The Plum. 69 



plum-culture. The " Orleans plum " was brought from 

 the neighbourhood which witnessed the heroism and 

 death of Joan Dare, when the English were masters 

 there, temp. Henry V. To France we are indebted also 

 for the greengage, called in that country, in compliment 

 to the Queen of Francis I., La Reine Claude. It was 

 brought to England from the monastery of La Grand 

 Chartreuse about the middle of the eighteenth century, 

 by one " Rev. John Gage," brother of the owner of 

 Hengrave Hall, near Coldham, Suffolk, and thence 

 receiving his name it soon got diffused over England. 

 In Paris, in 1789, when all allusions to royalty were 

 forbidden, "La Reine Claude" had to go, and was 

 superseded pro tern, by " Prune Citoyenne !" Karl Koch 

 regards the greengage as representative of a distinct and 

 variable species of Prunus, native of the Caucasus. 



The black and deeply corrugated dessert fruit imported 

 from France, to the extent of two hundred tons annually, 

 under the name of " French plums " represents two or 

 three different sorts. The inferior varieties are from the 

 Prune d'Ast; the better ones are the produce of the 

 Catherinea. They are gathered by hand, dried partly in 

 the sun, partly by fire-heat, the treatment changed day by 

 day until the fruit is fit for packing. " Brignolles," the 

 delightful little sweetmeats in fancy boxes edged with 

 lace, are prepared from some kind of yellow plum. 

 They are shaken from the trees, when quite ripe, upon 

 cloths spread to receive them; then carefully skinned, and 

 placed in the sunshine for a few days. When dry enough 



