Edible Wild Fruits of New York. 



long chiefly to two genera, Gaylussacia and Vaccinium, in which the 

 calyx, or cup of the flower is adherent to the ovary and forms with 

 it a part of the fruit, just as it does in the apple, pear, quince and 

 June berry. We therefore find the fruit in all these cases crowned 

 with the persistent lobes of the calyx. But it is a little remarkable 

 that, while many members of the Kose family are cultivated for their 

 fruit, only one of the Heath family is thus honored, and its cultiva- 

 tion is of peculiar character and of comparatively recent date. Indeed, 

 it has been claimed by some that the edible, fruited plants of this 

 family are impatient of cultivation, and, like some wild animals, are 

 so thoroughly wild that they resist all attempts to domesticate them. 

 I am not disposed to agree to such a claim, but believe that these 

 plants, with wise and judicious treatment, can be brought under cul- 

 tivation and control, and be made to yield much larger and better 

 crops of fruit than they do in the wild state. Our huckleberries were 

 formerly classed with the blueberries,, which they closely resemble in 

 habit and general character, but they differ from them in the inner 

 structure of the fruit and in the resinous-dotted foliage. For these 

 reasons they have been placed in a separate genus. 



The dangle berry, or blue tangles (Gaylussacia frondosa) is 

 found on Long Island and in some of the southern counties of the 

 State, rarely in the western part. It is a shrub, three to six feet high, 

 has the leaves minutely dotted on the under surface, and bears loose 

 clusters of blue berries about the size of large peas. It is scarcely 

 abundant enough in our State to be of much economic importance. 

 The huckleberry, or black huckleberry (Gaylussacia resinosa) is a 

 smaller shrub, commonly about two feet high. Its leaves are glandu- 

 lar-dotted on both sides and its fruit is black. It is much more 

 abundant than the preceding species and is found in nearly all parts 

 of the State. It is not very particular about its place of growth, oc- 

 curring in thin woods and in cleared places, growing on mountain 

 tops and on sandy plains, rejoicing alike in wet or swampy places, in 

 shaded ravines or in open, rocky places. It enlivens many waste dis- 

 tricts and renders useful and productive much land that without it 

 would be almost valueless. Though this fruit is more dry and seedy 

 than the blueberries, it nevertheless is in good demand and finds a 

 ready sale at fair prices in our markets, the entire supply of which, so 

 far as I am aware, comes from the wild plants. It varies somewhat in 

 shape, being either globose or oval. Its color is sometimes dull black, 

 sometimes shining black, and in rare instances it is said to be whitish. 

 This tendency in the fruit to vary indicates a susceptibility to im- 



