FRUIT CULTURE IN FRANCE. 
157 
Celestine, commonly called la grise," which ripens with the first 
ears of corn; also the Buissonne or " Muissonne " variety, the 
Blanche or Versailles," and the d'Or or Doree Fig. The other 
varieties which ripen in the middle of August aie the Blanquette, 
called the Marseillaise," the Bourjassotte, the Bellone, the 
Datte, and the Aubigne, which follow one another during two or 
three months. 
We also find the Fig tree on the coasts of Brittany favoured 
by the warm currents of the Gulf Stream, the advantage of which 
is shown by the giant trees at Koscoff and Quimper, nearly three 
centuries old, some of which are 12 metres high and 18 metres 
in diameter. 
The Raspberry (Rubus Vitis Id2eus). 
Although the Raspberry is not a suitable fruit for distant 
carriage, it is nevertheless extensively grown, and a large trade 
is done in the fresh fruit, as well as in crushed and distilled. 
The commercial value of Raspberries is on the increase, on 
account of the numerous ways in which they are utiHsed — namely, 
for household use and for the manufacture of jam, for distillation, 
and for making a dessert wine. 
Basjjberry Plantations in the Neiglihourliood of P«r/5.— Paris 
consumes annually 5,000,000 kilos, of Raspberries, grown in the 
neighbourhood. The market gardeners and fruit and vegetable 
growers always devote some portion of their land to Raspberry 
growing. On some swampy piece of ground, or the north side 
of an orchard, or on open fields, Raspberries may be seen culti- 
vated in squares or beds or in lines. They can be seen thus 
at Vmcennes, Nogent, Argenteuil, Bougival, Marly, Bagnolet, 
Verrieres, Igny, &c. Cultivators prefer the red oblong Gamhon, 
the early Pilate, and the flesh-coloured Souchet varieties ; also 
a sort with thick wood and few thorns and suckers. 
Bas2)bcrries in Bnrgiindy. — At Plombieres, near Dijon, the 
fields of Black Currant bushes are rapidly changing into Rasp- 
berry plantations, because the Black Currant is not used for a 
dessert fruit, nor has its wine (cassis) much commercial value as a 
public-house drink. Raspberries are more used also for making 
light wines, and are grown profitably in certain districts where 
Black Currants would not find the conditions necessary for the 
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