266 



The World's Commercial Products 



at £407,817. Of these 401,237 cwt. were from foreign countries, chiefly France and the 

 United States. 



The Medlar (Mespilus germanica), Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), and Quince (Cydonia 

 spp.), are all closely allied to the apple and pear. The fruit of the medlar is edible when well 

 bletted, but is not so popular in Europe as formerly. The Loquat yields a small roundish or 

 pear-shaped fruit, orange-yellow in colour, and pleasantly acid. It is a native of China and 

 Japan, and commonly eaten there. The common quince (Cydonia vulgaris) is native to 

 Southern Europe and Algeria, where it has been cultivated from time immemorial for its 

 fruits, which were much revered by the ancients. Their chief use is for making jelly, which is 

 highly esteemed,- especially in Canada and the United States of America. The name mar- 

 malade is said to be derived from " Marmelo," the Portuguese name for quince. The plants 

 are much used in England and the Continent as stocks for pear trees, especially those intended 

 to be kept dwarf. 



STONE FRUITS 



The Plum {Primus domestica) is a native of the Caucasus and Asia Minor, naturalised in 

 Greece and in most of the temperate regions of Europe. Cultivated varieties, according to 

 Pliny, were brought from Syria into Greece and thence into Italy about 232 B.C. 



Many of the best varie- 

 ties of plums cultivated in 

 Britain were introduced 

 from France and Italy cen- 

 turies ago. The Orleans 

 Plum, for instance, is sup- 

 posed to have been brought 

 over when the English held 

 possession of that French city 

 during the reign of Henry V. 



Prunes are dried plums 

 prepared in France, Ger- 

 many, and other parts of 

 the continent. The neigh- 

 bourhood of Tours, in France, 

 is celebrated for its prunes. 

 The prunes which come from 

 the south of France are 

 prepared from a variety 

 called " Perdrigon." German 

 prunes are prepared from an 

 oblong purple variety called 

 " Zwetsche." 



The Damson, a small 

 oval, purple plum, is very 

 largely cultivated in this 

 country for making into 

 preserves. The damson is 

 highly productive and more 

 hardy than the ordinary 

 plum. 



Plums are widely grown 

 trinidad. custard apple in Britain, especially in 



