THE BERBERRY. 243 



CHAPTER XL 



THE BERBERRY. 



Barberis vulgaris* L. Berberacece, of botanists. 



Epine-vinette, of the French ; Berberitzen, German ; Berbero, Italian ; 



Berberis, Spanish. 



THE Berberry (or barberry) is a common prickly shrub, from 

 eight to ten feet high, which grows wild in both hemispheres, 

 and is particularly abundant in many parts of New England. 

 The flowers, the roots, and the inner wood are of the brightest 

 yellow colour, and the small crimson fruit is borne in clusters. 

 It is a popular but fallacious notion, entertained both here and in 

 England, that the vicinity of this plant, in any quantity, to grain 

 fields, causes the rust. 



The barberry is too acid to eat, but it makes an agreeable pre- 

 serve and jelly, and an ornamental pickle for garnishing some 

 dishes. From the seedless sort is made in Rouen a celebrated 

 sweetmeat, confiture d? epine-vinette. The inner bark is used in 

 France for dyeing silk and cotton a bright yellow. 



CULTURE. The culture is of the easiest description. A rich 

 light soil gives the largest fruit. It is easily propagated by seed, 

 layers, or suckers. When fine fruit of the barberry is desired 

 it should be kept trained to a single stem as the suckers which 

 it is liable to produce, frequently render it barren, or make the 

 fruit small. 



COMMON RED. 



This is too well known to need description. In good soils it 

 grows twelve or fifteen feet high, and its numerous clusters of 

 bright, oval berries, are very ornamental in autumn. There is 

 a Large Red variety of this, which is only a variation pro- 

 duced by cultivation in rich soil. There are also varieties of 

 this in Europe with pale yellow, white^&nd purple fruit, which 

 are not yet introduced into this country, and which scarcely differ 

 in any other respect than the colour. Finally, there is a so- 

 called sweet variety of the common Berberry from Austria 

 (B. v. dulcis), but it is scarcely less acid than the common. 



* Or B. Canadensis they are scarcely distinct ours has rather the 

 most fleshy berry. 



