North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lon Rombough <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Ruby Queen Plum,  Scarletprince and Julyprince Peaches Developed for 
You.

Two splendid new peaches and a  luscious new plum have been developed 
by plant breeders at the ARS Southeastern  Fruit and Tree Nut Research 
Laboratory in Byron, Ga., for planting in  commercial orchards and 
backyards of the southeastern United States. Initial  supplies of 
budwood have been made available to researchers, breeders and  
commercial nurseries.

Scarletprince and Julyprince  peaches are round and large--almost 3 
inches in diameter. The fruit of both  varieties, especially that of 
Julyprince, softens slowly while on the tree, meaning it can be picked 
over a longer period than comparable varieties. That  allows needed 
flexibility and helps ensure a more even supply of freshly  harvested 
fruit for shoppers.

 Scarletprince, ripe and ready to  pick in late June through early 
July, has more bright red on its skin than  Julyprince, which also 
largely bright red but has more of its attractive,  bright-yellow 
undercolor showing through. The yellow, freestone flesh of  
Scarletprince is sweet and flavorful, with an excellent texture.

 Julyprince peach ripens in early to  mid-July. Its great-tasting, 
freestone flesh is yellow with some red coloring  near the pit.

 A high-quality, late-ripening plum,  Ruby Queen did well in orchard 
tests in central Georgia, New Jersey and New  York--and is recommended 
for testing in other areas with similar climates. This  juicy plum 
ripens in mid- to late July at Byron. No other plums suitable for  the 
Southeast are available to ripen at that time.

Ruby Queen has dark-red to  reddish-black skin, with firm red flesh and 
outstanding flavor. The fruit is  round--about two inches in 
diameter--and is high in antioxidants.

For more information, contact  William R. Okie, (478) 956-6405;  
USDA-ARS Southeastern  Tree Nut and Fruit Laboratory, Byron, GA.