DOWNING 'S SEEDLING GOOSEBERRY. 



The berries befoi'e us (which kept ripe for more than ten hot days without any 

 sign of decay) are about double the size of the parent (Houghton's) ; pale, or 

 light green, without any blush, and smooth. The skin is very thin, and the fruit 



Downing's Seedling Gooseberry. 



as delicate and tender as any European Gooseberry, in its native soil. The flavor 

 and aroma are perfect ; sweet, with plenty of vinous subacid. In enjoying a goodly 

 supply of these berries, we, for the first time for six years, could not regret the 

 relative and very marked inferiority of the best English varieties in our very 

 different climate. 



We experienced the same satisfaction as we did in tasting the Delaware and 

 Rebecca Grapes, coming up so very nearly to the European standard as to be 

 almost taken for good foreign varieties. 



Let us have our native varieties of all kinds of fruit. Already the pear, the 

 strawberry, the raspberry, and chiefly the apple, have come in handsome compe- 

 tition with, or superseded, their European relative varieties. We never could see, 

 after those successful experiments, what could prevent us from having just as fine 

 gooseberries, grapes, &c., and better, too, than the transatlantic products! Gen- 

 tlemen amateurs ! do try all kinds of seedlings ; the Phoenix is yet in its " ashes." 

 Patience alone, and (in the impressive words of our honored President, Col. Wil 

 ' eternal vigilance," can only bring out the desired results. 



