CHAPTER XT 



VARIETIES OF GOOSEBERRIES 



The gooseberries cultivated for fruit nearly all 

 belong to two closely related species, Ribes grossularia 

 of Europe and Ribes oxyacanthoides of North America. 

 These species are so much alike that if we were accus- 

 tomed to take a broader view of the plants of the world 

 and the influences which affect them, we might easily 

 consider them a single species, and their differences due 

 to climate and location rather than to inherent charac- 

 teristics. As elsewhere stated, the horticultural differ- 

 ences are more marked than the purely botanical dif- 

 ferences. The European species has been long in cul- 

 tivation and its fruit greatly improved, at least in size 

 and appearance, while the American, being young in 

 cultivation, is far behind in size, though superior in 

 quality. The English varieties all have a thick, rough 

 skin, that detracts from their value, and they are even 

 more sour than our own. The susceptibility of Eng- 

 lish varieties to mildew, which has been the chief 

 cause of their failure in the United States, is really 

 the most prominent distinction between the two spe- 

 cies at the present time. The European type is essen- 

 tially a stocky and close grower (Fig. 70), whereas 

 the American type is a slender and open grower 

 (Fig. 71). 



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