THE SMALL FRUITS OF NEW YORK 245 



Rea, in his justly esteemed Flora, Ceres & Pomona, 1665, is the next 

 EngHsh writer after Parkinson to give attention to the currant. He devotes 

 a chapter to this fruit under its generic name Ribes. In it three items of 

 interest are to be noted: The beginning of the use of the word " currans;" 

 earl}^ mention of the Red Dutch and White Dutch varieties; and the use of 

 division rather than of cuttings in propagation. The chapter follows:' 



" Corinthes, or Currans, as they are viilgarly called, are Plants well 

 known unto all; of these there are five several sorts, which differ chiefly 

 (as the Goosberries) in the Berries. 



" The small black Curran is not worth the Planting. 



" The small red Curran is of no better esteem. 



" The great red Curran is a plentiful bearer, the Berries twice as big 

 as those of the former, of a bright shining red colour, and good (though 

 something sharp) taste. 



" The greatest dark red Dutch Curran differs from the last, in that the 

 Berries are bigger, of a more blackish colour, and sweeter taste. 



" The white Curran is like the great red, onely the Berries are some- 

 thing lesser, white, transparent, and well-tasted. 



" They are as easily increased as Goosberries by Suckers, parting the 

 roots or laying the branches; these may be budded one upon another, and 

 so several sorts grow from one Stock, as is said of the Goosberries.'' 



Batty Langley in his Pomona, 1729, gives a short chapter to the dis- 

 cussion of gooseberries and currants, the title of which is: Of Gooseberries 

 and Ctirrants, or Corinths, so called from Corinthia whence they first came. 

 Thus Langley adds to the confusion of the currant and Corinth raisin. 

 Of more importance, however, is the fact that this is the first spelling of 

 currant as the word is now spelled — at least in the well-known pomologies 

 of the eighteenth century. Langley names but two varieties, the Red and 

 White Dutch. In his day currants were still propagated by division or 

 by layering. 



The next pomology of much worth was that of Mawe, whose dictionary 

 of gardening and botany was pubhshed in 1778, fifty years after Langley's 

 Pomona appeared. Mawe names ten currants but four of these are either 

 ornamentals or cvu-iosities grown for their foliage. The six edible varieties 

 are: Common Small Red Currant, Long-bunched Red Currant, Champaigne 

 Pale-red Currant, Common Small White Currant, Large Red Dutch Currant, 

 and Large White Dutch Currant. These names indicate that some of the 

 varieties were similar to others, and then as now gardeners complained 



1 Rea, John Flora 3:231. 1665. 



