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Show 354: FRUITS. CllA.P, X,' . · t s but is easily burnt hardiest kinds, and .can _withstand lluss~~nc;:i~rs~ils either in England by the sun, so that It will not succeed . b . " requires more or tho United Statos.ns Tho Filbert Pml o tStranwco e:~er from drought, wn.tor than any ot h or van·e ty •· and if t.h o p·da n, s o . 119 Cuthill's Black Prmce they will do little or . no good afterw~I ~dew: no loss than six cases Strawberry evinces a smgular tendon~y. 0 eroly whilst other varieties have been recorded of this varie~y su er;lng t~oov sam~ manner, wore not at growing close by, and treated mh oxt~c y f maturity differs much in tbo . . t d 1 tl . fungus I2o T e Jmo o ' . d all mfos c >Y 11s · . t th ood or alpine sectiOn pro uce different varieties; some bolongmg 0 e w. a succession of crops throug~out the summ;~elieve has hitherto doubted GoostbmTy (!hbes .IJ?"ossulm·u;,).-No ono, th '"ld pln.nt bearing this that all tho cultivated kinds aro sprundgNfrotmh rn ;~~ope. therefore it will . 1 . ·n Centml an or c ' name, wluc 1 IS common J . ' . t though not very important, be desirable br~ofiy to . ~poCify al~ ;~~ s~~~ t;~oso differences arc duo to cuiwhich llavo val'lod. If lt_bo admit cso ready to assume tho existence of a ttuo, authors porhn.ps will _ not ~o t-stocks for our other cultivated plants. largo number of_un known wJld ptn enwritors of tho classical period. Turner Tbo gooseberry JS not alluded _to by . 1G29 specifics eight varieties; tho mentions it in 1573, a~1J. Parlnnso~, m r u{42 i vos 149 varieties, and tho Catalogue of the IIo~·t1Cultuml Socwty fo "d to fnclude above 000 namos.121 lists of tho Lancasluro nurserymen. arc. ~al 18 G2' I find that 243 distinct In tho ' Gooseberry Grower'.s Hcgister .·or . so that a vast number must varieties have _a~ various pcnods wo~k~~~:~~ between many of tho varieties have been oxlubttcd. No doubt tbe . 1 ifying tho fruit for the Ilortiis very small; but Mr. Thomps~n _m ~:s:ho nomencln.ture of the goosecultural Society found. lo.ss. con ~s~~n attributes this "to the groat interest berry than of_ any other fnut, ::1 . detecting sorts with wrmJg names," which tho pn7.c-growors havek. dwn m morous as they are, can bo rccogand this shows that all tho m s, nu nisod with certainty. b · t spreading , l d"fl' . in their manner of growth, mng oroc' or ' 'Ihe bus lOS ~,~~ eriods of loafing and flowering differ both absoluto~y or pondul?us. I - p . thus tho Whitesmith produces early flowois, an~ relatively tol ~a~h ~t~~~ted by the foliage, as it is believed, continually wh1ch from not )OJDo pro . t" t d · depth of lobes· f: "l to pr·odtlCO fi·uit 122 Tho loaves vary in size, m 'an m h . ' m · f The branc os arc they are smooth, downy, or ~lairy_o~ t~~ "';ic~~~~:~ a~:~ probably de~·ived ::r~a:o l~:~;o:oy s~~;:o~ristiy condition of its shoots an~h fr:i~~ The branches of tho wild goo~beny f !h m~y a:em~~~ :~~r~:~~eU:sclvcs tho exception of thorns at the asos o e u ' . d t . . l . they ru·o are either very small, few and single, or very largo an np o ' JIB Rev. W. F. Radclyffe, in 'Journa~ of Ifol't.,' MnTch 14, 18G5, p. 207. 119 Mr. H. Doublcdtty in • GaTdencT's Chrun.,' 1 u2, p. 1101. 120 • Gardener's Chronicle,' 1854, P· 251:. 121 Loudon's • Encyclop. of Gardening,' p. 930; and Alph. De Candollc, • Gcogrnph. Dot.,' P· fllO. . , 122 Lomlon's 'Gardener's :M:agnzmc, vol. iv. 1828, p. 112. CriA.P, X. TilE GOOSEDERRY. 355' sometimes roflexod and much dilated at their bases. In the different varieties tho fruit varies in abundance, in the period of maturity, in hanging until shrivelled, and greatly in size, "some sorts having their fruit largo during a very early period of growth, whilst others are small until nearly ripo." The fruit varies also much in colour, being red, yellow, green, and white-the pulp of one dark-rod gooseberry being tinged with yellow; in flavour; in being smooth or downy,-few, however, of tho Red gooseberries, whilst many of tho so-called Whites, aro downy; or in being so spinose that one kind is called Henderson's Porcupine. 'l'wo kinds acquire when mature a powdery bloom on their fruit. The fruit varies in the thickness and veining of tho skin, and, lastly, in shape, being spherical, oblong, oval, or obovato.123 I cultivated fifty-four varieties, and, considering how groat1y the fruit differs, it was curious how closely similar the flowers wore in all these kinds. In only a few I detected a trace of difference in tho size or colour of tho corolla. Tho calyx differed in a rather greater degree, for in some kinds it was much redder than in others; and in one smooth wl1ito gooseberry it was unusually rod. Tho calyx also differed in tho basal part being smooth or woolly, or covered with glandular hairs. It deserves notice, as being contrary to what might have boon expected from tho law of correlation, that a smooth red gooseberry had a remarkably hairy calyx. The flowers of the Sportsman are furnished with very largo coloured bractero; and this is the most singular deviation of structure which I have observed. These same flowers also varied much in the number of the petals, and occasionally in tho number of tho stamens and pistils; so that they wore semi-monstrous in structure, yet they produced plenty of fruit. Mr. Thompson remarks that in the Pastime gooseberry "extra bracts are " often attached to the sides of the fruit." 124 The most interesting point in the history of the gooseberry is the steady increase in the size of the fruit. Manchester is the metropolis of the fanciers, and prizes from five shillings to five or ten pounds are yearly given for the heaviest fruit. The 'Gooseberry Grower's Register' is published annually; the earliest known copy is dated 1786, but it is certain that meetings for the adjudication of prizes were held some years previously. '25 Tho ' Register ' for 1845 gives an account of 171 Gooseberry Shows, held in different places during that year; and this fact shows on how large a scale tho culture bas been carried on. The fruit of the wild gooseberry is said 120 to weigh about a quarter of an ounce or 5 dwts., that is, 120 grains; about the year 17B6 gooseberries were exhibited weighing 10 dwts., so that the weight was then doubled; in 1817 26 dwts.17 grs. was attained; there was no advance till1825, when 31 dwts. 16 grs. was reached; in 123 Tho fullest account of tho gooseberry is given by Mr. Thompson in 'Transact. IIort. Soc.,' vol. i., 2nd seTies, 1835, p. 218, from which most of tho foregoing facts arc given. 124 ' Uatalogue of Fruits of Hort. Soc. Garden,' 3rd edit. 1842. 12s Mr. Olarlcson, of Manchester, on tho Culture of the Goosebcny, in Loudon's 'Gn.rdeneT's Magazine,' vol. iv. 1828, p. 482. J2G Downing's 'Fruits of America,' p. 213. 2 A 2 |