THE GOOSEBERRY HOUSE. 59 



house, so that there is never the danger of suffocating 

 the trees, which is often the case with closed walls of 

 boards or bricks. The outside air passes through these 

 hedge walls in a gradual manner, just enough to meet 

 the demand inside so as to prevent this class of tree 

 from being drawn too much, yet at the same time 

 affording sufficient break and shelter to maintain a 

 temperature much beyond any that can be commanded 

 without glass. Hence it will be found that Gooseberries 

 can be forced and be ready for use several weeks sooner 

 than they would be without glass, and if they are not 

 much in demand before Whitsuntide, they will by that 

 time be as large again as those in the earliest gardens, 

 and of course command a better price if they are grown 

 for sale. 



The trees should consist of the early sorts, such as 

 Green Walnut, Jolly Angler, Pitmaston Greengage, 

 &c. ; and should be clean-stemmed three-year-old 

 plants ; but in no case should anyone buy plants with 

 suckers or spray about the roots or on the stem, for 

 these will be a continual source of annoyance. Goose- 

 berries must at all times, and under all circumstances, 

 be kept free from suckers about the roots, and it should 

 be remembered that it is useless merely to cut them 

 off when they appear, for cutting suckers off close to 

 the ground, or even under the surface, is quite useless. 

 The only way to eradicate them entirely is to take the 

 plant up, and then with the knife cut the suckers clean 

 out from the base, leaving no bud to reproduce them. 

 This should be done whenever they appear. 



The trees should be three feet apart, and they may be 

 planted as early as September, but not later than the 

 middle of October ; then a crop of fruit may be had 



