LUTHER BURBANK 



gate them. If I had worked with a single species, 

 more immediate commercial results might have 

 been attained. Much of the work with currants 

 was done for its aesthetic and scientific interest 

 rather than for immediate commercial prospects. 

 The Gooseberry 



The currant has a very close relative which 

 vies with it in popularity, particularly in England 

 — the familiar gooseberry. This plant, indeed, is 

 in reality a currant that has developed or re- 

 tained the habit of bearing prickles both on the 

 stem and on the fruit itself. 



This is the practical distinction between the 

 gooseberry and other varieties of currants. All 

 the plants of this tribe belong to the same genus. 

 There are some species in California that puzzle 

 a botanist as to whether they should be classified 

 as currants or gooseberries. 



In Europe, and particularly in England, the 

 gooseberry has been cultivated with the greatest 

 possible care and through selection the fruit has 

 been brought to a very large size, superior qual- 

 ity, and unusual productiveness. 



But unfortunately the thorns have never been 

 eliminated, except in the case of one or two in- 

 ferior varieties. These were offered several years 

 ago by an English firm, but their quality of fruit 

 was so inferior that they have not become popular, 



[160] 



