208 A TEXT-BOOK OF BOTANY 
It is a member of the Nettle Family (Urticacee). As in 
flax, the fibers used occur in the superficial region of the 
stem, outside the regular wood fibers. The most extensive 
cultivation of hemp is in European Russia; and it is 
somewhat cultivated in the United States, especially in 
Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky. The name is applied 
also to any fiber that serves the same purposes as true 
hemp; for example, Manila hemp, which is obtained from 
a species of banana which is native in the Philippine Islands 
and extensively cultivated there. 
(2) Brerries.—The conspicuous berries not mentioned 
are the currants and the gooseberries, which are members of 
a small family (Saztfragacew) closely related to the Rose 
Family. These familiar plants belong to the same genus 
(Ribes) and are natives of the cool temperate regions. 
Therefore, their chief cultivation is in northern Europe and 
in the Northern United States and Canada. The ordinary 
varieties of white and red currants are well known and 
well cultivated in this country, but in no country has the 
gooseberry been developed to such size and quality as in 
England. 
(3) Graprs.—Grapes are true berries, but they are so 
important as to deserve separate mention. The genus is 
Vitis; and it gives name not only to the family (Vitaceie), 
but also to the culture of grapes (viticulture). The cultiva- 
tion of grapes for the manufacture of wine and raisins is as 
old as the history of man. The varieties cultivated in the 
Old World all belong to a single species (Vitts vinifera), 
which is now extensively grown in all countries bordering 
on the Mediterranean, and north to central Europe. This 
same Buropean vine was introduced on the Pacific slope by 
the early missionaries; and now, excepting a few famous 
regions in Europe, California leads in the production of 
wine and raisins, having the largest vineyards in the world. 
In the northeastern States, however, native varieties have 
