FRUITS 19 



and should annually be well pruned, and a careful 

 thinning out of the branches by keeping the plants 

 somewhat open in the centre. If this is not 

 attended to, the branches become so crowded that 

 it is almost impossible to gather the fruit. The 

 best time for pruning is when the spring is fairly 

 advanced and the buds are about to unfold, as the 

 crops often fail from late spring frosts. The birds 

 are great enemies when the buds are unfolding, and 

 will strip the buds off; the best way, sprinkling 

 lime over the trees after a shower of rain, or syring- 

 ing the bushes and then sprinkling with the lime 

 keeps the birds away ; but the greatest enemy of 

 all is the gooseberry caterpillar, and a most careful 

 watch should be kept upon the bushes during the 

 early spring months. A decoction of Hellebore is 

 the most effectual remedy. It should be about the 

 strength of one pound of the powder to ten gallons 

 of rain water, and should be allowed to stand at 

 least twenty-four hours before being applied, when 

 the bushes should be syringed with the garden 

 syringe on a still evening. Two dressings of this 

 generally are sufficient. A top dressing of half 

 rotten manure early in May is advisable, and every 

 other year in the autumn a trench should be dug 

 round the bush, as far from the stem as the branches 

 spread, the roots cut away beyond and filled in with 

 a compost of good loam and cow manure. 



The best varieties are : Whinham's Industry, 

 very abundant cropper ; Lancashire Lad (red) ; 

 Red Turkey ; Old Scotch Red (hairy), best for jam 

 and bottling ; Nutmeg, hairy ; Capper's Top 

 Sawyer, red and large ; Cheshire Lass, white 

 gooseberry ; Royal White (dessert) ; Whitesmith, 

 white ; Champagne, yellow ; Shiner, green ; Cromp- 



