CHAPTER XX. 

 THE CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY. 



262. The Red and White Currants. Although we have 

 many varieties of the cultivated currants in Europe and 

 America, all except what are known as black currants 

 belong to one species (Ribes rubrum). With the red and 

 white currants there has been no intermingling of species, 

 and when we grow our garden varieties from seed they 

 vary but little. If we plant the seed of such old varieties 

 as Eed and White Dutch and Victoria, we have a very near 

 reproduction of the parents, except that the color may 

 vary. Those who have planted the seeds of the Fay report 

 that nearly half of the. seedlings bear white or yellow fruit. 

 Professor Card says: "Perhaps through it's long sojourn 

 in the low countries the currant has inherited something 

 of the staid Dutch qualities of the inhabitants, and does 

 not readily depart from long-established customs." But 

 no cultivated fruit responds more promptly to good treat- 

 ment in the way of culture, manure, and proper pruning. 

 In the same vicinity we find the old varieties differing so 

 much in size and quality as to lead to belief that they were 

 distinct varieties. 



Botanists say that the wild red currants of this continent 

 belong to the species found over Europe. But as yet we 

 have no cultivated native variety of value. All our varieties 

 have been imported from Europe or grown from seed of 

 the foreign varieties. 



The fruit is each year becoming more general in demand 



273 



