268 



The World's Commercial Products 



apricots, are small, and come chiefly from France. A few come from the United States, 

 Canada, and, latterly, from Cape Colony. 



Cherries. The numerous varieties of cultivated cherries have in all probability originated 

 from Prunus Avium and Prunus Cerasus. Those belonging to P. Avium, of which the Bigarreau 

 and the Black Heart may be instanced as typical of the better kinds, have generally larger, 

 thinner, and more pendulous leaves, and fruits more yellowish-green in colour than those of 

 P. Cerasus. From this latter species are derived such well-known varieties as May Duke, 

 Kentish, and Morello, with red, dark red, or nearly black juicy fruits. Both species are 

 natives of Europe and parts of Asia, and are very widely cultivated. The cherry is one of 

 the commonest fruit trees in Britain, and in some parts, notably Kent, great quantities are 

 grown. It is said that the present race of cherries cultivated in Britain was introduced from 

 Holland and Belgium during the reign of Henry VIII. 



Large quantities of cherries are annually imported into this country from France ; lesser 

 quantities from Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium. Occasionally small consignments 

 arrive from Canada. 



SMALL FRUITS 



Red Currants (Ribes rubrum) and Black Currants (R. nigrum) must not be confused with 

 the dried currants of the shops, which are the fruits of a kind of grape. Both red and black 

 currants are natives of northern and central Europe, and extend across northern Asia to the 

 shores of the Pacific. They are very hardy, and their culture has been carried on in Britain 

 and northern Europe generally from remote times. In spite of the large quantities grown 



JAMAICA. A TYPICAL PINERY 



