Cultivar 431: New Ulm

New Ulm is an Americana plum. Later Minnesota pollination work lists it as P. americana. It was a wild seedling from New Ulm, Minnesota, introduced by C. W. H. Heideman. Early station notes say it was recommended for large size and productivity, but it had weak growth, was hard to propagate, kept poorly, cracked, and was prone to rot. [S1] [S2]

The fruit was large and showy. South Dakota descriptions call it dull yellowish red, with rather tough skin, fair quality, and clingstone flesh. A. Norby described it as large to very large, firm, yellowish red when first ripe, with a white bloom. In another report he called it yellow, overspread with light red and white bloom. H. C. Warner of Forestburg, South Dakota, reported in 1903 that it was large and fine on his grounds. [S1]

New Ulm ripened from late summer to early September in South Dakota reports. On wild plum stocks it was ripe September 7, 1903, and September 8, 1904. On sand cherry stock it was ripe September 8, 1904. Norby reported a crop ripening August 26 in 1902. In 1904 he said it ripened about with Mankato, August 15 to 25. The fruit did not keep well. Sources say it rotted quickly after picking, cracked and rotted badly on the tree in wet seasons, lost its attractive color soon after gathering, and did not ship well. [S1]

Its best uses were local sale and kitchen use. Norby wrote that it brought the highest market price when sold quickly. He later said it brought a good price if sold as soon as gathered. He also reported that it cooked well and was good for canning. The same reports make clear that it was not a strong shipping plum. [S1]

The tree was productive but poorly formed. On sand cherry stock it made a dwarf tree with very heavy crops, but the tree was not strong enough to support them. On wild plum stock it was very low, open, and spreading, with a strong tendency to overbear. Norby called it a straggling, crooked grower in 1903. In 1904 he called it a crooked, weeping grower and a prodigious bearer. He also said older trees were attacked by brown rot more than any other kind, and that the fruit cracked badly after rain. [S1]

Hardiness is supported by regional evidence, not modern zone language. New Ulm appears in a South Dakota Experiment Station bulletin on hardy regional plums. It was grown and reported on in South Dakota, and a 1904 Minnesota State Horticultural Society list included it among the most promising plums for trial. A later South Dakota quotation from A. Norby begins to list New Ulm among the hardiest natives, but the visible source text is cut off, so that statement should be used cautiously. [S1]

University of Minnesota pollination studies published in 1951 rated New Ulm as a good pollinizer. The table lists it as late blooming, assigns it to P. americana, and records that it pollinated 12 tested varieties. [S2]

Sources give New Ulm a mixed historical verdict. It was valued for large fruit, heavy crops, local market price, cooking, and canning. It was criticized for weak tree habit, hard propagation, poor shipping, poor keeping, cracking, and brown rot. The Minnesota recommendation evidence is also mixed. One South Dakota cultivar entry says it was removed from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society recommended fruit list in December 1904 because of poor nursery growth. A reproduced December 8, 1904 Minnesota guide lists it among the most promising varieties for trial. [S1]

Summary source basis

• S1: Plums in South Dakota
• S2: Pollination Studies with Stone Fruits

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

Featured source descriptions

“Awild seedling from New Ulm, Minnesota.”
— ^[1]

“Owing to its poor growth in nursery it was removed from the recommended fruit list of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society at the annual meeting in December, 1904.”
— ^[1]

“The fruit is of good quality.”
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“The tree on sand cherry stock bears very heavy crops.”
— ^[1]

Direct parent cultivars

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Parentage claim text

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Derived or downstream cultivar links

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Source-story quotations

• New Ulm plum on sand cherry stock makes a dwarf tree bearing very heavy crops.Plums in South Dakota, p28
• New Ulm, Americana. HISTORY.-Awild seedling from New Ulm, Minnesota, introduced by C. W. H. Heideman, Minnesota.Plums in South Dakota, p27
• New Ulm plum on sand cherry stock makes a dwarf tree bearing very heavy crops.Plums in South Dakota, p28
• New Ulm plum on sand cherry stock makes a dwarf tree bearing very heavy crops.Plums in South Dakota, p28

Taxonomy context: No family-tree context surfaced yet.

Related cultivars mentioned in source context