A GRAND CLUSTER OF BERRIES 40 



are not at all according to the requirements of the bog cranberry. 

 A huckleberry (V actinium ovatum) is largely gathered in the red- 

 wood region of northern California, for canning and pie-making. 

 The berries are juicy and delicious, and the preserved fruit has a 

 very agreeable flavor. In one year as many as two thousand boxes 

 were profitably gathered on the hills of western Sonoma county. 



Other Berries. There are many small, wild fruits, commonly 

 designated as berries, which are of considerable botanical interest. 

 The fruit, too, may be said to be edible, judging by the taste of 

 Indians, birds, and wild beasts, but not likely to be much more than 

 ornamental in the eyes of white people. They may be briefly 

 enumerated : 



The "manzanita" (Arctostaphylos manzanita), the "little apple" 

 of the Spaniard, bears a rather dry but sub-acid fruit. 



The "bear berry" (Arctostaphylos uvaursi) is esteemed by the 

 Indians both as food and medicine. 



The "western buffalo berry" (Shepherdia argentea) has small 

 acid edible fruits. 



The "salal" (a species of Gaultheria), small fruit, either red or 

 purple, is also a favorite of the aborigines. 



Of "barberries" we have three species of Berberis. One, aqui- 

 folium, is called the "Oregon grape," chiefly notable for its hand- 

 some bloom, which has been chosen the State flower of Oregon. 

 The fruit is dark blue, and the root is said to be a febrifuge. An- 

 other species (nervosd) has a larger fruit, which is esteemed in 

 cookery; and a third species (pinnata) bears a small, pleasant- 

 flavored fruit. It is the Lena amarilla of the Spanish Californians. 



Our "service berry" (Amelanchier alnifolia) is from a quarter 

 to a third of an inch in diameter and of a purple color. 



The "lemon berry" is a fruit of Rhus integrifolia, and is coated 

 with an acid exudation which is said to dissolve in water and make 

 a pleasant drink. The fruit of Rhus trilobata is said to have both 

 a sweet and an acid coating. 



The berries of the "toyon" or "tollon" (Heteromelcs arbutifolia), 

 or "California holly," are said to be eaten by Indians, but they serve 

 the white people a better purpose in Christmas decorations. 



The "jujube " of commerce (Zizyphus jujuba) has a local rela- 

 tive in Zizyphus parryi, which is, however, dry, and mealy, rather 

 than juicy. 



The "beach strawberry," or "sea fig," is the fruit of Mescmbrian- 

 themuni acquilatcrale, a relative of the ice-plant. The good-sized 

 fruit is gathered along the seashore, and remotely suggests a straw- 

 berry. 



Wild Olive (Forestieria Neo-mexicana), This is a tall willow- 

 like shrub, found in springy places on the borders of the Mojave 

 Desert. It bears an abundance of small fruits which, from their 

 botanical relationship to the olive, have attracted some attention, 



