“A 
WHITE-PINE BLISTER RUST IN WESTERN EUROPE. 9 
Other members of the American five-leaved pine group have been 
introduced into Europe, but only for ornamental and experimental 
planting. The sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), the most valuable 
commercial timber tree on the Pacific coast, was introduced into 
England by Douglas in 1827 and later into other European coun- 
tries. The western white pine (Pinus monticola), since its introduc- 
tion into England by Douglas shortly after 1831, has been planted 
here and there in the British Isles and European countries as an 
ornamental tree (72). The limber pine (Pinus flexilis), a native of 
the Rocky Mountain region, has been planted scatteringly in Europe 
for ornamental and experimental purposes. Specimens are to be 
found in the British Isles, Belgium, France (fig. 2), Norway, Swe- 
den, and Germany, but there are no extensive plantations. Others 
more rarely found are P. albicaulis, P. balfouriana, P. monophylla, 
and the Mexican white pine (P. ayacahuite). These trees have no 
commercial future in Europe, but are valued and sought continually 
for park and arboretum planting by tree enthusiasts. The Him- 
alayan white pine (P2nus excelsa) and the Balkan white pine (Pinus 
peuce), both five-needle species, indicate favorable growth possibili- 
ties combined with more or less resistance to Cronartium ribicola 
and will undoubtedly become more popular abroad for forest 
planting. 
IMPORTANCE OF CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES. 
Currants and gooseberries are universally grown in the cultivated 
areas of western Europe and are far more extensively used abroad 
than in this country, fulfilling many demands, such as making jellies, 
jams, pastries, and wine. Black currants (ibes nigrum) generally 
predominate, although red currants, gooseberries, and ornamental 
species are common. Wild Ribes are usually limited to five species, 
R. rubrum, Rk. nigrum, PR. grossularia, R. alpinum, and PR. petraeum. 
In several countries only the first four occur, but not abundantly. 
This scarcity, however, is more than compensated for by the presence 
of the cultivated bushes, which are everywhere valued as a small fruit. 
Some 35 varieties of Ribes nigrum are described in the fruit cata- 
logue of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Currant bushes frequently form the principal ornament in some of 
the gardens of European country cottages, and it is often customary 
to train the bushes against the walls of the house. There are nearly 
200 varieties of gooseberries, including yellow, green, white, and red, 
which are made into jams and jellies. The wine made from the best 
yellow gooseberries has a flavor resembling champagne. Single 
gooseberries have weighed as much as 175 ounces (troy weight). At 
Duffield, near Derby, England, a bush 46 years old had a circular 
spread of 12 yards, and bushes at Chesterfield, England, trained 
against a wall, measured 50 feet from one extremity to the other (3). 
The northernmost point at which R7bes rubrum grows is near 
Hammerfest, Norway, some 300 miles above the Arctic Circle. Other 
species, as 2. nigrum, R. grossularia, and R. alpinum, are also found 
growing above the Arctic Circle.® Ribes species are essentially 
adapted to a cold moist region, and in Europe they usually do not 
® Notes from the Botanical Museum, Christiania, Norway. 
55162°—24 2 
