FEITITS. VAEIETIES AND CULTUEE. 363 



yellowish flowers, which ripen early in the spring. The 

 fruit ripens with the later strawberries and raspberries. 

 It succeeds and thrives admirably in our mountain sec- 

 tions, and will live and bear tolerably well here in a cool 

 northern exposure, but would probably die the first sea- 

 son near the sea-coast. 



The fruit is of an agreeable acid taste ; when ripe it is 

 used with sugar at the dessert, and also alone, or mixed 

 with raspberries, for jams, jellies, and wine. It is used 

 both green or ripe for stewing, tarts and pies. In cool 

 climates it is the most easily cultivated and useful of 

 small fruits. 



The Currant is propagated from cuttings, which should 

 be planted in the fall in a shaded place, but not under 

 trees ; the north side of a plank fence is an excellent situa- 

 tion, provided it is open to the morning sun. 



The Currant requires a moist, rich soil, and should be 

 trained as a bush. All the pruning it requires is to cut 

 out the superabundant old wood, and to shorten that of 

 the last season's growth. 



The varieties we have cultivated are : 



Red Dutch. Fruit of large size, oblate, borne in clus- 

 ters, and less acid than the common red ; color, fine trans- 

 parent red. 



White Dutch. Large, yellowish-white, less acid than 

 the red varieties. 



"We could describe several other varieties, but not 

 having had any success with them, we only give those 

 with which we have succeeded. 



THE FIG, (Ficus Carica.) 



The fig is a large shrub, or a low, spreading tree, accord- 

 ing to the manner in which it is trained. Some varieties 

 grow to the height of twenty or thirty feet, in favorable 



