12 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



Gooseberries 



The gooseberry is not as hardy as the 

 currant, but it is essentially adapted to 

 a moist climate, and therefore it does 

 ■well in the coast region. In the interior 

 It will require some winter protection. 

 It is not so popular as the currant, prob- 

 ably because the latter is so extensively 

 used for jellies, whereas gooseberries are 

 usually eaten ripe or canned green. An- 

 other trouble is that the gooseberry is 

 difficult to propagate. It does not grow 

 readily from cuttings. The best method 

 is to layer the branches, and when they 

 have taken root, cut them loose from the 

 parent plant and set them out in nursery 

 rows. They can be propagated from soft- 

 wood cuttings under glass, but the aver- 

 age pioneer is not prepared to do this. 

 Because of the difficulty of propagating 

 the gooseberry plants are priced high in 

 nurserymen's catalogues, which in a 

 measure deters people from planting 

 them. Nevertheless, gooseberries can be 

 successfully grown in the coast regions 

 of Alaska, as has been demonstrated for 

 some years at the Sitka Station. The 

 varieties grown are as follows: Cham- 

 pion, Columbus, Industry, Red Jacket, 

 Smith Improved. Triumph and White- 

 smith. The Whitesmith has a large 

 green berry when ripe, very juicy, and on 

 account of the size of the fruit may be 

 considered the best of those named. Mil- 

 dew or other diseases common to the 

 gooseberry in the states have given little 

 trouble. The date on which the berries 

 ripen varies considerably with the sea- 

 son. The spring of 1912 was very early, 

 and therefore the berries ripened early 

 — that is, by the middle of August. In 

 1911 they did not ripen until fully three 

 weeks later. 



Raspberries 

 All varieties of the raspberry started 

 growth early and by May 1 the leaves 

 were well developed, The crop of fruit 

 was not as heavy as last year, however, 

 nor did it show as large nor as uniform 

 berries. The volcanic ash which fell 

 June 7 to 11 affected the foliage unfa- 

 vorably, which doubtless had much to do 

 with the fruiting. The berries of all 



sorts began to ripen August 8, and they 

 continued to fruit approximately for four 

 weeks. The Cuthbert, all things consid- 

 ered, is the best variety tried. Other 

 varieties are: Miller, Turner, Fuller, 

 Champion, Orange, Louden, and Super- 

 lative. 



Hybrid Raspberry-Salmonbeiries 

 Several of these hybrids which have 

 been mentioned in former reports fruited 

 last year, but the berries are unfortu- 

 nately no improvement on those produced 

 by either parent. There is a very great 

 variation in the plants. They vary in 

 vigor and in foliage all the way from 

 the pure raspberry to the pure salmon- 

 berry. The Cuthbert raspberry was the 

 mother plant. Those which resemble the 

 salmonberry more closely are the more 

 vigorous, while those that resemble the 

 raspberry are small, spindling, and appar- 

 ently of no value. None of the plants are 

 prolific bearers. A number of younger 

 seedlings are coming on, and their be- 

 havior is awaited with interest. 



Geanvule Lowther 



Albemarle Pippin. See Yelloio Neiotown. 

 Under varieties of apples to plant. 



Alcohol 



Industrial Alcohol — Sources and 

 Mannfactnre 



The term alcohol, as used herein, sig- 

 nifies that particular product which is 

 obtained by fermentation and distilla- 

 tion of solutions of sugar, and which is 

 known to chemists as "ethyl alcohol." It 

 is a colorless and mobile liquid which 

 has a peculiar "spirituous" odor and a 

 sharp and burning taste. When it is left 

 in a crude condition, both its odor and 

 its flavor are rendered somewhat dis- 

 agreeable by impurities which originate 

 in the earlier stages of manufacture; but 

 when it has been purified thoroughly— 

 in which state it is commonly known 

 as "neutral" or "cologne" spirit— it ac- 

 quires a distinctly agreeable smell. It 

 mixes freely with water, in all propor- 

 tions; and, as is well known, it is the 

 essential intoxicating ingredient of all 



