CHOICE VARIETIES OF GOOSEBERRIES. 



213 



per cent were smaller than Red Jacket and 

 several were as small as Downing- when 

 grown on old black wood and among grass. 

 These foreign berries have very thick skins, 

 so thick that there is very little pulp. Old 

 country people who visit my garden inform 

 me that these small berries are used al- 

 together in the old country for jam making ; 

 and that they never saw the large berries 

 used for that purpose. I was therefore pre- 

 pared to hear from Prof. Beach that the 

 Downing has been introduced into England, 

 and that it is highly prized there for jam 

 making. The largest apples, plums or even 

 strawberries are not always preferred for 

 cooking but often the medium size is pre- 

 ferred if they are nice in color, shape and 

 condition. Now, sir, if you are willing to 

 do as Green of Rochester did, go right out 

 and sell gooseberries direct to the consumer, 

 peddle them if you like to call it so, I ad- 

 vise you to set say 1,000 Red Jacket and 

 800 Pearl for selling ripe and 500 Champion 

 to sell green for sauce, pies, etc. This ad- 

 vice is of no use to the big grower who piles 

 his fruit into the market. It does not make 

 any difference to him which variety will con- 

 tinue in favor, but you must please your 

 customers, therefore you must know the 

 best quality and supply it. 



Money in Them. — Let me say, if I had my 

 life over again with my present experience, 

 I should buy 5 to 10 acres of land within a 

 mile or two of some village, so as to get 

 manure which is the secret of success, and 

 grow strawberries and gooseberries for 

 home market. I began with strawberries as 

 a hobby and the fitst year I had all I could 

 do to sell $60 worth ! Stores took a couple 

 of twenty-four quart crates the first year, 

 farmers took from one to two dozen boxes ; 

 but the next year everybody wanted twice 

 as many. I saw that there was a fine open- 

 ing for someone, so I induced a smart honest 

 laborer with a big family to take it up grad- 



ually. He first raised plants and sold a few 

 berries but was stuck for capital, he went 

 into partnership with a young farmer and 

 now they can sell the product of seven acres 

 of strawberries on this little market ! Well 

 I know the gooseberry market cannot be ex- 

 panded like that but I do know that almost 

 every farmer in the township will buy goose- 

 berries at five cents a quart and the working 

 men in the villages will go in for this fruit 

 for canning or preserving as soon as they 

 learn its valne. By this means one or two 

 families in every township in Canada can be 

 supported in comfort and independence. My 

 own family uses a lot of fruit and to-day the 

 gooseberry and plum are our favorites pre- 

 served, and I have no hesitation in saying 

 that the gooseberry is ahead of the straw- 

 berry preserved. 



Red Jacket. — I do not doubt that the big 

 fruit grower can grow the big berries and 

 find a more ready market for a time ; but 

 his customers will not be long in discovering 

 what mine discovered, that the big berry 

 cooked is no improvement in quality upon 

 the medium sized berry, and any grower can 

 afford to grow Red Jacket or Pearl for five 

 cents a quart better than the big berries at 8 

 cents. Red Jacket when properly ripened is 

 certainly the most beautiful berry I ever saw. 

 It does not mildew and need not be sprayed, 

 and is of a clean, bright, pinkish, transparent 

 color. I had just one basket of this variety 

 to spare last year and took it to the store 

 where the campers deal. This was at the 

 end of the season when all were apparently 

 supplied, and the merchant had informed me 

 that no more could be sold. Well this 

 basket was noticed at once and bought up, 

 and orders came in at once. I should just 

 like to see one dozen baskets of well-grown 

 Red Jackets exposed for sale in Toronto be- 

 side the biggest berries grown, and see 

 which would sell the best. 



