DELIGHTFUL BERRIES 331 



mon American wild species, however, in most 

 regions is the black currant, which also has a 

 European congener. 



The American black currant is a hardy plant, 

 growing far north in Canada. It varies greatly 

 in different regions, both in appearance and in 

 the quality of the fruit it bears. 



There are other wild species and varieties 

 without number, so that there is abundant mate- 

 rial supplied the plant developer for work with 

 this valuable fruit. 



I have experimented with a large number of 

 varieties from different regions, and have pro- 

 duced some interesting anomalies. One of these 

 was the result of crossing the varieties of a native 

 red-flowering species known as Ribes sangui- 

 neum. By selection and cultivation, varieties of 

 this plant have been produced on my grounds 

 that bore flowers of brilliant colors and the 

 largest fruit, perhaps, ever seen on a currant 

 bush. 



Most of the crosses of this species were made 

 between a form collected on Vancouver Island, 

 British Columbia, and the forms native to the 

 regions about San Francisco. The Vancouver 

 forms had long racemes of light crimson flowers 

 and small bluish fruits. The coast form has 

 larger fruits with a more resinous odor, the ber- 



