GOOSEBERRIES. 



275 



recommend it. Were it not for this fault, I should grow- 

 no other variety. 



In view of this inveterate evil, mildew, which is so seldom 

 escaped and so difficult to overcome, we must turn to the 

 second great class, our native species, since they are adapted 

 to our climate. Of these there are several species, of which 

 the following are the most prominent : — 



Ribes speciosum, showy, flowering gooseberry of Califor- 

 nia, cultivated for ornament, especially in England, and 

 likely to succeed in the southern Middle States. It is 

 trained like a climber ; has small, shining leaves, very hand- 

 some flowers resembling those of a fuchsia, berry prickly, 

 and few-seeded. 



R. roUmdifoliuni, more common in the West, is often 

 downy-leaved ; peduncles slender ; the slender stamens 

 and two-parted style longer than the narrow calyx; berry 

 smooth. 



R. cynosbati is found in the rocky woods of the North, 

 is downy-leaved, with slender peduncle, stamens and undi- 

 vided style not exceeding the broad calyx ; large berry, 

 usually prickly. 



R. lacusfre, Lake or Swamp Gooseberry, with the prickly 

 stems of the gooseberry, but with a raceme of flowers like 

 those of a currant ; found in the cold bogs and wet woods 

 of the North ; small, brisdy berries, of unpleasant flavor. 



Last, but by no means the least, is the Ribes hirtellum^ 

 "commonest in our Eastern States, seldom downy, with 

 very short thorns or none, very short peduncles, stamens 

 and two-cleft style scarcely longer than the bell-shaped 

 calyx ; and the smooth berry is purple, small and sweet." 

 (Gray.) This is the parent of the most widely kno\vn of 

 our native varieties, the Houghton Seedling, named from its 

 originator, Abel Houghton, of Lynn, Massachusetts. The 



