FRUIT PLANTATIONS BLACK CURRANTS GOOSEBERRIES. 



made to appear (in print), and as obtainable by general cultivators a stupid fallacy. 

 Mulching in hot seasons is necessary. 



Gooseberries. These succeed on porous land, but not hot and dry, in good loam, 

 and properly drained clayey land. For affording green or ripe berries select : 

 Keepsake, Whitesmith, Whinham's Industry, Queen of Trumps, Antagonist, Crown 

 Bob, Lancashire Lad, and Warrington. Every plantation should comprise a good 

 proportion of the last-named variety for supplying late ripe berries. Early Sulphur 

 is valuable for affording early ripe fruit ; Bifleman is good for late use. Monarch 

 is also a fine variety for plantations. Eed Champagne bears enormous crops 

 of small, highly flavoured berries for dessert or preserving, but it only "takes" 

 with the better class of buyers. Speedwell, Leader, Leveller, Companion, Lion's 

 Provider, and Careless are special va- 

 rieties to supply early green berries 

 and ripe fruit in punnets for the shops. 

 They are more suitable for the garden 

 than the plantation. 



At two years old from the cutting 

 the best plants are ready to set; pi-ice 

 from fruit farms 6s. 12s. per hundred ; 

 prepared shapely bushes from nurseries 

 12s. 6d. 1 5s. per hundred. The 

 land ought to be steam-cultivated, 

 deeply worked with a subsoil plough, or bastard trenched, and liberally manured. 

 The bushes should be planted 5 feet apart on ordinary soils, 6 feet asunder in rich 

 ground, average distance 5 1 feet = 1,440 per acre. Pruning is performed from October 

 to the end of January, and is confined to cutting away rank growths, shortening 

 irregularities, thinning (yet leaving a moderate supply of young wood), and keeping 

 the centre fairly open. A bearing tree partly pruned is shown in Fig. 68. 



The ground is dressed with stable manure, every autumn in some cases, biennially 

 in others, while some growers only apply solid manure every third year. The amount 

 given varies according to the vigour and cropping of the bushes. Twenty tons per 

 acre is a minimum dressing for trees in good holding soils, fairly vigorous, and bearing 

 average crops; double or treble that amount is applied where the ground is lightish 

 and free, the growth very moderate, and the crops annually abundant- Rags, shoddy, 



Fig. 68. GOOSEBERRY BUSH. LEFT HAND UNPRUNBD 

 RIGHT HAKD PKUNED. 



