78 



SYSmMA TIC rOMOLOdY 



hut shape, color, and flaxoi- si^'iiit'y little. Tlic nuniher of cur- 

 rants to tlic hunch is a fairly reliahlc character, as is si/c of 

 hunch. Transj)arcncy of heiry characterizes several sorts. In 

 some varieties the i)erries are home on one side of the stem. 

 In some tlie hunches droop while in others they are held up 

 rather stiffly. The stems may he smooth or hairy. Seeds offer 

 few marks of distinetion in any of these fruits. The time of 

 ripening, as in all fruits, is imi)ortant. 



118. Fruits and seeds of heath- 

 berries. — N'arieties of heath-fruits 

 are distin^iished almost wholly by 

 their noteworthy fruit characters. 

 Very little has yet been done with 

 descriptions of the plants. Much is 

 made of the size of cranberries in 

 classifying varieties. Figures show- 

 ing length and diameter of the berry 

 are usually given, and size is fur- 

 ther emphasized by stating the num- 

 ber of berries required to fill a half- 

 pint cup. Shapes of both cranber- 

 ries and blueberries are so simple 

 that they are easily depicted in a few 

 words or in an outline drawing. The stem offers means of identi- 

 fication in heath-fruits as in other stemmed fruits. Its length 

 and manner of insertion, whether in a neck or in a depression, 

 the color, and such specific and varietal differences as wartiness 

 and pubescence are important means of identification. The 

 calyx-end of the fruit may be drawn out, flattened or depressed, 

 and the size, shape, and position of the calyx-lobes may be 

 significant. 



Cranberries are usually picked with scoops or raked off the 

 vines. In these mechanical methods of harvesting, much foreign 

 matter is gathered with the fruit, making it necessary to run 

 the crop through cleaning machines. The effectiveness of the 

 separation depends on the resiliency of the berries, unsound 

 fruits having little elasticity. It follows that a statement con- 

 cerning the resiliency of fruit must be made in describing 

 varieties. (Figs. 42, 43.) 



Fig. 48. Low ltliiel)errv 



