FRUIT CULTURE IN FRANCE 351 



Elton. — Fertile ; fruit in bunches, large, yellowish, marbled with pink ; flesh whitish ; 

 July. 



Precoce Rivers (Early Rivers).— Fertile ; fruit large, red ; flesh pink ; end of May. 



Ramon Oliva. — Very fertile ; fruit large or very large, black red, sweet, perfumed, 

 very good ; end of May, beginning of June. 



Griotte 



Du NoRD. —Very fertile ; fruit in bunches, oval, black red ; flesh garnet red ; August- 

 September. 



KiRscH Cherries 



Noire des Vosges (Bdchat).— Very fertile ; fruit rather large, rounded, heart- 

 shaped, deep black ; flesh black, good quality ; end of June, July. 



Rouge des Vosges (Vinette).— Extremely fertile ; fruit in pairs, generally rather 

 large, long, heart-shaped, deep crimson red ; flesh white, good quality ; mid-July. 



The Best Commercial Varieties 



Guigne de Mai, Bigarreau Jaboulay, Bigarreau cPEsperen, English Cherry, Im- 

 peratrice. Belle de Magnifique, Griotte du Nord, Bigarreau Reverchon, Bigarreau 

 NapoUon, Early Black Guigne, Montmorency {long-stalked), Montinorency {short- 

 stalked). Noire des Vosges, Rouge des Vosges ( for Kirsch). 



THE CHESTNUT 



The chestnut flourishes in the mountainous regions of Brittany, La Vendue, 

 Perigord, Berry, Morvan, and especially Auvergne, Limousin, and Dauphin^, 

 in sandy, granitic, ferruginous, or other soils, provided they are light. The best 

 aspect is facing east, sheltered from the north winds. Sharp frosts, as in 1880, 

 do much harm to the chestnut ; spring frosts also sometimes damage the 

 flowers. 



Propagation. — The chestnut is grafted upon the wild chestnut. It is 

 grown as a standard and pruned but little. The fruit is borne upon wood of 

 one year's growth when the tree is eight or ten years old. 



Varieties. — The best varieties are Marron de Lyon, Marron de Luc, and 

 Matron de Lusignan. For commercial purposes each district grows its own 

 sorts, which differ very little from each other. 



The chestnut is eaten when cooked in water or roasted ; it is also used in 

 confectionery, &c. 



THE QUINCE 



The quince grows well throughout France, except in dry situations or 

 near the sea ; it is quite hardy. It will flourish in almost any soil that is not 

 water-logged and does not contain an excess of lime. The quince is cultivated 

 by the amateur for home use. From the commercial point of view its fruit 

 is grown for preserves, liqueurs, &c. It is grafted upon the Fontenay 

 quince. The varieties most commonly grown are the Angers and the 

 Portugal. 



