INEDIBLE FRUITS 381 



race of barberries that will be a valuable addition 

 to the rather meager list of small fruits. 



IMPROVING THE EUEAGNUS 



During the early years of my work in Cali- 

 fornia I kept in close touch with all the importa- 

 tions made from Japan by the H. II. Berger Co., 

 of San Francisco, and others. From them I 

 received, among other plants, a curious fruit- 

 bearing plant from Japan, known in its native 

 country as the Goumi berry, and classified by 

 botanists as Elceagnus longipes. 



No other importation of a member of this 

 genus had hitherto been made, so I viewed the 

 plant with particular interest, and was especially 

 struck with the seeming possibilities of improv- 

 ing its fruit. 



The Elceagnus longipes bears flowers of a 

 bright, brownish-yellow color, subject to a good 

 deal of variation. The fruit is a berry of varying 

 shades of crimson, rarely changing to yellow. 

 The flavor of the fruit is far from inviting. After 

 one has tasted five or six of the berries, one is 

 scarcely able to describe the flavor or to decide 

 whether others have any desirable quality. 



The astringency of the fruit is so great as 

 nearly to obliterate one's sense of taste after two 

 or three have been tested. 



