52 THE USES OF PLANTS. 



The CHERRY (Prunus Cerasus, L.), also repre- 

 sented by many varieties, is largely cultivated in 

 Kent. The liqueurs known as Cherry Brandy and 

 Kirschwasser are prepared from it. 



The APRICOT (Prunus armeniaca, L.), with us 

 merely a dessert fruit, is, when dried, an important 

 article of food in the East. It is now imported, 

 both fresh and in tins, from the United States. 



The PEACH (Amygdalus persica, L.) is now also 

 imported from America in large quantities, being 

 mainly ripened under glass in this country. The 

 NECTARINE is a smooth-skinned variety (var. Icevis) 

 with a distinct flavour. 



The GRAPE (Vitis vinifera, L.), probably originally 

 native to Western Asia, is cultivated between 30 

 and 40 N. lat., and in Cape Colony and South 

 Australia, for the manufacture of wine, and in colder 

 climates, under glass, as dessert fruit. We import 

 over 13,000,000 gallons of wine annually for home 

 consumption, half of which comes from Spain and 

 Portugal. 'Raisins' are the dried fruit, 'Valencias' 

 and ' Malagas' coming from Spain, ' Sultanas,' which 

 are naturally seedless, from Smyrna. We import 

 about 20,000 tons of the various kinds. ' Currants ' 

 are the dried fruit of a smaller seedless form (var. 

 corinthiacd), cultivated at Corinth, whence its name, 

 Patras, Zante, Ithaca, etc., of which we import twice 

 as great a weight as of raisins. They must not be 

 confused with the small black, red, and white fruits 

 of species of Ribes> known as ' Currants ' in our 

 gardens. We also import several hundred tons of 

 fresh grapes annually, mostly from Lisbon. 



