FRUITS 259 



many seeded, inclosed in a containing envelope, whether 

 skin or rind, is a berry. Its typical forms are such fruits as 

 the grape, mistletoe, pokeberry, etc., though such diverse 

 forms as the eggplant, persimmon, red pepper, orange, ba- 

 nana, and pomegranate have been classed as berries; and, 

 in fact, the melon and the pumpkin are only greatly modified 

 kinds of the same fruit. In popular language, any small, 

 round, edible fruit is called a berry. This is a good commer- 

 cial classification, though not botanically correct. 



292. The drupe, or stone fruit. — ■ Examine a section of a 

 green plum, peach, or cherry, before the stone has hardened, 

 and tell from what part it is formed. This stony covering, 

 composed of the inner layer of the pericarp, and enveloping 

 the seed like an outer coat, is the main dis- 

 tinction between the drupe and the berry, 

 but it is not always possible to make out its 

 real nature except by an examination of the 

 young ovary. In a green drupe, before the 

 stone has hardened, its connection with the ^. ^'^" '^.'^^'""y'"" 



' ^ ^ _ tical section of a 



fleshy part is very evident, and the ripe fruit drupe. {After 

 will answer inquiries if w^e know how to put 

 them. Open the stone, and the seed will be exposed with its 

 own coverings inside. When a stone has more than one 

 kernel, — for instance, an almond or peach stone, ■ — the 

 stone is not a seed coat, but the hardened inner wall of a 

 seed vessel or ovary ; for a seed coat can never contain more 

 than one seed, any more than the same skin can contain 

 more than one animal. 



All the fruits considered in this section belong to the fleshy 

 class. These form the bulk of the fruits sold in the market, 

 and are of special importance to the horticultmist. 



Practical Questions 



1. Is the tomato liorfunilturally a fruit or a vegetable? the squash? 

 eggplant? craiiherry ? olive? elderberry? pepper? date? maypop? crab 

 apple? black haw? To what glass does e;^ch belong? (283, 2S8-292.) 



