376 IRUITS: Chap. X. 



kinds, such as Keen's Seedlings, are too tender for certain parts 

 of North America, where other p]n,slish and many American 

 varieties succeed perfectly. That splendid fruit, the British Queen, 

 can be cultivated but in few places either in England or France : 

 but this apparently depends more on the nature of the soil than 

 on the climate ; a ftimous gardener says that " no mortal could 

 grow the British Queen at Slirubland Park unless the whole nature 

 of the soil was altered.""" La Constantine is one of the hardiest 

 kinds, and can withstand Russian winters, but it is easily burnt 

 by the sun, so that it will not succeed in certain soils either in 

 England or the United States."* The Filbert Pine Strawberry 

 "requires more water than any other variety; and if the plants 

 once suffer from drought, they will do little or no good afterwards." "" 

 CuthilFs Black Prince Strawbei'ry evinces a singular tendency 

 to mildew ; no less than six cases have been recorded of this variety 

 suffering severely, whilst other varieties growing close by, and 

 treated in exactly the same manner, were not at all infested by 

 this fungus.^-" The time of maturity differs nnich in the different 

 varieties : some belonging to the wood or alpine section produce 

 a succession of crops throughout the summer. 



Goosehernj (^Ifbcs (jrossuJarvt). — No one, I believe, has hitherto 

 doubted that all the cultivated kinds are sprung from the wild 

 plant bearing this name, which is common in Central and Northern 

 Europe ; therefore it will be desirable briefly to specify all the 

 points, though not very important, which have varied. If it be 

 admitted that these differences are due to culture, authors perhaps 

 will not be so ready to assume the existence of a large number 

 of unknown wild parent-stocks for our other cultivated plants. 

 The gooseberry is not alluded to by writers of the classical period. 

 Turner mentions it in 157B, and Parkinson specifies eight varieties 

 in 1629 ; the Catalogue of the Horticultural Society for ISi- gives 

 149 varieties, and the lists of the Lancashire nurseymen are said 

 to include abave 300 names.'"^ In the ' Gooseberry Grower's 

 Ilegister ' for iy6'2 I find that 24:3 distinct varieties have won prizes 

 at various periods, so that a vast number must have been exhibited. 

 No doubt the difference between many of the varieties is very 

 small ; but Mr. Thompson in classifying the fruit for the Horti- 

 cultural Society found less confusion in the nomenclature of the 

 gooseberi-y than of any other fruit, and he attributes this " to the 

 great interest which the prize-growers have taken in detecting 



>•" Jlr. D. Beaton, in 'Cottage 207. 

 Gardener,' 1860, p. 86. See also "» Mr. H. Doubleday in 'Gardener's 



Cottage Gardener,' 1855, p. 88, and Chron.,' 1862, p. 1101. 

 mnny other authorities. For the '"" ' Gardener's Chronicle,' 1854, p. 



Continent, see F. Gloede, in ' Gar- 254. 



uener's Chronicle,' 1862, p. 1053. '=' Loudon's ' Encyclop. of Garden- 



■ "« Rev. W. F. Radclytte, in 'Jour- ing ' p. 930; and Alph. De Candolle^ 



nal of Hort.,' March 14, 1865, p. ' Gcograph. Bot.,' p. 91u. 



