144 Commercial Gardening 



with an annual crop of about 72,000 tons, the value of which would be 

 about 720,000. [j. w.] 



2. CULTIVATION 



The Gooseberry may be planted in the open as a full crop, or 

 among top fruit as an under crop. It is safe to plant a greater breadth 

 of Gooseberries than of either Currants or Raspberries because of the 

 increasing use that is made of the fruit when unripe. Its season lasts 

 from middle May to early August. If planted in the open, the distance 

 for strong-growing varieties should be 7 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft.; and for less- 

 vigorous varieties 6 ft. by 5 ft. Under trees the distance must be governed 

 by that at which the trees are planted, but the spaces should not be less 

 than those mentioned above. In purchasing bushes it is well to have 

 them with 8 to 9 in. of clear stem before the branches start; the Goose- 

 berry is always inclined to droop its branches, especially when a weight 

 of fruit bears them down. It is well to leave cutting the tops until the 

 year after planting, when they can be cut back hard to outside buds. 

 As the bush grows it should be trained so that the branches radiate from 

 the centre. Crosspieces should be taken out, but after the third year 

 no topping should be done. The object in training a Gooseberry bush 

 is to encourage the formation of white wood and leave clear spaces un- 

 obstructed by cross wood for the hand of the gatherer. If the growth 

 is too luxuriant and free, plenty of phosphates and potash should be 

 used. Soft, sappy growth is very liable to contract the American Goose- 

 berry Mildew. As an additional precaution against this, spraying as 

 late in the spring as it is safe, before the buds cast their winter sheath, 

 with sulphate of copper 1 Ib. to 25 gall, water, has been found useful. 

 Another enemy of the Gooseberry is the Sawfly caterpillar. This pest 

 spreads very rapidly, and if unchecked will soon defoliate every bush, 

 destroying all chance of a crop the next year, besides seriously menacing 

 the life of the bushes. The Sawfly caterpillar usually makes its appear- 

 ance in May. The eggs can be seen on the ribs of the leaves in the lower 

 parts of the bush; from these little black larvae soon hatch out and com- 

 mence feeding on the leaves, which they rapidly reduce to bare ribs. 

 There must be several broods in a year, and the damage they can do is 

 enormous. Various methods of checking them are adopted. Some growers 

 say they find casting fine grit sharply into the bushes, so as to knock the 

 caterpillars off, sufficient; some use Hellebore powder with a Torpille 

 machine; some spray with a poisonous fluid. Whenever the pest appears, 

 energetic measures must be taken to combat it, and the safest is to spray 

 with something poisonous enough to kill the caterpillars. The soil should 

 also be hoed as often as possible, to bring the pupae up for the birds. 



Sometimes Red Spider attacks the plants. This will happen mostly 

 in cold backward springs. The evidence of the presence of the pest will 

 be a paling of the tint of the leaves, which will take on a transparent 



