302 Report op the Horticulturist of the 



better tliaii tbose which rule after the bulk of the crop is ready 

 to market. The accompanyiug market quotation s< taken from the 

 Rural Neiv Yorker and the American Gardening give some idea 

 of the prices at which gooseberries sold in the New York market 

 1896. See page 303. 



In some localities the most of the gooseberry crop is marketed 

 unripe. Some growers strip the green fruit from the bushes, 

 which can be done very rapidly, run it through a fanning mill to 

 free it from leaves, twigs, etc., and then pack it in baskets for 

 market. The reasons advanced in favor of marketing gooseber- 

 ries unripe are: (1) The hard green fruit is not as easily injured 

 in picking and packing as the pulpy ripe fruit is and it will stand 

 transportation better. (2) The fruit that is allowed to ripen on 

 the bushes is exposed longer to attacks of sun scald and mildew 

 and, should long continued rain follow a period of drought, the 

 riiDening fruit is liable to crack and spoil. (3) The ripening of 

 the fruit and seed is an exhaustive process from which the bush 

 is partly relieved when the fruit is marketed green. (4) The pro- 

 ceeds from the green fruit usually compare favorably with the 

 proceeds from the ripe fruit, although the large ripe English 

 varieties sometimes bring the highest prices of the season. 



Marketing the ripe fruit. — The European gooseberries have 

 another advantage in that they are preferred to American kinds 

 at fruit preserving establishments where they are made into jam. 

 The reason for this preference, I suppose, is because the jam 

 made from them resembles more closely the article put up by 

 English firms which already has a well-established reputation. 

 The fact is, the American kinds have a thinner skin and more 

 delicate flavor than the European kinds and fully equal or are 

 superior to them in quality. According to the following market 

 quotations the large ripe English gooseberries commanded from 

 two to three cents more per quart than did the large ripe Down- 

 ing fruit. 



