CHAP. II. DESSERT FRUITS. 267 



Pereskia aculeata. 



BARBADOES GOOSEBERRY. 



A Cactus kind of plant, with round, prickly, succulent stems ; 

 native of the West Indies, and not uncommon about Calcutta. 

 Dr. Voigt states that it does not flower here ; but that seemingly 

 is a mistake. 



The fruit is said by Mackintosh to be less esteemed in point 

 of flavour than most of the other Cactuses. In that case its 

 unproductiveness here can be little matter for regret. 



GROSSULARIACE.E. 

 Ribes rubrum and R. nigrum. 



CURRANTS. 



The attempt to cultivate the Currant-tree in the plains of 

 India has been frequently made, but always been attended with 

 signal failure. Plants have often been raised from seed, as well 

 as on one or two occasions been imported in ships that have 

 brought ice from America. There does not indeed seem the 

 least probability of the plant ever being brought to succeed in 

 any part of India. In Lower Bengal, more particularly, it has 

 been found quite impossible to keep it alive through the Hot 

 and Kain seasons. On the Nilgherries Currant-trees manage to 

 live, but do not thrive even there, and their cultivation is at- 

 tended with very unsuccessful results. At Ferozepore I raised 

 a plant of the Black Currant from seed in the Cold season, and 

 managed to preserve it during the heat and Kains until the 

 following Cold season. But it perished then, as often happens 

 with delicate plants, upon the effort to start into growth at the 

 approach of a season more congenial to them. 



Ribes grossularia. 



GOOSEBERRY. 



Every attempt to cultivate the Gooseberry in the plains of 

 India has uniformly proved a failure. The climate is so utterly 

 unsuited to it that it cannot even exist here. 



