268 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY . 
(see above) in 1586, it might be anticipated that it would not be long 
before a white-fruited form would appear, and in 1598, in Bauhin's ( 18 ) 
edition of Matthiolus, we find the first record of such a variety. Many 
sweet Red Currants have been recorded from time to time, both wild 
and cultivated, and the first record seems to be by Lobel in 1576 ( u ) 
and Bauhin, Clusius, and others all mention this form. From the 
end of the seventeenth century the Red Dutch Currant overshadowed 
all others. We find it in England in 1678, when Worlidge ( 19 ) remarks 
that the English Red, once in esteem, is now " cut out," and in Ray's 
M History of Plants," ( 20 ) where the common, large red, and white are 
given. 
In Evelyn's " Sylva," Miller's "Dictionary," and Langley's 
" New Principles of Gardening," the same varieties figure, and when we 
reach the year 1724 we find that the old Red has been nearly dis- 
placed, as Switzer ( 21 ) says it is " not worth planting in comparison 
with the great dark red. " The same writer mentions also a large White 
Dutch and also a Yellow Dutch. This makes a distinction between 
the cloudy-white fruits (called perlee in France) and the more trans- 
parent yellow varieties, though in this country they are all called 
" white " indiscriminately. As to the introduction of Ribes rubrum 
no exact information exists, but it would seem probable that it was 
of comparatively recent date. The well-known (and much mixed) 
' Raby Castle ' is the only definite case which can with accuracy be 
quoted. This variety was raised about 1820, and, as has been said 
above, is a pure descendant of Ribes rubrum var. pubescens. 
Up to this time we have, therefore, clear evidence that all the three 
species described at the beginning of this paper had been introduced 
into Currant history. In the year 1840, however, a parcel of Currants 
was received by M. Adrien Seneclause, of Bourg- Argent al, France, 
which bore fruit of remarkable size. They were sent from Italy 
and labelled Ribes acerijolium. These were soon growing in the 
Jardin des Plantes, and there seen by M. Laurent de Bavay. Of the 
origin of this plant nothing can be found. In flower they resemble 
exactly Ribes vulgar e, but the leaf is larger, more coriaceous, and of a 
curious milky green. Whether it is the result of a cross with some of 
the lesser-known species of Ribes, or if they must be simply labelled, 
as by Janczewski, as mutations, it is impossible as yet to say. This 
introduction was, however, of the greatest importance in Red Currant 
history, for from these plants came that section called " macrocarpum," 
of which the ' Versaillaise,' ' Cherry,' and ' Fay's Prolific ' are represen- 
tatives. The general characters of very large, thick leaves, extremely 
stout wood, and large berries make them easily recognizable among 
all other varieties. From the strong shoots comes the habit they 
all have, in varying degrees, of breaking off at the base of the shoots. 
It must be observed that, whatever its origin, this new section was 
accepted in France as a distinct and valuable novelty, and from that 
date a very large number of new introductions have the " macro- 
carpum " characters very markedly in their composition. 
