THE COMMON BERBERRY. 35 
named countries, it grows on mountains, and in the colder parts of Europe and 
America, in plains, as in Norway, near Christiania, and in Massachusetts, north of 
Boston. It also grows on Mount Lebanon, and on Mount iEtna; in which last 
situation it becomes a low shrub, in the upper zone of vegetation. In England it 
is found indigenous in woods and hedges, more especially on calcareous soils. It 
is also indigenous in Scotland and Ireland, but not very common. It was doubt- 
less introduced into the United States from Europe, and has naturalized itself in 
waste places, and about cultivated grounds in the northern states, and in the 
British American provinces. The plant is mentioned by Pliny ; and, among mod- 
erns, it appears first to have been recorded by Bauhin, in his " Pinax," and subse- 
quently by all the writers on plants, under different names, till the time of Ray, 
in 1686 and 1688, who first called it berberis; which name was afterwards 
adopted by Linnaeus, and by all botanists since his time. 
Propagation and Culture. The original species of the Berberis vulgaris is 
propagated in the nurseries by seeds, and the varieties by suckers. For ordinary 
purposes, no plant requires less culture ; but, to produce large fruit, it should be 
planted in a deep, well-manured, somewhat calcareous soil, and be constantly 
freed from side-suckers. The racemes of the blossoms should be thinned out, in 
order to reduce the number of bunches of fruit, and to increase its size. When 
the berberry is intended to become an ornamental tree, it should be trimmed, with 
a straight stem, to a height of eight or ten feet, and all suckers from the roots, 
and all side-buds from the stem, should be removed the moment they appear, 
and then suffered to branch out into a fine, orbicular, or drooping head. So 
treated, it forms a singularly beautiful tree, or shrub, and will sometimes endure 
for two or three centuries, without increasing much in size, after thirty years. 
It may also be employed for hedges, and as it patiently bears the shears, it may 
be shorn to any desirable form. The rate of growth, when the plant is young, 
is rapid ; for the first five or six years, it will nearly attain its maximum height, 
unless the side-branches be removed. 
Diseases, fyc. The Berberis vulgaris is subject to a disease called mildew, 
(JEcidium berberidis,) which, when magnified, is found to consist of a number of 
small orange-cups, with a fine film over each, as shown in the 
adjoining figure. When ripe, these films burst, and the tops 
of the cups assume a ragged, uneven appearance, in which 
state they look like white fungi. The cups are filled with 
innumerable little cases, containing seeds or sporules, and 
these constitute the bright-orange powder, that is seen on the 
leaves and flowers of the berberry, and was long supposed to 
be the blight on corn both in Europe and America. This opinion, though totally 
unfounded, is of unknown antiquity. This error has been ably, and scientifi- 
cally refuted by Messrs. Du Hamel, Broussonet , and Drs. Grenville and Lindley. 
The blight on corn is generally a species of uredo, and does not correspond in 
botanical characters with the secidium. One of the principal reasons why corn 
will not thrive in the immediate vicinity of the berberry, is, on account of the 
meagreness of the soil in which it often grows, it being impoverished by its creep- 
ing root. 
Properties and Uses. The wood of the berberry is hard and brittle, of a yel- 
low colour, and contains a large white pith. It is of but little use in the arts 
except for dying. The inner bark, both of the stems and roots, affords a yellow 
dye. The leaves are agreeably acid, and, according to Gerard, were used, in his 
time, to season meat with, instead of a salad, like sorrel. The berries are not 
eaten raw, but are excellent, when preserved with their own weight of sugar or 
syrup, or candied. They are also made into jelly and rob, both of which are 
not only delicious to the taste, but extremely wholesome and they are pickled ir 
