GROSSULARIE^E. I. RISES. 



183 



Selection of sorts. " It must be admitted," Neill observes, 

 " that although large gooseberries make a fine appearance on 

 the table, they are often deficient in flavour when compared with 

 some of smaller size. Many of them have very thick strong 

 skins, and are not eatable unless thoroughly ripened. Some of 

 the large sorts, however, are of very good quality, such as the 

 red Champagne and the green walnut, &c. For culinary use in 

 the month of May, Wilmot's early red is larger and better than 

 most others, the skin not being tough, and the whole berry melt- 

 ing to a fine consistence." Forsyth very judiciously recommends 

 cultivating the early and late sorts, in order to prolong the sea- 

 son of this fruit. But the best way of selecting sorts for any 

 particular purpose is from the list given above, where those that 

 are of particular excellence are marked by an asterisk. 



Propagation. The gooseberry may be propagated by all the 

 modes applicable to trees or shrubs, even by pieces of the roots ; 

 but the mode by cuttings is usually adopted for continuing 

 varieties, and that by seeds for procuring them. 



By seeds. The scientific mode of impregnating one variety 

 with another has, we believe, not been applied to this fruit. In 

 general the seed of some choice variety, thoroughly ripe, is taken 

 and sown in autumn or early in spring, in beds or pots of rich 

 light mellow earth ; when the plants are a year old, they are 

 planted out in nursery rows, to be cultivated and trained there 

 a year or two ; in general they will bear the third year. By 

 preparing for the best of these seedlings a very rich soil, and by 

 watering, shading, and thinning the fruit, the largest sorts have 

 been obtained. Not content with watering at the roots and over 

 the top, the Lancashire connoisseur, when he is growing for ex- 

 hibition, places a small saucer of water immediately under each 

 gooseberry, only 3 or 4 of which he leaves on the tree. This is 

 technically called suckling. He also pinches off a great part of 

 the young wood, so as to throw all the strength he can into the 

 fruit. 



By cuttings. Miller says, the best season for planting goose- 

 berry cuttings is in autumn, just before their leaves begin to fall. 

 The cuttings should be taken from bearing shoots, rather than 

 from those that issue from the main stem. Cut them to such a 

 length as the strength and ripeness of the wood will bear, and cut 

 off all the buds, excepting three, or at most four at top, and 

 train the plants with a single stem of 9 inches or a foot high, 

 from the top of which the branches should radiate upwards at an 

 angle of 40, or better if 45. Haynes advises taking off cut- 

 tings in July, when the fruit is on the bush, in order to make 

 sure of the sorts. He says, by immediate planting, watering, 

 and shading, as good plants are produced as from ripe wooded 

 cuttings. Treat, of the gooseberry, &c. p. 29. 



Soil and site. Any good garden soil, on a dry bottom, and 

 well manured, will suit the gooseberry. That which is soft and 

 moist produces the largest fruit. The situation should not be 

 under the drip of trees, over much shaded or confined, other- 

 wise the fruit will be small, ill flavoured, and the plants apt to 

 mildew. Forsyth says, gooseberries should be dunged every 

 year, or at least have a good coat of dung once in two years. 

 Haynes recommends a mixture of peat and loam well manured, 

 and a shaded situation. The last he proposes to effect by plant- 

 ing among his quarters of gooseberries, rows of Jerusalem arti- 

 chokes in the direction of east and west. 



Final planting. " The season for planting gooseberries is 

 any time during open weather, from October till March. When 

 trees are procured from the public nurseries, choose such as are 

 in some advanced state, about 3 years' growth, with pretty full 

 heads, for immediate plentiful bearers. Let the general supply 

 be in standard bushes, and plant principally in the kitchen 

 garden, in single rows along the boundary edges of the main 

 quarters or outward borders, from 6 to 8 feet apart, or some 



may be planted in cross rows, to subdivide extensive quarters. 

 When the object is to raise large quantities of fruit, plantations 

 are made in continued parallel rows, 8 or 10 feet asunder, by C 

 feet in the row. It would be eligible to plant a few choice sorts 

 against south and other sunny walls or paling, for earlier and 

 larger fruit : and on north walls to ripen late in succession." 

 Abercrombie. Forsyth says, " The market gardeners about 

 London plant them in rows, from 8 to 10 feet apart from row to 

 row, and 6 feet from plant to plant in the rows. In small gar- 

 dens I would recommend planting them in quarters by them- 

 selves, at the distance of 6 feet between the rows, and 4 feet 

 from plant to plant ; or you may plant them round the edges of 

 the quarters about 3 feet from the path ; you will then have 

 the ground clear for cropping, and a man, by setting one foot on 

 the border, can gather the gooseberries without injuring the 

 crop." Neil says, " In some places gooseberry bushes on the 

 sides of the borders, are trained to a single tall stem, which is 

 tied to a stake ; this, though G or 8 feet high, occasions scarcely 

 any shade on the border, and it does not occupy much room, nor 

 exclude air ; while, at the same time, the stem becomes close 

 hung with berries, and makes a pleasant appearance in thatstate." 

 Edinb. encycl. art. hort. 161. Maher observes (Hort. trans. 

 2. p. 146.) " that as the crop of ripe fruit is often injured by 

 having the largest and earliest berries prematurely gathered, 

 whilst green, for tarts, a sufficient number of trees of such 

 varieties as are earliest should be planted in a separate quarter 

 of the garden, and devoted exclusively to the use of the kitchen, 

 for tarts and sauce." 



Mude of bearing " The gooseberry produces its fruit not 

 only on the shoots of last summer, and on shoots 2 or 3 years' 

 old, but also on spurs or snags arising from the elder branches 

 along the sides ; but the former afford the largest fruit. The 

 shoots retained for bearers should therefore be left at full length 

 or nearly so." Abercrombie. 



Pruning. " The bushes will require a regular pruning twice 

 in the year." 



Summer pruning. " Where any bushes are crowded with 

 cross and water shoots of the same year, shading the fruit from 

 the sun, and preventing the access of air, thin the heart of the 

 plant and other tufted parts moderately, pinching off or cutting 

 out close what spray is removed ; but do not touch the summer 

 shoots in general. Maher says, it will greatly contribute to the 

 perfection of the fruit, if the very small berries are taken away 

 with a pair of scissors about the middle or end of May ; and 

 these small berries will be found quite as good for sauce or 

 gooseberry cream as the larger." 



Winter pruning. " You may proceed to the winter pruning 

 any time from November until the end of February, or until the 

 buds are so swelled, that further delay would endanger their 

 being rubbed off in the operation. Cut out the cross-shoots and 

 water-shoots of the preceding summer, and the superfluous 

 among crowded branches. Prune long ramblers and low strag- 

 glers to some well placed lateral or eye ; or if any under straggler 

 spring very low, cut it away. Of last year's shoots retain a 

 sufficiency of the best well-placed laterals and terminals in 

 vacant parts, to form successional bearers, and to supply the 

 places of unfruitful and decayed old-wood, which, as you pro- 

 ceed, should be removed. Mostly retain a leading shoot at the 

 end of the principal branch, leaving it either naturally terminal, 

 or, where the branch would thus be too extended, pruning in 

 some competent lateral within bounds. The superfluous young 

 laterals on the good main branches, instead of being taken off 

 clean, may be cut into little stubs of one or two eyes ; which will 

 send out fruit-buds and spurs. Of the supply reserved for new 

 bearers, a small number will probably require shortening, where 

 too extended, or curved incommodiously ; leave these from 8 to 



