THE SMALL FRUITS OF NEW YORK 247 



tive qualities are of much importance." The sorts are:' Common Red, 

 Large Red, Large Bunched Red, Long Bunched Red, Morgan's Red, Red 

 Dutch, Red Dutch — Large, Red Dutch — New, Red Grape, Wilmot's Pale 

 Red, Champagne, Common White, Jeeves's White, Morgan's White, Pearl 

 White, Small White, Speary's White, White Crystal, White Dutch, White 

 Dutch — New, White Leghorn. 



One suspects from these names that the list is somewhat padded and 

 that not half of the number are distinct sorts. Hogg in 1866 includes all 

 of these names tmder six varieties. In the twenty names, only two are 

 familiar to currant growers today, — Red and White Dutch. 



Taking another casual dip in British pomology at a still later date we 

 find that Hogg, 1866, describes nine varieties of red currants, six of which are 

 put on a select list. At least three of the six recommended sorts are more 

 than a hundred years old and two, Red and White Dutch, go back to the 

 very beginning of currant culture in England and on the continent. Up 

 until this time those who had sought to improve plants had given the currant 

 scant attention, although three of Hogg's nine varieties were originated 

 by Thomas Andrew Knight, England's premier breeder of fruits. 



The history of the currant on the continent of Europe parallels that 

 of this fruit in England. There are, however, earlier references on the 

 continent than those given from English books. E. L. Sturtevant, a 

 former director of this Station, and a careful student of early agricultural 

 literature, has left voluminous notes on the history of cultivated esculents. 

 The paragraph that follows is taken from Sturtevant's notes (Western 

 New York Horticultural Society Proceedings, page 56, 1887) and possibly 

 presents as good an account of the early cultivation of this fruit as can be 

 found. 



" By the herbalists and early writers on horticulture, the first mention 

 of the currant that I find, is by Ruellius - in 1536, a French author, who 

 praises it as a border plant, and its fruit as an appetizer. In 1539, 

 Ammonius ^ says " we cherish it in our gardens," but adds nothing of further 

 interest in this connection. Fuchsius * in 1542 gives a figure which may be 

 called a poor specimen of the Common Red, and which resembles certain 

 seedlings which are now frequently obtained. He notes its occurrence in 

 gardens passim. Tragus,^ who wrote in Germany in 1552, gives a figure of 



^Ibid. 186. 



' Ruellius de natura stirp, 1536, 283. 

 'Ammonius. med. hort. 1539, 310. 

 *Fuchs. hist, stirp. 1542, 662. 

 'Trag. de stirp. 1552, 994. 



