THE BERBERRY. 
243 
CHAPTER XI. 
THE BERBERRY. 
Barberis vulgaris* L. Berberacece , of botanists. 
Epine-vinette, of the French ; Berberitzen, German ; Berbero , Ital. an ; 
Berberis , Spanish. 
The Berberry (or barberry) is a common prickly shrub, from 
eight to ten feet high, which grows wild in both hemispheres, 
and is particularly abundant in many parts of New England. 
The flowers, the roots, and the inner wood are of the brightest 
yellow colour, and the small crimson fruit is borne in clusters. 
It is a popular but fallacious notion, entertained both here and in 
England, that the vicinity of this plant, in any quantity, to grain 
fields, causes the rust. 
The barberry is too acid to eat, but it makes an agreeable pre- 
serve and jelly, and an ornamental pickle for garnishing some 
dishes. From the seedless sort is made in Rouen a celebrated 
sweetmeat, confiture d' epine-vinette. The inner bark is used in 
France for dyeing silk and cotton a bright yellow. 
Culture. The culture is of the easiest description. A rich 
light soil gives the largest fruit. It is easily propagated by seed, 
layers, or suckers. When fine fruit of the barberry is desired 
it should be kept trained to a single stem — as the suckers which 
it is liable to produce, frequently render it barren, or make the 
fruit small. 
Common Red. 
This is too well known to need description. In good soils it 
grows twelve or fifteen feet high, and its numerous clusters of 
bright, oval berries, are very ornamental in autumn. There is 
a Large Red variety of this, which is only a variation pro- 
duced by cultivation in rich soil. There are also varieties of 
this in Europe with pale yellow, white, and purple fruit, which 
are not yet introduced into this country, and which scarcely differ 
in any other respect than the colour. Finally, there is a so- 
called sweet variety of the common Berberry from Austria 
(JB. v. dulcis ), but it is scarcely less acid than the common. 
* Or B. Canadensis — they are scarcely distinct — ours has rather tha 
most fleshy berry. 
