No. 4. 



Fruits. 



109 



stamped upon the fruit in a very remarkable 

 degree; but this of itself is not enough tor 

 the dessert, nor yet for the culinary depart- 

 ment; quality, not less than quantity, is a 

 necessary recommendation in the garden of 

 the connoisseur. Gooseberry growers may, 

 therefore, busy themselves to impart the fla- 

 vor of the choicer kmds to the large show 

 varieties that are now chiefly raised ; and 

 in doing this, they will have efl^ected an im- 

 provement worthy of the effort. But why 

 not also prolong the gooseberry season ? It 

 is fully short enough. Some of the early 

 kinds might, in lime, be pushed a little 

 nearer the vernal equinox than we now have 

 them ; and this early race would not be in- 

 jured by increased size, and more concen- 

 trated flavor. Then, again, with the late 

 varieties. Might not new forms, later than 

 any we now possess, be obtained! And 

 would not, in this case also, additional size 

 constitute a further improvement! These 

 results are only waiting the well-directed 

 eflx)rts of some zealous individual to meet a 

 full realization. 



What can be done for the currant"? We 

 see no reason why bunches of currants 

 should not, for size, bear a closer comparison 

 than now, with bunches of grapes. The 

 thing is by no means so ideal as it might at 

 first seem to be. Were the berries double 

 the size of those of the largest of our pre- 

 sent varieties, and these, borne, as we now 

 see them, occasionally, from a dozen to a 

 dozen and a half in a bunch, we should have 

 a very respectable approach, if not to the 

 clusters of Eschol, at least to the more ordi- 

 nary range of our cultivated grapes. Some 

 of the varieties bear fruit which is less acid, 

 and less woody-tasted, than that of others: 

 these qualities would, of course, be required 

 in the new and improved series. Then, 

 again, currants are a fruit which it is often 

 considered desirable to keep for some time — 

 some months indeed — on the trees. It would 

 be worth attempting to obtain varieties which 

 would hang better than our present varieties 

 do. On the subject of improving the present 

 varieties of currants, we have recently met 

 with some judicious remarks by Mr. Tom- 

 linson, in the Midland Florist; and as they 

 bear directly on the subject before us, we 

 will introduce them here : 



"I have for years been an extensive culti- 

 vator of currants, selling the produce in the 

 large town in my immediate neighbourhood, 

 and I find that, though the red grape is a 

 large and fleshy fruit, still it ripens unkind- 

 ly, which is a great dravv'back to its more 

 extended cultivation. The old long-bunched 

 red is, witii me, far preferable ; but I see no 

 earthly reason why this fruit might not be 



improved in a very great degree. Would it 

 not be possible to raise a ^currant shoio,'' on 

 the principle of the Lancashire gooseberry 

 shows] and if tliis could be carried out, and 

 an inducement given to raise fresh varieties 

 from seed, I make no doubt that we should 

 speedily have currants double the present 

 size, and much longer in the bunch; and I 

 am sure that nothing would pay better than 

 improved varieties of both black and white, 

 as well as red ones. The plant comes early 

 into bearing, and any improvement on the 

 old sorts would speedily supersede them, as 

 the black Naples is now displacing the black 

 grape. 



" I heard of several new sorts, which I 

 purchased last autumn, and am now grow- 

 ing them, to test their respective qualities. 

 Of course, I cannot, the first season, decide, 

 as I should wish to have my plants well es- 

 tablished. The sorts purchased are: 



" 1. The Gondouin Red. — A continental 

 variety, with peculiarly red wood and large 

 foliage, very distinct in habit. 



"2. The Cherry Red. — Also from the 

 continent. This has extremely large foli- 

 age, and stout shoots. 



'■'■May^s Victoria. — This, I see, has been 

 mentioned in several publications as a large 

 and very prolific variety, and would, doubt- 

 less, be a fine sort to save seed from. 



" Haughton Castle (Red). — This was raised 

 in the far north of England. Its character 

 to me was large and lale. It appears to be 

 an erect grower, and has abundance of fruit, 

 which is of good flavor, though, from the 

 circumstance of the trees being planted only 

 last autumn, not so large as when they be- 

 come established. 



"5. Goliath. — I have also received with 

 this a first-rate character as a good red cur- 

 rant; and if any induction is to be made 

 from its luxuriant mode of growth, I should 

 fijncy it would respond to its name. 



"I have selected some of the largest ber- 

 ries on both Goliath and May's Victoria, the 

 seeds of which I intend to sow; and should 

 these prove large, I will again sow from the 

 largest. By this means, in a series of years, 

 I hope to arrive at the height of my ambi- 

 tion, namely, to produce currants as large 

 as small marbles. Now I am confident there 

 is nothing Utopian in all this; and I am cer- 

 tain th;it, if a few persevering individuals 

 were to devote their attention to the im- 

 provement of the currant, it would be at- 

 tained in less than ten years." 



Once more we may state — and we repeat 

 it, because it is a rock on which very many 

 split — that experiments of this kind are the 

 better for being conducted on a limited scale. 

 One case of cross-breeding, carefully wrought 



