PRUNING GOOSEBERRIES . 331 



moving the broken branches, or those that droop too closely 

 to the ground, and removing the old wood after it has 

 passed the age of greatest productiveness." 



For gooseberries, Beach writes as follows:* 



"English writers usually recommend that gooseberries 

 be trained in tree form; that is, with a single main stem 

 for each plant, and that method is largely followed in 

 the old country. On account of their neat, symmetrical 

 appearance, such plants are well adapted to well -culti- 

 vated gardens. * * * A bush grown in this form does 

 not produce suckers, and if it is broken off accidentally 

 it cannot be renewed by letting new sprouts grow, but 

 must be removed and a new plant set in its place. After 

 they have borne five or six good crops it is generally 

 best to replace them with new bushes, for they gradually 

 become less productive than plants which are grown in 

 the bush form, because the latter may be renewed from 

 suckers whenever it is thought desirable to do so. To 

 grow bushes in tree form, it is simply necessary to remove 

 all buds or eyes from the portion of the cutting or layer 

 which is covered with earth in planting. No underground 

 shoots, or suckers, will then be formed, and the plant 

 will have but one main stem or trunk. By annually cut- 

 ting back new shoots to about three eyes, and removing 

 all weak or crowded branches, the tree form may easily 

 be kept in symmetrical shape. 



"For general purposes it is best to set plants that will 

 send up suckers. The older canes, which have passed 

 their period of highest productiveness, may then be removed 

 annually, and their places taken by young, vigorous ones 

 which have been allowed to grow for this purpose. By 

 this method of renewal, the skillful grower may keep 



*Bull. 114, N. Y. State Exp. Sta. 



