CULTURE OF APPLE AND PLUM TREES. 429 



three small boys will do) on the further side from you. Have your 

 ash pail ready and put it under the canvas with your tobacco stems 

 fired and smoking-. Smoke each tree about ten minutes, and you 

 can give those aphis a free smoke that will do them up in short or- 

 der; but caution must be taken in smoking- young and low trees in 

 not getting your fire too hot, as there is be danger of scorching 

 the foliage. As to a test between different varieties of plums in re- 

 gard to their hardiness, prolific bearing, excellence, etc., my orchard 

 is not far enough advanced to make an intelligent classification. 



CULTURE OF THE GOOSEBERRY. 



M. C. BUNNELL, NEWPORT. 



The gooseberry is a fruit that is generally used by the housewives, 

 in different ways, utilizing it for jams and jellies, canning purposes, 

 etc. The women say it makes fine jelly. Of course, it requires con- 

 siderable sugar to make them palatable. M.y experience in making 

 sales of plants shows that it is the leading and favorite fruit with 

 the foreign population (that is, among the small fruits), I suppose 

 on account of the taste they have cultivated for them in their native 

 country, where they grow to a greater perfection. The large Euro- 

 pean gooseberry grown so widely on the continent has not been 

 domesticated in the United States. However, there are several na- 

 tive varieties that are grown from the Atlantic to the Pacific and 

 are prolific. 



I would plant them a distance of six feet between the rows, and 

 four feet in the rows so as to give plenty of room to cultivate them. 

 Keep them from lying down on the ground as much as possible, 

 and sufficiently trimmed so as to prevent mildew. Plant in good 

 soil, well fertilized. 



The Houghton and Downing are recommended for general cul- 

 tivation, being good producers; other varieties, Red Jacket and the 

 Pearl, for trial. 



The gooseberry is subject to the ravages of the worm such as de- 

 stroy the currants. The remedy for that is to apply hellebore, put 

 on in liquid form before the worm makes its appearance. The old 

 maxim is "an ounce of prevention is worth a j»ound of cure." 



The plant is quite easily propagated from layers. It is a fruit 

 that sells readily in the city, prices in St. Paul market for the sea- 

 son 1897-98 ranging from five to seven cents per quart, I might say 

 that they are not as desirable a fruit to pick as other small fruits on 

 account of the briers, but I consider them an indespensible fruit to 

 the market garden and also in private gardens. 



Sowing Onion Seed in hotbeds and transplanting to he field 

 increases the yield and decreases the quantity of unmerchantable 

 onions. 



