CHAPTER XXXVII. 



THE HISTORIES OF THE PLUMS WE GROW. 



Collected from various sources, chiefly from "The Fruit Manual," by Robert Hogg (1884); "The 

 Plums of New York," by U. P. Hendrick; and Bunyard's " Fruit Catalogue " for 1919. Notes 

 as to self-fertility ana self-sterility are based on trials at the John Innes Horticultural Institu- 

 tion at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens and my own experiments. 



An account of English plums should 

 begin with the mention of Mr. Thomas 

 Rivers and his sons, at Sawbridgeworth, 

 Herts, who have raised and introduced 

 more valuable new plums than anyone 

 else, even more than Mr. Luther Burbank, 

 they include Rivers' Early Prolific or Early 

 Rivers (about 1866); Early Transparent 

 Gage (1866); Automne Compote, Blue 

 Rock, Sultan (1871) ; Grand Duke (1876) ; 

 Czar (1878); Archduke (1883); Monarch 

 (1885); Stint (1885); Curlew, Bittern, 

 Mallard, Heron (1888); Late Orange 

 (1892); Late Transparent (about 1892): 

 Golden Transparent Gage (1894) ; Primate 

 (1897) ; Admiral, President (1901) ; Rivers' 

 Late Green Gage; Rivers' Early 

 Damson. 



Gage, Greengage or Reine Claude 

 Plums. 



This group of plums being the most 

 delicious of dessert plums, is mentioned 

 first ; many are, however, difficult to get 

 to fruit unless in favourable environment. 

 The greengage is supposed to be a native 

 of Greece, and to have been introduced 

 at an early period into Italy, where it is 

 called Verdochia; from Italy it passed 

 into France, during the reign of Francis 

 I., about 1500, and the fruit was named 

 Reine Claude in honour of his queen. 

 Francis I. met Henry VIII. at the " Field 

 of the Cloth of Gold." This plum seems 

 to have been introduced into England 

 soon after, and is mentioned by Parkin- 

 son, in 1629, as Verdoch, at which time 

 it does not seem to be rare or new. How 

 did the name " gage " get applied to this 

 class of plum 1 The story given is some- 

 what as follows: — Soon after 1700 Sir 

 Thomae Gage, of Hengrave Hall, near 



Bury St. Edmunds, received a number of 

 plum trees from his brother, Rev. John 

 Gage, a Roman Catholic priest, then resi- 

 dent in Paris ; one of these having lost its 

 label, the gardener after the tree came 

 into bearing called " Greengage," in hon- 

 our of his master, as the fruit was green. 



Greengage, or Old Greengage. — Known 

 in France as Grosse Reine Claude, is said 

 to be greatly improved by being grafted 

 on the apricot (Hogg). Bullfinches attack 

 buds of greengages specially. Self- 

 sterile. Flowers early. D. early Sept. 



Reine Claude de Bavay. — A seedling ot 

 Reine Claude, raised by Major Esperen, 

 of Malines, Belgium, about 1832, and 

 dedicated to M. de Bavay, Director of the 

 Royal Nurseries, at Vilvordes, near 

 Brussels. Slightly self-fertile. D. end 

 Sept. 



Early or July Greengage.— The Reme 

 Claude de Bavay Hative of the French. 

 Introduced from Normandy, by M. Davion 

 half a century ago. Self-sterile. 



Old Transparent Gage — Raised by M. 

 Lafay, a nurseryman, near Paris, called 

 by the French, Reine Claude Diaphanee. 

 is slightly self-fertile. Ripe early Sept. 



Oullins Golden Gage — the Reine Claude 

 d'Oullins, or Reine (jlaude Precoce of the 

 French, originated at Coligny, and was 

 introduced to commerce by M. Massot, of 

 Oullins, near Lyons, about 1860. Slightly 

 self-fertile. Flowers late ; ripe early Aug. 



Bryanston Gage. — Raised at Bryanston 

 Park (the seat of Lord Portman), neai 

 Blandford, Dorset, exhibited in 1831, said 

 to be a cross between Old Greengage and 

 Coe's Golden Drop. Self-sterile. D. mid- 

 Sept. 



Comte d'Althan's Gage. — Raised at 

 Swoyschitz, in Bohemia, by Prochastre, 



