376 FRUITS : Chap. X. 



kinds, such as Keen's Seedlings, are too tender for certain parts 

 of North America, where other English and many American 

 varieties succeed perfectly. That splendid fruit, the British Quten, 

 can be cultivated but in few places either in England or France : 

 but this apparently depends more on the nature of the soil than 

 on the climate; a famous gardener says that "no mortal could 

 grow the British Queen at Shrubland Park unless the whole nature 

 of the soil was altered." 117 La Constantine is one of the hardiest 

 kinds, and can withstand Eussian winters, but it is easily burnt 

 by the sun, so that it will not succeed in certain soils either in 

 England or the United States. 118 The Filbert Pine Strawberry 

 "requires more water than any other variety; and if the plants 

 once suffer from drought, they will do little or no good afterwards." 119 

 Cuthill's Black Prince Strawberry evinces a singular tendency 

 to mildew ; no less than six cases have been recorded of this variety 

 suffering severely, whilst other varieties growing close by, and 

 treated in exactly the same manner, were not at all infested by 

 this fungus. 120 The time of maturity differs much in the different 

 varieties : some belonging to the wood or alpine section produce 

 a succession of crops throughout the summer. 



Gooseberry (Itibes grossularia). — No one, I believe, has hitherto 

 doubted that all the cultivated kinds are sprung from the wild 

 plant bearing this name, which is common in Central and Northern 

 Europe; therefore it will be desirable briefly to specify all the 

 points, though not very important, which have varied. If it be 

 admitted that ttiese differences are due to culture, authors perhaps 

 will not be so ready to assume the existence of a large number 

 of unknown wild parent-stocks for our other cultivated plants. 

 The gooseberry is not alluded to by writers of the classical period. 

 Turner mentions it in 1573, and Parkinson specifies eight varieties 

 in 1629 ; the Catalogue of the Horticultural Society for 1842 gives 

 149 varieties, and the lists of the Lancashire nursevmen are said 

 to include above 300 names. 121 In the ' Gooseberry Grower s 

 Register ' for 1862 I find that 243 distinct varieties have won prizes 

 at various periods, so that a vast number must have been exhibited. 

 No doubt the difference between many of the varieties is very 

 small ; but Mr. Thompson in classifying the fruit for the Horti- 

 cultural Society found less confusion in the nomenclature of the 

 gooseberry than of any other fruit, and he attributes this " to the 

 great interest which the prize-growers have taken in detecting 



117 Mr. D. Beaton, in 'Cottage 207. 



Gardener,' 1860, p. 86. See also U9 Mr. H. Doubleday in 'Gardener's 



Cottage Gardener,' 1855, p. 88, and Chron.,' 1862, p. 1101. 



many other authorities. For the 120 ' Gardener's Chronicle,' 1854, p. 



Continent, see F. Gloede, in ' Gar- 254. 



dener's Chronicle,' 1862, p. 1053. m Loudon's ' Encyclop. of Garden- 



118 Rev. W. F. Radclyffe, in 'Jour- ing,' p. 930; and Alph. De Candolle, 

 nal of Hort.,' March 14, 1865, p. ' Geograph. Bot.,' p. 910. 



