SECTION XXIII 



Small and Bush Fruits: Gooseberries, 

 Currants, Raspberries, Strawberries, &c. 



GOOSEBERRIES 



i. GENERAL 



The Gooseberry is a first cousin of the Currant, and belongs to the 

 same genus. It is derived from Ribes Grossularia, a spiny -stemmed 

 shrub indigenous to the north of England, but also found in Europe, 

 North Africa, and Western Asia. 



As a market-garden crop it is of the utmost value, and is one of the 

 fruits that can be picked and sold in all stages of growth once the fruits 

 have attained the size of a finger nail. 



Gooseberries are grown chiefly in England, probably 16,000 ac. being 

 devoted to their culture, the largest centres of the industry being in the 

 counties of Kent, Worcester, Cambridge, Middlesex, and Norfolk. There 

 are probably 800 ac. of Gooseberries in Scotland, and 770 ac. are given 

 as the acreage for Ireland. Unless the industry is crushed out by regula- 

 tions in regard to the American Gooseberry Mildew, there is no reason 

 why such an easily grown and generally profitable crop as gooseberries 

 should not be considerably extended in the cooler parts of the kingdom. 



Assuming the capital outlay for bushes and the annual expenses to be 

 about the same for Gooseberries as for Red Currants (see p. 154), and the 

 crop to average about 4 tons to the acre, the annual receipts and expenses 

 (excluding rent and rates) per acre would work out as follows: 



EECEIPTS 



4 tons at 10 per ton = .40 



40 



EXPENSES 



Expenses 

 Balance 



... 15 

 ... 25 



40 



There are probably 18,000 ac. of Gooseberries in the United Kingdom, 



143 



