12 



Keepsake. Bush compact, fairly productive and vigorous ; berry 

 round, smooth, light green ; flesh soft, quality below medium. 



Lancashire Ladd. Ladling in vigor and productiveness. Berry 

 medium, oval, dark crimson, handsome, good quality. One of the 

 first to ripen here. 



White Smith. A weak grower, but moderately productive ; berry 

 large, round oval, light greenish yellow, pubescent ; quality fair. 



Four varieties of " spineless " gooseberries. Souvenir de Billard, 

 Transparent, Belle de Meaux and Ed Lefort, show little vigor of 

 growth but may fruit for the first time this year. 



From observations thus far we would place Lewis Roesche, 

 Triumph, Downing, Columbus, Chautauqua and Crown Bob as the six 

 best varieties, in the order named. The characteristics of varieties 

 vary so greatly with soil and location, that those varieties giving 

 good results here might prove worthless elsewhere ; but we believe 

 these six to be, on the whole, most valuable for general culture. 



As a class, the English varieties are deficient in vigor and produc- 

 tiveness, and very susceptible to disease. The uniformly cool and 

 moist climate of the British Isles develops these varieties to perfec- 

 tion, but the extremes of temperature and humidity in America are 

 unfavorable. Many very fine English varieties are worthless here, 

 because the mildew so readily attacks them. 



Purely native varieties like the Downing, are nearly the perfec- 

 tion of productiveness and vigor, but lack in quality and size of 

 berry. 



Curratit.s. 

 Number of varieties tested twenty-five. Experiment work 

 with currants dates from the spring of 1892 when two varieties were 

 planted. The following year, fifteen more varieties were added, 

 and, in the spring of 1896, eight, making a total of twenty five now 

 under cultivation. Of these, seventeen are in bearing, and a report 

 can be made on their comparative value. P^ach variety of the red 

 and white currants includes ten plants, set in rows six feet apart, 

 and four feet in the row. The varieties of black currants are 

 planted between the rows of a young apple orchard, but have had 

 ample room for development. The soil of both plots is a mellow 

 loam. Clean culture and adequate fertilization have been given 

 from the start. The following table scores the comparative value of 

 each variety as it fruited on the station-grounds, ten indicating 

 perfection. 



