IMPROVEMENT OF SMALL FRUITS. 
507 
And if the goal is distant, and the length of 
the journey should affright any from the road, 
it should be remembered that vantage ground 
is gained at every step. Not only does every 
advance constitute an improvement in itself, 
but increased facilities for further advances 
are at the same time secured. 
What might be done for the strawberry ? 
Almost all our present varieties fruit early in 
the summer, and are comparatively soon gone 
by ; this is to some extent remedied by the 
skill of cultivators in providing succession 
crops, but why should not later varieties be 
originated which would produce their fruit 
so that naturally a longer succession might 
be realized ? Good late strawberries would be 
especially valuable. Something has already 
been done in this way. Not very long ago 
there were exhibited some fruit of a variety 
raised at Bicton, and named the Bicton Seed- 
ling — a useful late white fruit. "Why not from 
this and other late varieties now cultivated 
raise others later still, and so carry on the 
strawberry season throughout the summer ? 
These fruits if of good quality would be no 
more rejected in August or September, than 
in June or July. And if such things are 
thought lightly of now, it is only because the 
later varieties we possess are poor in quality 
compared with others. Here another avenue 
is opened. If their quality is indifferent, im- 
prove it : cross-breed with varieties of high 
flavour, and that flavour will sooner or later 
be secured in the late fruiting varieties. Objec- 
tions might be raised even to this. How, it 
may be inquired, can those varieties, possess- 
ing high flavour, whose season is past, be 
obtained to hybridize the varieties which are 
naturally late ? The importance of the result 
must here supply an inducement to resort to 
artificial means. Some of those kinds possess- 
ing the quality of high flavour must be treated 
so as to cause them to flower late — as late 
indeed as may be necessary, and thus the 
means of hybridizing must be provided. In 
extending the strawberry season late into the 
summer, the Alpine varieties might be taken 
as the basis of a series of experiments ; but in 
this case there would be abundant opportunities 
for improvement both as regards size and 
quality. 
What can be done for the raspberry ? Per- 
haps less than in most other kinds of small 
fruit. It is not clear that the flavour of the 
raspberry could be at all improved. There is 
probably not much to be gained in the way of 
imparting to it variety of appearance. The 
best varieties at least possess the property of 
size, in a considerable degree ; and though 
this might be enlarged upon, yet it does not 
seem to strike one as a very necessary change ; 
some of the present varieties, when well 
grown, may indeed be considered large. There 
does, however, seem to be one point at least 
on which an improvement might be wrought. 
Notwithstanding that the fruit is held in such 
universal estimation, the raspberry season is 
but of short duration. True, there is a double- 
bearing variety, as it is called, which fruits 
later than the other kinds ; this is valuable, so 
far, in itself, but we also take it as the earn- 
est of something further. It is, in fact, just 
the thing to work with ; and we have no doubt 
that a little well-directed energy would very 
shortly produce from it varieties which would 
materially prolong the raspberry season. 
What can be done for the gooseberry ? 
That the gooseberry cannot resist the power 
of improvement to which we are referring, 
there is ample evidence in the production of 
the prize varieties, for which Lancashire is 
famous. But the Lancashire growers breed 
only for size ; that quality they have indeed 
stamped upon the fruit in a very remarkable 
degree, but this of itself is not enough for the 
dessert, nor yet for the culinary department ; 
quality, not less than quantity, is a necessary 
recommendation in the garden of the con- 
noisseur. Gooseberry growers may, therefore, 
busy themselves to impart the flavour of the 
choicer kinds to the large show varieties that 
are now chiefly raised ; and, in doing this, 
they will have effected an improvement worthy 
of the effort. But why not also prolong the 
gooseberry season ? It is fully short enough. 
Some of the early kinds might, in time, be 
pushed a little nearer the vernal equinox than 
we now have them ; and this early race would 
not be injured by increased size, and more 
concentrated flavour. Then, again, with the 
late varieties. Might not new forms, later 
than any we now possess, be obtained ? and 
would not, in this case also, additional size 
constitute a further improvement ? These 
results are only waiting the well-directed 
efforts of some zealous individual to meet a 
full realization. 
What can be done for the currant ? We 
see no reason why bunches of currants should 
not, for size, bear a closer comparison than 
now, with bunches of grapes. The thing is 
by no means so ideal as it might at first seem 
to be. Were the berries double the size of 
those of the largest of our present varieties, 
and these, borne as we now see them, occa- 
sionally, from a dozen to a dozen and a half in 
a bunch, we should have a very respectable 
approach, if not to the clusters of Eshcol, at 
least to the more ordinary range of our culti- 
vated grapes. Some of the varieties bear fruit 
which is less acid, and less woody-tasted, than 
that of others : these qualities would, of course, 
be required in the new and improved series. 
Then, again, currants are a fruit which it is 
