248 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



Champagne and White Eagle, the 

 last a large obovate berry, quite 

 smooth, very rick and refreshing, the 

 bush an upright grower. White Fig 

 is a small, smooth, white berry, not 

 far inferior to Pitmaston Green Gage, 

 and hence one of the finest in culti- 

 vation. The bush is of spreading 

 habit, and in exposed aspects often 

 suffers much from spring frosts. 

 Among the reds, the next best for 

 flavour after Eed Champagne is 

 Iloplei/s Companion. All points con- 

 sidered, Companiin is perhaps the 

 finest gooseberry known ; it has been 

 grown to 31 dwts. 11 grs., and may 

 be expected to average, when grown 

 for exhibition, 27 dwts. It is a good 

 grower, makes a handsome bush, is 

 quite prolific ; the berry is handsome, 

 hairy, colour a bright light red, ra- 

 ther early, and the flavour delicious. 

 After Companion, you may take Irish 

 Plum, medium size ; Raspberry, 

 small, and Small Red Globe, also 

 small, are the next best afcer Red 

 Champagne. 



Early gooseberries are of great 

 importance, and a few of the best 

 early kinds should have a place in 

 every kitchen garden. The loudest 

 advocates of rhubarb are glad when 

 gooseberries take its place, and 

 among the delicacies of the spring 

 season there are few that surpass a 

 gooseberry tart. Green Gascoigne 

 is one of the earliest here, and to 

 give it a good chance, the tree being 

 tender and the place open to northerly 

 winds, I have a few bushes of it, 

 with other early sorts, under the 

 shelter of a warm boarded fence, 

 where they have the full benefit of 

 the rapidly -increasing sun heat at the 

 time when green gooseberries are 

 valuable. This i3 a very small, round 

 berry ; when ripe, dark green, hairy, 

 and very sweet ; a good bearer, and 

 a compact, upright habit. The next 

 best early is Golden Drop or Early 

 Sulphur, which has pubescent leaves, 

 a medium-sized roundish berry, when 

 ripe green and good ; the bush rather 

 pendulous, a good grower, and bears 

 well. With these two sorts, and a 

 favourable position, you may have 

 gooseberry tarts as early, perhaps 

 earlier, than anybody in the parish, 



unless you happen to have for a 

 neighbour a gooseberry fancier, and 

 then it will be a fair race for either 

 to beat the other by a day or a week. 



The following are also good early 

 sorts : — Early White, a nice yellow 

 berry ; Red Walnut, a medium-sized 

 downy red, not very srood when ripe, 

 but worth having ; Whitesmith, one 

 of the largest whites, the berry very 

 long, the flavour when ripe superb ; 

 and last, but not least, Wilmot's 

 Early Red, a fine, large, roundish, 

 oblong berry, the bush a very pretty 

 grower, rather pendulous. 



All these fine dessert kinds, and 

 all these early kinds, will play their 

 part in the kitchen both in a green 

 and ripe condition, according to the 

 demands of the cook and the wants 

 of the family. When you grow first- 

 rate kinds, like Champagne, Green 

 Gage, and others above enumerated, 

 you are under no compulsion to eat 

 them all as dessert fruits ; the sur- 

 plus supply can go to the kitchen, 

 and generally a first-class dessert 

 fruit is far superior to an ordinary 

 kitchen fruit when cooked ; in fact, 

 there is so much difference in some 

 cases that it will often become a 

 question with a genuine lover of 

 fruits whether any second-rate variety, 

 however productive, should ever have 

 a place in the garden. 



There are two fine gooseberries 

 which will be found of great service 

 when the family requirements render 

 it necessary to have abundance at 

 all seasons. Rumbullion, a small, 

 round, pale, yellow, downy fruit, is 

 the best of ail gooseberries for bot- 

 tling, and will take high rank among 

 fruits for cooking during the winter. 

 Warrington Red will carry the sup- 

 ply of fresh-gathered gooseberries to 

 a very late period of the season, and 

 is the best late gooseberry for culi- 

 nary purposes. Another good kit- 

 chen variety is Rough Red, which is 

 to be found in nearly every garden 

 in the country. The fruit is small 

 and round, hairy, dull dark red, ex- 

 cellent flavour, and for preserving 

 has no equal. Add ffepbum Beauty, 

 medium size, roundish, dull green, 

 hairy, good flavour, the tree prodi- 

 giously fruitful ; also Independent, 



