
ANS: D

2. General training is:

a. training that raises a worker’s productivity at all firms.
b. training that is only useful for one firm.
c. training that always occurs on site.
d. training that is always planned and off site.
e. training that is always gained through information conversations.
ANS: A

3. Specific training is:

a. training that raises a worker’s productivity at all firms.
b. training that is only useful for one firm.
c. training that always occurs on site.
d. training that is always planned and off site.
e. training that is always gained through information conversations.
ANS: B

4. Which of the following is an industry-specific skill?

a. Carl takes a course on using Microsoft Office, a commonly used operating system.
b. Sam trains Craig on how to use a new machine in the factory.
c. Mike obtains an engineering degree to become an engineer.
d. Kara talks with her boss about the possible uses of a new word processor.
e. Shelly exercises to stay healthy.
ANS: C

5. Formal training is training that

a. raises a worker’s productivity at all firms.
b. is only useful at one firm.
c. is only useful for one industry.
d. is planned, such as a training seminar.
e. is gained through information conversations.
ANS: D
 6. Suppose labor is perfectly competitive and there are only two periods. For which values of
the interest rate, r, costs of training, i, and value added by training, V, is the training
opportunity inefficient?
a. i = $50, V = $150, r = 10%
b. i = $40, V = $100, r = 10%
c. i = $60, V = $125, r = 5%
d. i = $90, V = $125, r = 5%
e. i = $90, V = $100, r = 15%
ANS: E

For problems 7 and 8 assume the cost of training is i = $60, the value added by training is
V = $126, the current value of the worker (to all firms in the economy) is , and
the interest rate is r = 5%.

7. If the training is firm specific, who will pay for the training?
a. The individual will pay the full $60.
b. The firm will pay the full $60.
c. The firm will pay $40 and the individual will pay $20.
d. The firm will pay $20 and the individual will pay $40.
e. The individual will not receive training because the costs are greater than the
benefits.
ANS: B

8. If the training is general, who will pay for the training?

a. The individual will pay the full $60.
b. The firm will pay the full $60.
c. The firm will pay $40 and the individual will pay $20.
d. The firm will pay $20 and the individual will pay $40.
e. The individual will not receive training because the costs are greater than the
benefits.
ANS: A

9. Which of the following is not true about general training?

a. The greater the costs of training, the lower the initial wage.
b. Training causes the worker’s MRP to increase equally for the incumbent firm, as
well as spot market firms.
c. The worker always receives his MRP.
d. For the first few years, workers are paid less than their MRP.
e. After training is complete, the workers receive their MRP.
ANS: C

10. Which of the following is not true about specific training?

a. The wage is constant for both the incumbent firm and the spot market firm.
b. The initial wage of an individual has no relationship to the costs of training.
c. In the early stages of his career, a worker earns his MRP.
d. Late in her career, a worker still earns his MRP.
e. The training causes the MRP of the worker to increase for only the incumbent firm.
 ANS: D

11. For training, a worker’s starting wage depends on the costs of training. For training, a
worker’s wage does not depend on the costs of training.
a. general, specific
b. general, general
c. specific, general
d. specific, specific
e. informal, formal
ANS: A

12. For training, workers receive their MRPs during the early stages of their careers, but for
training, they receive less than their MRPs during the latter stages.
a. general, specific
b. general, general
c. specific, general
d. specific, specific
e. informal, formal
ANS: D

13. A worker’s wage increases over the course of her career for which type of training?
a. formal
b. informal
c. general
d. specific
e. on-site
ANS: C

14. If there are turnover costs, for specific training

a. the firm will bear the full cost of the training.
b. the worker will bear the full cost of the training.
c. the worker receives less than his MRP early in his career.
d. wages decrease based on the costs of the investment.
e. the wage will be higher in order to avoid turnover of the workers.
ANS: E

15. What problem does turnover create for firm specific training?
a. Human capital is destroyed if the worker quits the firm.
b. The worker pays more for human capital than is efficient.
c. The workers are underpaid to correct a market inefficiency.
d. Firms underinvest in human capital.
e. Turnover does not cause a problem because of contracts.
ANS: A

16. Suppose a worker can earn $25,000. He obtains specific training, raising his value by
$10,000. If the worker can negotiate after the training, which of the following may be his
wage?
 a. $15,000
b. $20,000
c. $25,000
d. $30,000
e. $40,000
ANS: E

17. What is the hold up problem?

a. The ability of a worker to negotiate a wage increase causes deadweight loss.
b. Sunk investments in firm specific training are vulnerable to exploitation by
workers.
c. Sunk investments in general training are vulnerable to exploitation by firms.
d. Workers do not spend enough obtaining general human capital.
e. Firms overinvest in firm specific human capital.
ANS: B

18. The cost sharing arrangement is when:

a. a worker initially pays for training and then receives higher wages.
b. a firm initially pays for training and then the worker receives higher wages.
c. a worker initially pays for training and then receives lower wages.
d. a firm initially pays for training and then the worker receives lower wages.
e. firms cover the entire costs of training and a worker receives his MRP.
ANS: A

19. Students in high school are generally paid the minimum wage. What is one explanation for
this?
a. Employers discriminate against young workers.
b. High school students are lazy.
c. Individuals who work while in high school have a very low MRP.
d. High school students have high turnover rates, so firms invest less in their training.
e. Young individuals are not qualified to effectively negotiate their wages.
ANS: D

20. Which of the following is an example of informal training?

a. A worker chooses to take a course at a local community college.
b. An employer requires all workers to take an on-line course.
c. Over lunch, a senior employee explains a difficult concept to a new worker.
d. Through experience, a worker learns a more efficient way to do his job.
e. The supervisor schedules a meeting with a worker to discuss better ways to
perform a job.
ANS: C

21. Which of the following is an example of general training?

a. A worker takes a course on how to use Excel, a commonly used program.
b. A mechanical engineer takes an advanced graduate course in engineering.
c. Two workers have a discussion about how to best use a new machine in the office.
d. An accounting student studies for the CPA.
 e. A college student interested in medicine volunteers at a hospital.
ANS: A

22. Learning by doing

a. requires a worker to take a course.
b. occurs over informal conversations.
c. is only applicable to one specific type of job.
d. is always general training.
e. may be obtained as a by-product of the production process.
ANS: E

23. If training is efficient, then it will be carried out and pay for investments.
a. workers, specific
b. workers, general
c. firms, formal
d. firms, informal
e. firms, general
ANS: B

24. Which type of investment results in a steep age-earnings profile?

a. on-the-job training
b. formal training
c. informal training
d. general training
e. specific training
ANS: D

25. Suppose a worker receives firm specific training, but his wages do not increase afterward.
Why?
a. Specific training has no value to the firm.
b. Specific training does not increase the worker’s productivity.
c. Specific training does not increase the leverage a worker can use to raise his wage.
d. Specific training is inefficient.
e. The worker receives the benefit by the employer paying for the costs of training.
ANS: C

26. In a model with turnover, when a worker quits the value of specific training is lost. This
could be avoided if
a. the firm pays for all training costs.
b. the firm forces the worker to always receive the same wage.
c. the firm refuses to pay for any type of training other than general training.
d. the firm pays the worker more in the second period.
e. the firm pays the worker less in the second period.
ANS: D

27. If there is turnover in the market,

a. a firm will pay the full cost of specific training.
 b. a worker will pay the full cost of specific training.
c. a worker and firm will share the costs of specific training.
d. a firm will pay the full cost of general training.
e. a worker will pay the full cost of general training.
ANS: C

28. The hold up problem arises

a. if firms invest in specific capital and so have incurred a sunk cost which is
vulnerable to expropriation.
b. if firms invest in general capital and so have incurred a sunk cost which is
vulnerable to expropriation.
c. if firms invest in specific capital and so workers have an incentive to leave the firm
and waste the investment.
d. if firms invest in general capital and so workers have an incentive to leave the firm
and waste the investment.
e. if specific investments made by the firm will create inefficiencies.
ANS: A

29. Fewer women are taking time off to raise their children. What does this imply about their
labor market activities?
a. Women will acquire less on-the-job training and earn less over their lifetime.
b. Women will acquire less on-the-job training and earn more their lifetime.
c. Women will acquire less on-the-job training and earn the same earnings over their
lifetime.
d. Women will acquire more on-the-job training and earn less over their lifetime.
e. Women will acquire more on-the-job training and earn more over their lifetime.
ANS: E

30. An individual’s age–earnings profile decreases over his lifetime. Which of the following
would explain this phenomenon?
a. On-the-job training stops completely after the first few years of work.
b. On-the-job training declines over an individual’s career.
c. Firms discriminate against older workers and pay them less since they are closer to
retirement.
d. The human capital he acquires over all those years of employment decreases his
productivity.
e. Workers cut back on hours to spend more time at home.
ANS: B
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 SOPHIE
Prunus munsoniana
 1. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 263, Pl. VI. 1892. 2. Kerr Cat. 1894. 3. Waugh Plum
Cult. 189. 1901.

Sophie is fast being lost sight of among the multitudes of native

plums recently introduced. Without any very distinct merits it yet
stands high among plums of its kind. The variety is a seedling of
Wild Goose at first supposed by the originator, J. W. Kerr,[223] of
Denton, Maryland, to have been pollinated by a German Prune
which stood near. This is hardly the case, however, as no trace of
Domestica blood can be detected in the variety. It is mentioned by
the American Pomological Society in its catalog for 1899.

Tree large, very vigorous, spreading, open-topped, productive; branches

thorny, shaggy, with long and unbranched limbs; branchlets willowy,
slender; leaves folded upward, oval, one and three-quarters inches wide,
three and one-quarter inches long, thin; margin shallowly crenate, with
small, dark glands; petiole slender, pubescent, with from one to three
small glands; blooming season late, long; flowers appearing after the
leaves, nearly three-quarters inch across, white, pinkish as they open, with
a disagreeable odor; borne in twos or threes; anthers yellow with an
orange-red tinge.
Fruit maturing later than Wild Goose; large, one and three-eighths
inches by one and one-eighth inches in size, obovate, slightly necked,
pear-shaped, bright red, covered with thin bloom; dots conspicuous; stem
slender, long; flesh deep yellow, juicy, coarse and fibrous, subacid, flat; of
fair quality; stone clinging, three-quarters inch by three-eighths inch in
size, somewhat angular, irregular-obovate, with a peculiar elongated,
flattened, oblique base; apex abruptly acute; surfaces rough.

SPAULDING
 SPAULDING

Prunus domestica

1. Lovett Cat. 41, Col. Pl. 1888. 2. Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:192. 1897. 3.
Mich. Sta. Bul. 169:243, 248. 1899. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 39. 1899. 5.
 Kan. Sta. Bul. 101:121, 122, Pl. V. 1901. 6. Waugh Plum Cult. 122. 1901.
7. Ohio Sta. Bul. 162:239. 1905.

Among the plums of comparatively recent introduction Spaulding

holds a conspicuous place. It is particularly highly spoken of for its
good quality and while not recommended for commercial orchards is
often mentioned as very desirable for home use. As Spaulding grows
at this Station, it does not sustain the reputation it has elsewhere. It
is of the Reine Claude group of plums and while of high quality is not
as good a dessert plum as several other similar sorts. Moreover, the
fruits are small and too light in color to be especially attractive in
appearance. The plums, too, are quite susceptible to brown-rot. The
tree-characters of this variety are in the main very good but not at all
out of the ordinary. It is very doubtful whether this sort can compete
for any purpose with such similar plums as Hand, Jefferson,
Washington, Bavay, Reine Claude, McLaughlin and Imperial Gage. It
may be worthy a trial elsewhere in New York with the hope that it will
more nearly approach the reputation that it has in other states than it
does at Geneva—at best it cannot be more than a home variety.
Spaulding was brought to the notice of fruit-growers by J. T.
Lovett, Little Silver, New Jersey, who introduced the variety in 1888.
The plum came to Mr. Lovett from Francis Garriel with the statement
that it originated as a seedling in the yard of Mr. Garriel’s father in
the Bowery, New York City. From the resemblance of Spaulding to
the Imperial Gage it is probable that they are closely related. In 1899
the variety was placed on the fruit catalog list of the American
Pomological Society as a successful variety in the north-eastern part
of the United States and the neighboring parts of Canada.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy,

productive; branches ash-gray, smooth except for the raised lenticels of
various sizes; branchlets of medium thickness and length, with long
internodes, greenish-red changing to brownish-red, dull, lightly pubescent
throughout the season, with obscure, small lenticels; leaf-buds of medium
size and length, conical, appressed; leaf-scars prominent.
Leaves folded upward, nearly two inches wide, three and one-quarter
inches long, thick; upper surface dark green, rugose, glabrous, with a
shallow groove on the midrib; lower surface silvery-green, pubescent;
 apex abruptly pointed or acute, base acute, margin serrate or crenate,
with small, dark glands; petiole nearly five-eighths inch long, thick,
pubescent, tinged red, with from one to four small, globose, greenish
glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length, one inch or more
across, white with a yellowish tinge at the apex of the petals in the newly
opened flowers; borne on lateral spurs, singly or in pairs; pedicels three-
eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green,
campanulate, lightly pubescent; calyx-lobes obtuse, pubescent on both
surfaces, glandular-serrate, reflexed; petals oblong, crenate, not clawed;
anthers yellow; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous or
occasionally with a few hairs near the base, longer than the stamens;
stigma large.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period long; one and five-eighths inches by
one and three-eighths inches in size, oblong-oval or ovate, compressed,
halves equal; cavity small, shallow, abrupt; suture shallow, often a line;
apex roundish; color dull greenish-yellow, with stripes and splashes of light
green, overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, whitish,
inconspicuous; stem three-quarters inch long, lightly pubescent, adhering
well to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating readily; flesh greenish-yellow,
juicy, fibrous, tender, sweet, mild, pleasant; very good; stone semi-free or
free, seven-eighths inch by five-eighths inch in size, ovate, turgid, slightly
pitted, blunt at the base, nearly acute at the apex; ventral suture rather
broad, slightly furrowed, with a distinct but short wing; dorsal suture widely
and deeply grooved.

STANTON
Prunus domestica

1. Gard. Mon. 29:116. 1887. 2. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 288. 1889. 3.
Cornell Sta. Bul. 131:192. 1897.
Stanton’s Seedling 2.

This plum appears to be a very good late variety in several

respects; it is a long-keeping fruit, is of very good quality for dessert
and is a fine plum for canning and preserving. Its faults are that it is
tardy in coming into bearing and the fruits drop badly from the trees
as they begin to ripen; in localities where these faults are marked the
variety is worthless. Stanton originated as a chance seedling in
Albany County, New York, from whence it was sent to Hammond and
Willard of Geneva, New York, who introduced it about 1885.

Tree very large and vigorous, round-topped, variable in productiveness;

branches slender, marked by transverse cracks in the bark; leaf-scars
enlarged; leaves folded upward, oval or obovate, one and one-half inches
wide, three inches long; margin finely and doubly crenate, with few, dark
glands; petiole short, glandless or with from one to three small glands
usually on the stalk; blooming season intermediate in time and length;
flowers appearing after the leaves, one and one-eighth inches across,
borne in scattering clusters on lateral buds and spurs, singly or in pairs.
Fruit late, season long; about one and one-quarter inches in diameter,
roundish-oblate, truncate, purplish-black, overspread with very heavy
bloom; flesh bright golden-yellow, fibrous, very sweet, rather high-flavored;
good to very good; stone semi-free, three-quarters inch by five-eighths
inch in size, irregular roundish-oval, turgid, with a blunt and oblique base,
the surfaces nearly smooth; ventral suture enlarged, often with a short,
distinct wing; dorsal suture shallow.

STODDARD
Prunus americana

1. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 78. 1892. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 88. 1895. 3. Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat. 38. 1899. 4. Ia. Sta. Bul. 46:289. 1900. 5. U. S. D. A. Rpt.
478, Pl. LXII. 1902.
Baker 2. Stoddart 1, 2.

Stoddard is usually rated as one of the best of the Americana

plums and its behavior on the grounds of this Station sustains its
reputation. The firmness of the fruit makes it a good shipping plum of
its kind and season. This variety was discovered by B. F. Stoddard of
Jesup, Buchanan County, Iowa, about 1875, growing in a garden
owned by Mrs. Caroline Baker who stated that her husband secured
the trees from the woods, presumably along the Maquoketa River.
The variety was subsequently introduced by J. Wragg and Sons of
Waukee, Iowa, at dates variously reported from 1890 to 1895.
 Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk shaggy;
branches slender, thorny; branchlets slender, with conspicuous, large,
raised lenticels; leaves falling early, flattened, oval or obovate, two and
one-quarter inches wide, four inches long; margin coarsely serrate,
eglandular; petiole tinged red, glandless or with from one to three glands
usually on the stalk; blooming season late; flowers appearing with the
leaves, one inch across, white.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; about one and
three-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-oblate; suture a distinct red
line; color light to dark red over a yellow ground, mottled, covered with
thick bloom; skin astringent; flesh dark golden-yellow, very juicy, tender
and melting, rather sweet next the skin but tart near the center, with a
characteristic flavor; good; stone clinging, seven-eighths inch by five-
eighths inch in size, roundish to broad-oval, strongly flattened, with
smooth surfaces; ventral suture narrow, winged.

STONELESS
Prunus insititia

1. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 2:110, Pl. 20 fig. 14. 1768. 2. Kraft Pom. Aust.
2:42, Tab. 194 fig. 2. 1796. 3. Mag. Hort. 9:165. 1843. 4. Poiteau Pom.
Franc. 1. 1846. 5. Mas Pom. Gen. 2:121, fig. 61. 1873. 6. Hogg Fruit Man.
726. 1884. 7. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 450. 1889.
Die Pflaume ohne Stein 2. Jean Morceau 3. Kirke’s Stoneless 6, 7.
Pflaume Ohne Steine 5. Pitless 5, 7. Prune Sans-Noyau 4. Sans-Noyau 1,
5. Sans Noyau 3, 6, 7. Steinlose Zwetsche 7. Stoneless 5, 7.

This curious plum is attracting attention because of the publicity

given it by Burbank in his breeding work. The variety is at least three
hundred years old. It was known to Merlet, writing in the
Seventeenth Century, and has been mentioned in plum literature
many times since. The plum is remarkable because of the entire
absence of a stone, the kernel lying naked in a cavity much larger
than itself. The variety is worthless but presents opportunities for
breeding purposes that should not be overlooked. Judging from the
fruit-characters as given below it belongs to Prunus insititia. The
Stoneless is supposed to have been introduced into England from
the Royal Gardens at Versailles by George London. It was long sold
as Kirke’s Stoneless, having been much advertised by Kirke, a
nurseryman at Brompton, England. It is described as follows:

Fruit small, oval, dark purple, with thick bloom; flesh greenish-yellow,
harsh and strongly acid at first but assuming a more pleasant flavor as it
shrivels upon the tree.

SUGAR
 SUGAR

Prunus domestica

1. Cal. State Bd. Hort. 47. 1897-98. 2. Burbank Cat. 5 fig. 1899. 3.
Waugh Plum Cult. 124. 1901. 4. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 275, Pl. XXXVI fig. 2.
1903.
 Sugar Prune 1, 4.

The introduction of Sugar to the Atlantic States was preceded by

very flattering accounts of it from the originator, Mr. Burbank, and
from Pacific Coast plum-growers. Possibly our expectations were too
high; for we have been greatly disappointed in this plum as
compared with its parent, Agen, as the two varieties grow at Geneva
—it should be said at once that neither grows nearly as well in New
York as in California. The fruits of Sugar on the Station grounds are
not larger than those of the Agen, while in California it is said to be
twice or three times as large; the flavor is not as pleasant and the
flesh is fibrous in the offspring and not so in the parent at Geneva,
though in California the Sugar is said to be of better quality than the
Agen. As the two grow here, Sugar is rather more attractive in
appearance and ripens earlier, the latter character a distinct
advantage since Agen is very late in New York. The trees of the two
plums are much alike though those of Agen are larger and more
productive than those of Sugar as grown in New York. There are,
however, but two trees of the latter variety on the Station grounds
and these are young, set in 1899, so that too much importance must
not be attached to the comparison of the trees. Sugar is worth further
trial in New York under other conditions of soil and climate but it is
extremely doubtful whether it will surpass the Agen in this State.
This plum, a seedling of the well-known Agen, was introduced by
its originator, Burbank, in 1899. The California Experiment Station in
analyzing this plum found it to be richer in sugar than the Agen and
states that it is larger and more easily dried. Sugar has become of
great commercial importance in the California prune districts and has
been top-grafted on other plums and even on almonds to the extent
of hundreds of acres in that State and in Oregon. As yet it is only
under trial in New York.

Tree of medium size, usually vigorous, spreading, dense-topped, hardy,

productive; branches ash-gray, tinged red, smooth except for the
numerous, small, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, with long internodes,
green changing to brownish-red, dull, sparingly pubescent throughout the
season, with numerous, inconspicuous, small lenticels; leaf-buds large,
long, somewhat pointed, strongly appressed.
Leaves folded backward, obovate or oval, two and one-half inches wide,
five inches long; upper surface dark green, rugose, covered with
numerous hairs, the midrib narrowly grooved; lower surface pale green,
overspread with thick pubescence; apex abruptly pointed or acute, base
acute, margin serrate, with small dark glands; petiole nearly one inch long,
covered with thick pubescence, lightly tinged with red, glandless or with
from one to three small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of
the leaf.
Flowers large, intermediate in time of bloom; calyx-tube green; stamens
longer than the pistil.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; small, ovate or
oval, halves equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, often a
line; apex roundish or pointed; color dark reddish-purple changing to
purplish-black, covered with thick bloom; dots numerous, small, light
russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, long, pubescent, adhering; skin thin,
tender, separating readily; flesh golden-yellow, juicy, coarse, fibrous,
tender, sweet, mild; good to very good; stone light colored, with a tinge of
red, thin, of medium size, ovate, flattened, with rough and pitted surfaces,
blunt at the base, acute at the apex; ventral suture rather narrow, distinctly
furrowed, slightly winged; dorsal suture with a wide, deep groove.

SURPRISE
 SURPRISE

Prunus hortulana mineri?

1. Wis. Sta. Bul. 63:61 fig. 30. 1897. 2. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 112. 1899. 3.
Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 38. 1899. 4. Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 69. 1900. 5. Ia. Sta.
Bul. 46:289. 1900. 6. Wis. Sta. Bul. 87:18. 1901. 7. Waugh Plum Cult. 175.
 1901. 8. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 228. 1904. 9. Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 426. 1905. 10.
S. Dak. Sta. Bul. 93:39. 1905.

Surprise is one of the best of the native plums in the Station

orchard. The fruits are very attractive in appearance and while not of
the rich flavor of the Domesticas they are yet of pleasant flavor with
an abundance of juice which together make this a most refreshing
fruit. The fruits keep well and would probably ship well. The color is a
peculiar red which serves to identify the variety; on the whole the
fruits resemble the Americanas while the trees are rather more of the
Miner type. The variety is productive in New York and is so spoken of
in Wisconsin by Goff,[224] but in Iowa it is said not to bear
abundantly. If a native plum is wanted in New York, this variety is
worthy a trial.
Surprise, according to the originator, Martin Penning of Sleepy
Eye, Brown County, Minnesota, is the best of a thousand or more
seedlings grown from pits of De Soto, Weaver and Miner sown in
1882. In 1889, Penning introduced this plum and ten years later it
was added to the fruit catalog list of the American Pomological
Society. The parentage of the variety is unknown but it has usually
been thought that the botanical characters indicate that it is a
seedling of Miner. As the tree grows here, (they came to the Station
from Mr. Penning,) it appears to be a hybrid of Prunus americana
and Prunus hortulana mineri, characters of both species being
evident.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, dense-topped, hardy, productive; trunk

roughish; branches smooth, zigzag, thorny, dark ash-gray, with numerous,
small lenticels; branchlets slender, medium to long, with long internodes,
green changing to dark chestnut-red, with brownish-gray scarf-skin,
glossy, glabrous, with numerous, conspicuous, small, raised lenticels; leaf-
buds small, short, obtuse, plump, appressed.
Leaves falling early, folded upward, oval or ovate, two inches wide, four
and one-half inches long, thin; upper surface light green, glabrous,
smooth, with a grooved midrib; lower surface pale green, lightly
pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base abrupt, margin often coarsely and
doubly serrate, with amber glands which are not persistent; petiole
thirteen-sixteenths inch long, slender, reddish, sparingly pubescent along
one side, glandless or with from one to five small, globose, yellowish-
brown glands usually on the stalk.
Blooming season intermediate in time and length; flowers appearing
with the leaves, three-quarters inch across, creamy-white, with a
disagreeable odor; borne in clusters from lateral buds, in threes or in
fours; pedicels three-eighths inch long, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-
tube greenish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute,
pubescent on the inner surface, serrate and with reddish glands, erect;
petals roundish-ovate, entire, narrowly clawed; anthers yellowish;
filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in
length.
Fruit mid-season, ripening period short; one and three-eighths inches by
one and one-eighth inches in size, halves equal; cavity shallow, flaring;
suture very shallow, distinct; apex roundish or depressed; color dark red,
covered with thin bloom; dots numerous, medium to large, russet,
conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem one-half inch long, glabrous,
adhering to the fruit; skin thick, tough, clinging; flesh golden-yellow, juicy,
fibrous, somewhat tender, sweet, insipid; quality fair; stone clinging, one
inch by five-eighths inch in size, oval, flattened, pointed at the base and
apex, with smooth surfaces.

TENNANT
 TENNANT

Prunus domestica

1. Bailey Ann. Hort. 133. 1893. 2. Oregon Sta. Bul. 45:32. 1897. 3. Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat. 40. 1899. 4. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 2nd Ser. 3:57. 1900. 5.
Waugh Plum Cult. 124. 1901. 6. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 326. 1903.
 Tennant Prune 1. Tenant Prune 4.

It is surprising that a variety of so much merit, especially of so

great beauty, as Tennant, should not have been more widely tried in
New York. In the survey of plum culture in this State in the
preparation of the text for The Plums of New York, it could not be
learned that the Tennant had been tried in more than four or five
places. In size and beauty of form and coloring, all well shown in the
illustration, Tennant has few superiors in the collection of plums
growing at this Station. While it is not sufficiently high in quality to be
called a first-rate dessert fruit it is more palatable than most of the
purple plums. It ripens at a good time of the year, several days
before the Italian Prune, and should, from the nature of its skin and
the firmness of its flesh, both ship and keep well. A fault of the fruit
as it grows here, a fault not ascribed to it elsewhere, is that it shrivels
soon after ripening. Our trees are large, vigorous, healthy, hardy and
productive—almost ideal plum-trees. This variety should be very
generally tried in commercial plantations in New York and may well
be planted in home collections for a culinary fruit at least. On the
Pacific Coast it is cured for prunes, its meaty flesh fitting it very well
for this purpose.
This is another promising plum from the Pacific Northwest.
Tennant originated with Rev. John Tennant of Ferndale, Washington,
and was introduced in 1893 by McGill and McDonald, Salem,
Oregon. The variety is fairly well known in the region of its origin but
is practically unknown in New York. It was listed in the American
Pomological Society catalog in 1897 as successful in the Pacific
Northwest.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, open, hardy, productive; trunk

slightly roughened; branches stocky, smooth, with lenticels of medium
number and size; branchlets thick, long, with long internodes, greenish-red
changing to brownish-drab, with green patches and considerable scarf-
skin, somewhat glossy, sparingly pubescent throughout the season, with
small lenticels; leaf-buds large, long, pointed, appressed; leaf-scars
prominent.
 Leaves folded backward, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters
inches wide, three and one-half inches long, thick, stiff; upper surface dark
green, rugose, sparingly hairy, with a grooved midrib; lower surface
silvery-green, with thick pubescence; apex abruptly pointed to acute, base
acute, margin crenate, eglandular or with small, brown glands; petiole five-
eighths inch long, thick, tinged red along one side, hairy, glandless or with
one or two rather large, globose, brownish glands variable in position.
Blooming season early to medium, short; flowers appearing after the
leaves, one inch or more across, white, the buds tinged yellow; borne on
lateral spurs; pedicels one-half inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish;
calyx-tube green, often with a swelling around the base, campanulate,
pubescent; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent on both surfaces, with
thick, marginal hairs, erect; petals roundish-oval, entire, tapering to short,
broad claws; anthers large, yellow; filaments five-sixteenths inch long;
pistil pubescent at the base, equal to the stamens in length; stigma large.
Fruit intermediate in time and length of ripening season; one and three-
quarters inches by one and five-eighths inches in size, roundish-truncate
or roundish-oblong, with irregular surface which is somewhat ridged,
halves equal; cavity narrow, abrupt, slightly compressed; suture variable in
depth, distinct; apex deeply depressed; color dark reddish-purple,
overspread with thick bloom; dots numerous, variable in size, whitish,
conspicuous, clustered about the apex; stem thick, three-eighths inch
long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, adhering slightly to
the pulp; flesh dark golden-yellow, somewhat dry, coarse, tough, firm,
sweet, mild but pleasant; of good quality; stone clinging, seven-eighths
inch by five-eighths inch in size, irregular-oval, flattened, obliquely necked,
blunt at the apex, with deeply pitted surfaces, roughish; ventral suture
prominent, heavily furrowed, not winged; dorsal suture usually with a
narrow, shallow groove.

TRAGEDY
 TRAGEDY

Prunus domestica

1. Cal. State Bd. Hort. 236, Pl. II fig. 5, 237. 1890. 2. Ibid. 109 fig. 8.
1891. 3. Wickson Cal. Fruits 358. 1891. 4. N. Mex. Sta. Bul. 27:125. 1898.
5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 40. 1899. 6. Waugh Plum. Cult. 124. 1901.
 Tragedy Prune 1, 3, 4.

Tragedy is another western plum which, like the Tennant, has not
been well tested in the East. It is an older plum than the Tennant and
somewhat better known in New York but still the reports of it are not
sufficient in number or of great enough range to enable a fair opinion
to be given as to its merits. As the variety grows at Geneva the fruits
are very attractive in appearance—above medium size, a dark, rich
purple color, and having the full, rounded form much liked by
consumers in a dessert plum. The flesh is juicy, tender and sweet so
that the quality may be called good; possibly the flesh is a little too
soft for long shipping or long keeping as it grows here, though in one
of the California references it is spoken of as “valuable for eastern
shipment.” The trees are very satisfactory except that in New York
they are not quite as reliable in bearing as could be wished. A fault,
as the variety grows here and which may be local, is that a large
proportion of the pits are cracked and all are soft and granular. The
tree is reported by some as “scale proof” but unfortunately this
statement can neither be denied nor affirmed. A plum with the good
qualities possessed by Tragedy, should be better known in New
York.
The following history is contributed by Professor E. J. Wickson,
Berkeley, California. Tragedy originated as a chance seedling on the
farm of O. R. Runyon, near Courtland, Sacramento County,
California, probably in the late seventies. It was first offered to the
trade in dormant buds by W. R. Strong and Company of Sacramento
in 1887. Since the German Prune and Duane Purple grew on the
place of its origin and as it shows characters of both, it has been
noted as a probable cross of these varieties. The name Tragedy is
understood to have been given to the fruit by Mr. Runyon because
the plum was noted to be desirable on or about a day upon which a
certain event held to be tragical occurred in the neighborhood. In
1899, the American Pomological Society considered Tragedy worthy
a place in its list of fruits.

Tree large, vigorous, round-topped, hardy, variable in productiveness;

branches ash-gray, usually smooth, with raised lenticels of various sizes;
branchlets twiggy, thick, medium to short, with short internodes, greenish-
red changing to dark brownish-drab, covered with thick pubescence, with
obscure, small lenticels; leaf-buds intermediate in size and length, obtuse,
plump, appressed.
Leaves folded backward, oval or obovate, one and three-quarters
inches wide, three and three-quarters inches long; upper surface dark
green, glabrous except for the few hairs on the deeply and narrowly
grooved midrib; lower surface pubescent; apex acute or obtuse, base
acute; petiole five-eighths inch long, thick, pubescent, faintly tinged red,
glandless or with one or two small, globose, greenish-brown glands
usually at the base of the leaf.
Blooming season early, short; flowers appearing with the leaves, seven-
eighths inch across, white; borne on lateral buds, usually in pairs; pedicels
one-half inch long, thick, pubescent, greenish; calyx-tube green, with
roughened surface, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, lightly
pubescent, serrate, with many glands and marginal hairs, reflexed; petals
broadly oval, crenate, short-clawed; anthers bright yellow; filaments nearly
five-sixteenths inch long; pistil pubescent at the base, much longer than
the stamens.
Fruit early, season short; one and five-eighths inches by one and three-
eighths inches in size, oval, swollen on the suture side, compressed,
halves unequal; cavity narrow, abrupt, regular; suture shallow, often an
indistinct line; apex roundish; color dark purplish-black, covered with thick
bloom; dots numerous, variable in size, russet, inconspicuous; stem five-
eighths inch long, pubescent, adhering well to the fruit; skin of medium
thickness and toughness, somewhat sour, separating readily; flesh
greenish-yellow, juicy, tender, sweet, mild; good; stone clinging, one inch
by five-eighths inch in size, irregular-oval, flattened, obliquely necked;
apex acute; surfaces pitted, roughish; ventral suture narrow, prominent,
not winged; dorsal suture narrowly and deeply grooved.

TRANSPARENT
Prunus domestica

1. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 395. 1857. 2. Flor. & Pom. 56, Col. Pl. fig.
1862. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 383. 1866. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 950. 1869.
5. Jour. Hort. N. S. 17:258. 1869. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 91. 1869. 7. Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1871. 8. Pom. France 7: No. 25. 1871. 9. Mas Pom.
Gen. 2:31, fig. 16. 1873. 10. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 365. 1887. 11.