FRUIT CULTURE IN FRANCE. 
185 
there. The owners or farmers usually have as many as ten to 
fifteen ovens, in which they themselves prepare the prunes ; hence 
the varying qualities, which depend upon the ability of the cook. 
The fruit is cooked six or eight times in succession ; the last 
operation consists of imparting to the fruit the white or "floury" 
appearance. 
Some experienced amateurs prepare a very fine dessert by 
inserting one Plum into another, and then putting a Sweet 
Almond in for the stone. 
The following varieties, classed in order of merit or popularity, 
are those preferred for cooking and drying, either in the sun or by 
means of a stove : — 
The Agen . 
Quetsche d'Allemagne . 
Quetsche hdtive » 
Sainte- Catherine . 
Perdrigon . 
Bcino Claude de Bavay 
South-west. 
I East and North-east. 
I West, South-east, and 
I Centre. 
The Vine (Vitis). 
The Vine is a plant largely cultivated, not only in the vine- 
yard, but also in the garden, where it may be grown on trellis- 
work in the open, or sheltered by a wall. It may be grown to 
advantage commercially. 
Vineyards for Profit. — As we shall see later on, the market 
cultivation of Vines can be pursued really profitably with only 
one variety, the Chasselas dor 6, commonly called " Chasselas de 
Fontainehleau.'" But we enumerate a few others, arranged in 
their order of ripening : — 
Early Grapes : — Morillon noir, Gamay de juillet, Madeleine 
royale, Lignan blanc, Madeleine angevine. 
Mid-season Grapes : — Chasselas dord, Chasselas rose, Pineau 
noir, Chasselas violet, Portugais bleu. 
Late Grapes : — Frankenthal, Boudales, Museat hlanc. 
There are also many local varieties, which are fairly produc- 
tive in their native places. 
Most of the following varieties are suitable for table use, and 
are greatly in demand for wine-making :— The Gamay, from the 
Centre of France ; the Mondeiise and Persan from the South- 
