296 



THE WOOD 



FLOWERS 



readily distinguished by habit of the plant, 

 although it is sometimes difficult to separate 

 hybrids between the two from one or the other 

 species. European gooseberries are stocky 

 with upright, straight branches, which curve 

 but little and never assume the graceful slen- 

 der, drooping, spreading, or sprawling habit 

 of American varieties. 



Constitutional characters. 



Whether the plants make a rapid or slow 

 growth, are long- or short-lived, bear annually 

 or uniformly, characters important in deter- 

 mining varieties of tree-fruits, counts for little 

 in classifying these fruits. Productiveness, 

 however, is a most distinctive character in 

 classification, always to be noted for its value 

 in identification and because of its prime im- 

 portance to the grower. Gooseberries and 

 black currants, in particular, are exceedingly 

 variable in productiveness. 



Currants and gooseberries are the hardiest 

 of fruits to cold, but are impatient of much 

 heat, and both species and varieties show 

 great variations in withstanding it. They vary 

 somewhat, also, in relation to cold. The de- 

 gree of hardiness to heat or cold is valuable 

 in classifying, and of course determines very 

 largely the value of species or varieties for 

 the garden. English gooseberries, for exam- 

 ple, stand but poorly the heat of American 

 summers even in the North. The varieties of 

 Ribes petrceum, of which Prince Albert is the 

 type, are less hardy to cold than varieties of 

 R. vulgar e or R. rubrum. None of the groselles 

 withstands heat in regions where the orange 

 or even the fig can be grown out-of-doors; nor 

 do these fruits thrive in dry climates. 



Immunity and susceptibility to diseases and 

 insects vary greatly, and must always be noted 

 for the information of the grower, and may 

 sometimes serve in identification. The Euro- 

 pean gooseberry is extremely susceptible to 

 a mildew which does little damage to varieties 

 derived from the American species. Hybrids 

 of the two species, even when the blood of 

 the European plant is diluted to a second or 

 third cross with the American species, show 

 great susceptibility to this mildew. Species 

 and varieties differ widely in resistance to San 

 Jose scale, the currant worm, the currant borer, 

 leaf-spot, anthracnose, cane-blight, and the 

 pine blister rust, which at present is causing 

 great consternation in America. 



The wood. 



The canes and branches vary greatly in 

 species, as set forth in the descriptions of the 

 several specific groups, and furnish some valu- 

 able clues to the identification of varieties. 

 The height and diameter of canes, degree of 

 smoothness, length of internodes, color, the 

 character of spines and prickles in the goose- 

 berry, the presence and character of pubes- 

 cence and glands, the odor, the number of 

 canes and suckers, are all important, and often 

 furnish the chief diagnostic characteristics of 

 varieties. Examples are: the stout shoots of 

 the large-fruited currants of which Cherry is 



the type; the red shoots of Prince Albert and 

 its related varieties; the exceedingly variable 

 spines of gooseberries, which very often serve 

 in identification. These characters, unimpor- 

 tant in determining the value of a variety, are 

 often most useful in separating the different 

 sorts. The winter-wood characters offer valu- 

 able distinguishing characters in color and 

 markings of bark. 



The spines help greatly in separating Euro- 

 pean and American gooseberries. European 

 varieties bear from one to three light-colored 

 spines at the base of the leaf, with occasionally 

 smaller spines scattered along the stem. In 

 American varieties the spines are shorter, 

 usually borne singly, or are scattered irregu- 

 larly along the stem. There are spineless 

 varieties of both species, in which hair-like 

 bristles may take the place of spines. 



Leaves and leaf-buds. 



The several species of Ribes are readily 

 separated by characters of the leaves, as are 

 hybrids of either currants or gooseberries. 

 The most readily used characters are size, 

 shape, and color, but pubescence, glands, dots 

 on the lower surface, degree of smoothness, 

 are all good distinguishing marks. The varie- 

 ties of R. vulgar e, of which the Cherry currant 

 is the best representative, may usually be told 

 by their thin, almost glabrous, yellowish-green 

 leaves which are folded upward more or less; 

 while R. rubrum, very similar, and its varieties 

 are easily picked out by the thicker, softer 

 leaves, very downy on the under surface. The 

 time of falling of the foliage distinguishes R. 

 petrceum and its varieties, the Prince Albert 

 currant being the type, as all of this group 

 retain the foliage very late in the autumn. 

 Looking at a currant plantation in the spring, 

 one sees that there are great variations among 

 varieties in leafing-time and in the color of 

 the young foliage, characters which help 

 greatly in classification; thus, Wilder starts 

 into leafing earlier than any other currant. 

 The leaves of some currants are bullate, that 

 is blistered or puckered; this character serves 

 to identify Prince Albert. 



Buds of both leaf and flower are more or 

 less distinct in species and varieties in size, 

 shape, and color. A fine mark of distinction 

 that can be used to advantage in identification 

 in the winter is found in the angle taken by 

 the bud; it may be appressed, that is pressed 

 closely to the cane, or free, in which case it 

 may stand nearly at right angles to the cane. 



The margins may be serrate, dentate, or 

 crenate, the character of the teeth offering 

 valuable evidence in identifying all groups. 

 The amount and character of pubescence on 

 the margin serve as an aid in identifying some 

 varieties. The margins of the leaves in sev- 

 eral varieties take on a silvery tint, this char- 

 acter being quite pronounced in Ruby. 



The length and thickness of the petiole is a 

 good diagnostic character. The petiole of Vic- 

 toria is remarkably long. The color must be 

 noted and whether pubescent or glabrous. 

 The petiole is channeled in some currants; this 



