Pakt III 



THE GROSELLES* 



CHAPTER XII 



CURRANTS 



The currant, though less extensively cultivated than 

 some of the other small fruits, fills an important 

 place in the pomology of our country. Its sprightly 

 and healthful qualities render it desirable to the con- 

 sumer, and its staple character makes it a compara- 

 tively safe crop for the producer. As before inti- 

 mated, it is almost wholly a northern fruit, having 

 no commercial importance in the southern states. 

 Neither currants nor gooseberries receive notice in 

 "Florida Fruits," by Helen Harcourt, though other 

 small fruits do. It does not prosper in hot and dry 

 climates. Even in Nebraska it does not succeed well. 

 The plants thrive and look healthy, but are com- 

 I)aratively unproductive, so far as I have been able to 



*I find no English word in use which includes both currants and gooseberries. 

 Since there is an evident need for such a term, I have adopted the word groselle. 

 This is a modification of the old French word groiselle, or groisselle, which was 

 used for both these fruits before a separate term was employed to designate the 

 currant. The present French word groseille, meaning a gooseberry, also formerly 

 included both. 



V (337) 



