182 



most important uses is that of being pounded up with chopped 

 meat and the mass frozen for winter use, the " Pemmican " of the 

 Canadians. In the northwest occurs a similar group {A. ahiifolius, 

 A. Cusickii, etc.), regarded as the best and most important fruit of 

 the region. The Canadian Amelanchier is common about New 

 York, where it is known as shad-bush, but it rarely fruits so far 

 south. We have, however, several small shrubby species, like 

 blue-berries, which produce delicious sugary black fruits. 



Of our blackberries, raspberries, grapes and plums, I shall not 



:ultivated forn 



tapt fac 



known. It may be mentioned in passing that the wild red cherry 

 {Primus Pennsylvania) so very abundant everywhere to the 

 northward, is far from worthless when well-grown and perfectly 



cidedly rich in flavor. Its chief defect is the small amount of 

 flesh in comparison with the large stones. Our common wild 



but these consist almost wholly of the large stone, the flesh 

 being so slight in amount and of such poor quality that their use 

 on its account is out of the question. These fruits are largely used 

 by the Indians for the sake of the seeds contained within the 



ind this 



/ell-knc 



arding our s 



londs. The forn 



poisonous, but intensely bitter. The cherries are close relatives 



ulars. The western Indians have learned that water will re- 

 move the objectionable substances and leave a very useful food 

 substance ; so they pound up these fruits in great quantity, 

 pulp and seeds together, and subject them to an ingenious 



