PROMISING WILD FRUITS— IV. 



MANY DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH. 



^ OOSEBERRIES.— The improvement 

 of our American gooseberries has 

 only begun. When we think of 

 the wonderful results obtained 

 „ from the wild gooseberry of 



^^^^^^Sl/.i^^M^ Europe, we have no need to re- 

 main satisfied with the degree of 

 success obtained in this country, 

 where we have at least a dozen 

 species nearly equal to the /ii'ii^s Crossularia of the Old 

 World. We need varieties of compact upright habit, able 

 to withstand drought, free from spines and prickles on 



fruit and bush, the fruit of large size, and produced in 

 such abundance as only gooseberries can be. Why may 

 we not also have gooseberries cultivated for use in the 

 ripe condition ? A little more of the gooseberry flavor 

 and rather fewer seeds would make them an excellent 

 dessert fruit to use ripe. Has not fashion something to do 

 now in the almost exclusive use of gooseberries in the 

 green state ? Or is it because we have not learned the 

 delicious flavor of some of our native gooseberries 

 when fully ripe ? 



For the improvement of our wild species, selection 

 and continued planting from seed is all that is neces- 



