Encyclopaedia of Gardening 147 



the cuttings. It is a double advantage to keep the Gooseberry 

 bushes well open when they get to the fruiting stage, as larger berries 

 are produced, and they can be gathered more quickly. This can be 

 effected by restricting the number of main branches to 7 or 8, and 

 shortening the young side shoots 

 in summer. The stumps can be 

 pruned back close to the buds in 

 winter. The Gooseberry likes a 

 fertile, loamy soil. As a rule it 

 does not care for clay, but the 

 splendid variety Crown Bob 

 one of the best of all thrives on 

 heavy ground if the drainage is 

 good. The Gooseberry has many 

 enemies, and small birds have to 

 be taken into account, for they 

 attack the dormant buds in winter, 

 and often strip many bushes al- 

 most entirely. This is a great 

 nuisance, as the crop is reduced 

 and the health of the bush im- 

 paired. In small cultures lime- WINTER-PRUNING GOOSEBERRIES. 

 spraying the bushes (see Fruit, ' Leading growth, unpnmed, except for 

 J v. T, T ,, , the removal of any unripe wood. 2. Side 



p. 143) is good, or black thread shoots . 3 , 6 ,7. Spurs 4 , 5, 8. Young 



may be twined among the shoots. growths. The right-hand side is pruned, 

 It is doubtful whether either the left unpnmed. The latter should be 

 would pay in large cultures for P^ned to correspond with the former, 

 market, but Gooseberries are often grown under big trees that 

 are lime-sprayed, and benefit by the process. Red spider, a 

 small mite, may attack Gooseberries and do a great deal of 

 damage, but it is rarely very bad except in dry, dusty places. A 

 part of a plantation near a high-road may suffer and the inner 

 portions be quite clean. More serious is the American Gooseberry 

 mildew, which attacks the young growing shoots, causing purplish 

 patches on the wood. In bad cases it spreads to the fruit, covering 

 it with a mat of down and spoiling it. This enemy should be looked 

 for in May and June, and should be combated by cutting off and 

 burning the affected shoots and spraying the bushes with liver of 

 sulphur, \ oz. per gallon of water. Another serious enemy is 

 the caterpillar, which attacks the foliage in early summer, and 

 when present in force does great damage. The remedy for this is 

 hellebore powder dusted over the bushes as soon as caterpillars are 

 seen, but not when the fruit is at the picking stage. Well-pruned 

 Gooseberry bushes will do 6 ft. apart. There is now a considerable 

 demand for standard Gooseberries, which are not grown from 

 cuttings, but are grafted on to stocks of Ribes aureum and allied 

 species. They are suitable for private gardens, and when well 

 grown yield splendid fruit. Gooseberries also give very fine berries 

 when treated as cordons, that is, spur pruned to a main stem and 

 no side branches allowed. In such a form they can be grown 

 against walls and fences. Varieties: Crown Bob, Whinham's 

 Industry, and Whitesmith. If sorts are wanted of fine flavour 



