THK PLANT WORLD. 19 



ini})ortant food, and in excellence they can l)e said to be scarcely in- 

 ferior to our ordinary o^arden currants. Black currants ( /i*. laj'iflorKm') 

 are also conunon l»ut of inferior value. R'lhts }>riict> osiim is abundant 

 in UKinv places and the fruits are not infrecjuently mixed with blue- 

 berries. It is claimed by some that it is for the added flavor but the 

 circumstances under which it is done leads to the belief that it is for 

 j)urj)oses of deception. 



At a num))cr of places wild red ras})berries are plentiful although 

 their distril)uti()n does not seem very lieneral. 



Jn the vicinity of Vakutat, and perhai)s elsewhere, wild straw- 

 l)erries grow in al)undance. The species is probably Fragnria 

 ,-],iJ(>, )isis and the fruit in size and flavor is not excelled by any wild 

 strawl>erry so far us known to be. The berries are more or less 

 conical and fre([uently an inch or more in diameter. They ripen in 

 July and August and are extensively gathered. Considerable quan- 

 tities are sometimes brought to passing boats and at other times are 

 sent as marks of especial friendship to Sitka or other places. Suc- 

 cessful attempts have l)een made to cultivate this wild berry at a 

 number of places, and its possibilities, as well as those of the blueberry, 

 scarlet hucklef)err3', and re<l currant are well worth investigation. 



Bog cranberries ( Vncrninnn lu'i/coecus) occur at Sitka and else- 

 where but were nowhere seen al)undantly. Salal berries [Gaultherin 

 xh(dIoii>^ which are highly esteemed l>y some, occur in the more southern 

 part of Alexandrian Archipelago and thimble bevvies I Rif^r^s pai'vijlorics) 

 are found in the same region. liulms strl/atns^ known as ' 'Kneskeneka", 

 '•morong" or dewberry is conmion in sandy places. Its fruit was 

 found excellent by the author but is apparently little esteemed by 

 other writers. Successful efi'orts have been made at Sitka to grow this 

 berry in gardens and it may pro^•e valuable after a time. 



Limited attempts have besn made to cultivate some of the im- 

 proved varieties of berries at a number of places. Peculiar success has 

 attended the efforts with strawberries, raspberries, and currants. 

 Gooseberries have been tried but the mildew seems to be a serious 

 drawback to successful effort with this fruit. More extensive and 

 better directed experiments have been recently attempted and it is to 

 be hoped that success will attend the efforts. - 



