26 POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



Currants. — A curious variety of the grape, which, besides 

 its extreme smallness, is also deficient in seeds or stones. 

 Originally Corinth was the principal place of its culture, — 

 whence the name Currants, or, as they were formerly called, 

 Corinths. Enormous quantities are cultivated in the Greek 

 Islands of Patras, Corfu, Licata, Zante, Ithaca, etc., which 

 are dried and trod into large casks, and exported. The im- 

 ports of Great Britain exceed 21,000 tons annually. This 

 fruit is largely consumed in confectionery and culinary pre- 

 parations, by all classes of people, and is very much esteemed. 



The Fig. Ficus Carica. (Nat. Ord. Urticacece.) (Plate V. 

 fig. 22.) 



The fig is a peculiar form of fruit, differing materially 

 from most others in its botanical characters : it is, in fact, 

 nothing more than an inverted fleshy receptacle. It may be 

 explained thus : examine the sunflower, and it will be found 

 that the large head (capitulum) or flower, as it is commonly 

 termed, consists of a great number of small florets, placed close 

 to each other, upon the surface of a flat disc or receptacle ; 

 now we have only to imagine this receptacle turned up at 

 the edges until they meet all round, the florets would then 

 be enclosed, and we should have a fruit similar to the fig. 

 After the internal florets of the fig have performed their 



