AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



345 



or produced by the action of insects, or by wounding the bark 

 for the purpose. It resembles a fig, but is of extreme bitter- 

 ness until opened by the nail or some sharp instrument, so that 

 a portion of its milky juice exudes, when it ripens and becomes 

 of a dull sweet, but luscious and not very wholesome. The 

 tree yields it abundantly and constantly, in Jewish parlance 

 " bearing seven times a year." This excoriation of the bark 

 and opening of the " fruit" seems to have been the employ- 

 ment of the prophet (Amos, vii., 14), who was a gatherer, or, 

 rather, a " dresser" or " scraper" of sycamore fruit. 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 



Fig. 215. 



a. Crown Eob. 



c. Houghton''^ SifrlliQ!^ 



b. Whitesmith. 



Almost every variety 

 of gooseben-y cultivated 

 among us is of European 

 origin, and generally, in 

 our climate, subject to a 

 mould or mildew upon 

 the fruit, that destroys 

 the crop. It is true, this 

 may be measurably, and 

 m some seasons entirely 

 avoided by careful win- 

 ter pruning, moderate 

 shade by planting them 



