New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 609 



dark purplish-black, covered with heavy bloom, inclined to shatter when over-ripe, 

 firm; flesh greenish, juicy, faintly foxy, sweet at the skin but acid at the center; good 

 in quality; seeds adhere somewhat to the pulp, of medium size. 



GOOSEBERRY. 



Chautauqua is not a new variety and it is surprising that growers 

 have not more generally planted it. None of the American goose- 

 berries can compete with Chautauqua and for a number of years 

 the variety has held its own against the only other commonly grown 

 European sort, Industry. Whether the Chautauqua is a pure-bred 

 European gooseberry or not, the fact remains that mildew, the 

 greatest enemy of the Old World varieties, affects it but little. The 

 bush has the habit of the European varieties and in its stocky, 

 compact, upright growth and thick, dark, shining, healthy leaves, 

 surpasses many of the best of the Europeans. At first on the grounds 

 of this Station Chautauqua was lacking in fruitfulness, but for 

 some years past there have been abundant harvests; in 1913, for 

 example, the variety yielded at the rate of 14,665 pounds per acre 

 with plants set six by five feet apart. The fruit is usually of full 

 size and ready for picking the first or second week of July. It is 

 not safe to delay the harvesting of the fruit because of danger of 

 sunscald — although this variety is no more subject to such injury 

 than other varieties. A gooseberry sold under the name Columbus 

 appears to be identical with Chautauqua. There are a few other 

 European sorts which closely resemble the Chautauqua, as Freedom. 

 Wellington Glory and Portage. 



The origin of Chautauqua is not known. Plants were received 

 at this Station in 1888 from the Lewis Roesch Company, Fredonia, 

 New York, with the following account: " About 1876, Mr. Lewis 

 Roesch, Fredonia, New York, first observed the plants growing in 

 an old garden in Dunkirk, New York, and was so pleased with them 

 that he secured permission to layer some of the plants for purposes 

 of propagation. The plants were strong growers, great bearers 

 of very large fruit of good quality and did not then mildew although 

 mildew appeared later. Mr. Roesch was unable to learn the name 

 of the variety. The party of whom he secured the stock did not 

 know the variety, having secured it of a neighbor who had obtained 

 it of some nurseryman. Chas. Downing saw the fruit and was 

 of the opinion that it was some English variety or a seedling of one. 

 39 



