60 THE FORCING GARDEN. 



the following season. But if they are planted later, 

 little or no good fruit can be expected the first season. 

 They must not be planted too deep, for that is also a 

 cause for the growth of suckers. The roots should be 

 no more than five or six inches under the surface of 

 the ground and well fixed* If the soil is dry, give each 

 tree a can of water as soon as they are all planted. 

 The house should face the south, and the trees should 

 be planted in rows across the house. The pruning 

 may be done at once as soon as they are planted. 



The trees must not be excited before January, 

 when the house may be kept closer at the top. The 

 fruit of the Gooseberry is impatient of frost, therefore 

 if it is in danger from the late frosts, mats or frigi- 

 domo must be laid on the lights at night and kept on 

 for an hour or two after sunrise. If the ground is 

 good, which it should be, the trees will grow strong 

 and produce abundantly. Pruning freely must be 

 resorted to annually not, however, as some say, by 

 6 pinching out the points of the leaders.' No good 

 gardener will do that except in extreme cases where 

 the leader extends beyond reasonable limits. Let all 

 the leaders grow at full length, except some that are 

 extending too far ; these may be merely ' tipped ' as 

 we say, i.e. cut off a few inches from the points. 

 These main leaders are the future fine fruit-bearers 

 and will produce fruit in long strings. 



In pruning, keep the trees well open, and the 

 bodies of them well supplied with some young healthy 

 wood. Cut back the old wood and straggling growth 

 so as to keep a healthy compact growth of fully deve- 

 loped young wood among these house trees. Goose- 

 berry trees will get too large here if not judiciously 



