GOOSEBERRIES, - 2/3 



one to three on short pedicels, bell-shaped calyx, and large 

 berry." 



This native of northern Europe and the forests of the 

 British Islands has been developed into the superb varieties 

 which have been famous so long in England, but which we 

 are able to grow with very partial success. It remembers 

 its birthplace even more strongly than the currant, and the 

 almost invariable mildew of our gardens is the sign of its 

 homesickness. The cool, moist cHmate of England just 

 suits it, and it is the pride of the gardens of Lancashire to 

 surpass the world in the development of large specimens. 

 Mr. Downing writes : — 



"We are indebted to the Lancashire weavers, who seem to 

 have taken it up as a hobby, for nearly all the surprisingly large 

 sorts of modern date. Their annual shows exhibit this fruit in 

 its greatest perfection, and a gooseberry book is published in 

 Manchester every year, giving a list of all the prize sorts, etc." 



The extraordinary pains taken is suggested by the follow- 

 ing quotation from the " Encyclopaedia of Gardening " : — 



" To effect this increased size, every stimulant is applied that 

 their ingenuity can suggest. They not only annually manure 

 the soil richly, but also surround the plants with trenches of 

 manure for the extremities of the roots to strike into, and form 

 round the stem of each plant a basin, to be mulched, or ma- 

 nured, or watered, as may become necessary. When a root 

 has extended too far from the stem, it is uncovered, and all the 

 strongest leaders are shortened back nearly one-half of their 

 length, and covered with fresh, marly loam, well manured. The 

 effect of this pruning is to increase the number of fibres and 

 spongioles, which form rapidly on the shortened roots, and 

 strike out in all directions among the fresh, newly stirred loam, 

 in search of nutriment." 



This is carrying culture to an extreme rarely, if ever, seen 

 in America. The annual referred to above recorded one 



i8 



