84 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



plat of two acres near my place, set some seven years, and while young 

 the worms were allowed to destroy the leaves, and that plat has never 

 borne a paying crop. 



PROFIT IN GOOSEBERRIES. 



In the beginning I said these were profitable small fruits to grow, and 

 I can say while I grow nearly all the fruits that are adapted to this cli- 

 mate for market, both large and small, no one fruit has paid me so well 

 up to this time as the gooseberry. But I may say I have a little fear of 

 it in the future, as it is being so extensively planted and is a fruit not so 

 universally used as the currant and other fruits. There is one feature 

 that is applicable to both these small fruits, of such importance to the 

 grower who will study the wants of his plants and be prepared to supply 

 these needs, that he may find them a very remunerative crop. That 

 feature is that they will rarely produce over two good crops without a 

 liberal dressing of fertilizers. In fact I know of no fruits requiring so 

 liberal feeding, and none that will so readily respond to such feeding. I 

 have picked from one acre 470 cases, or 235 bushels, which yield I attri- 

 bute to a liberal dressing of well rotted barnyard manure and ashes, 

 applied separately and worked into the soil by frequent cultivation. 



The bushes require annual pruning, so pruned that the bush will not 

 be too thick, and continually have good thrifty young wood to produce 

 from. Do not set closer than six by six feet for gooseberries, and five by 

 six feet for currants. They should be set in the fall if possible, as they 

 start very early in the spring. Let your gooseberries get ripe before har- 

 vesting, the same as the currants. 



These fruits, as do most small fruits except grapes, prefer a moist, 

 sandy soil, and the better this is fitted by enriching and pulverizing 

 before planting, the better they will pay. My practice is, just before 

 winter sets in, after the bushes are pruned, to plow up to them with a 

 one horse plow, letting the plow run as shallow as possible. The ground 

 is left in this shape until the fruit is set in spring. This leaves a furrow 

 in middle of row for water to run off, and I think makes the bushes less 

 liable to spring frosts. 



DISCUSSION. 



The Chairman: The discussion is announced to be led by Mr. Z, V. 

 Cheney, of Grand Rapids; as he is not here, I would like to have any one 

 discuss this or ask questions of Mr. Stearns. 



Q: What about the Lancashire Lad gooseberry? 



Mr. Stearns: I have tried them all, but the Downing is the only variety 

 I have found of any value to grow for market. 



Q : Can you get a bright red gooseberry that would make jelly like cur- 

 rants — if so, wouldn't that be more desirable? 



Mr. Stearns: We find that the Downing gooseberry makes a jelly 

 which, in our opinion, is fully equal to the currant jelly. 



A voice: I have the Columbus. It is a great bearer and a good grower, 

 but it is almost always green and is thick coated. It produces, however, 

 enormously. 



Mr. Stearns: I always prune my gooseberries so that they are quoted 

 in the markets as the English gooseberry, on account of the size. 



