ON THE CULTURE OF GOOSEBERRIES. 



of tops and branches, or perhaps the whole tree at some future year, soon after the com 

 menoement of the second growth in summer — in this M'ay we shall sometime be likely, 

 among .is, to find out the truth of the nature and causes of some, or all of these various 

 forms of blight, which I am sure we never shall do so long as we are content only to con- 

 sider "a blight, a blight," and let it all go at that. I think there are some reasons for 

 suspecting that the blight of the quince, pear, and privet, in this form, and the rot in the 

 grape, and the rust in wheat are of kindred nature and origin — and if we can discover 

 their nature and laws in either case, it will be productive of immense good. Let us all 

 trjf. Yours truly, J. B. Turner. 



Illinois Colle«:e, Feb., 1852. 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON THE CULTURE OF GOOSEBERRIES. 



BY J. C. THOMPSON, STATEN-ISLAND, N. Y. 



As you invite " practical communications from your practical readers," I offer for your 

 consideration and disposal, the following article, believing the account of my successful 

 method of cultivating gooseberries, will be instructive to your numerous readers. 



About thirteen years ago, I obtained a small stock of gooseberry cuttings of the white 

 variety, and have continued to grow the same, and m fact have some of the original stocks 

 now in good condition among my bearing bushes, which number over two hundred, yield- 

 ing between thirty and forty bushels annually, of fine and perfect fruit, which I readily sell 

 at from two to three dollars per bushel. 



I always begin my gardening operations as early as the ground can be woiked. I there- 

 fore soon discovered that those that stood in the part of the garden which was first dug 

 up, and the manure worked in well about them, were free from blight or mildew, and the 

 crop fine in size and flavor; bushes vigorous; foliage heavy, and very dark gieen. 



The strongest proof I had of the advantage of good treatment, I will state: an isolated 

 bush in the door-yard, was left to take care of itself. The result was a very fine crop of 

 well mildewed fruit. The other case was, where some half dozen bushes stood in front 

 of the bee-house, and as it was difficult to trim them, and manure and work the ground 

 around them, the fruit was worthless — being covered with a heavy coat of black rust, or 

 mildew. These I dug up; separated; trimmed off the tops to a mere stump; planted 

 them out, and treated them in the same kind way that I did the others. The result is, 

 that they are now the finest bushes; bear as many berries as any in the garden, and never 

 show the least sign of mildew. 



Treatment, — All my bushes are trained on a stem six or eight inches from the ground, 

 before they branch off, and trimmed so they have a uniform shape. The trimming should 

 be performed in February, or as early in March as possible — the gooseberry being among 

 the first that shows the approach of spring, so it is the first that needs attention. In 

 trimming, when I wish to renew a bush, or any portion of it, I cut back to a good bud 

 near the main stem, to obtain a good growth of wood for future bearing, and then cut off 

 from a third to a half of the last years' growth, of every twig or shoot on the bush. 



The trimming completed — the roots are carefully uncovered, and tM-o or thiee shovels- 

 full of manure are worked in about the roots, with a fork, being careful to injure them as 

 little as possible; this finished, the earth to be replaced. 



I have all my garden trenched every season before planting, and as the diggers approach 

 the bushes, and uncover the deeper roots, they apply some manure to them also. 



