No. 11. 



Plank Roads. 



347 



cuttings, and in the case of autumn plant- 

 ing, it should be examined in the spring, to 

 render it firm again should the cutting have 

 been raised by severe frost. After they have 

 become well rooted — generally in a year's 

 lime — they may be transplanted to the bor- 

 ders, where they are finally to remain. 



The gooseberry in our climate is very im- 

 patient of drought, and we have uniformly 

 found that the best soil for it, is a deep 

 strong loam, or at least whatever may be 

 the soil, and it will grow in a great variety, 

 it should always be deep — if not naturally 

 so, it should be made deep by trenching and 

 manuring. It is the most common error to 

 plant this fruit shrub under the branches of 

 other trees for the sake of their shade — as 

 it always renders the fruit inferior in size 

 and flavor, and more likely to become moul- 

 dy. On the contrary, we would always ad- 

 vise planting in an open border, as if the 

 soil is sufficiently deep, the plants will not 

 suffer from dryness, and should it unfortu- 

 nately be of a dry nature, it may be ren- 

 dered less injurious by covering the ground 

 under the plants with straw or litter. In 

 any case a rich soil is necessary, and as the 

 gooseberry is fond of manure, a pretty heavy 

 top-dressing should be dug in every year, 

 around bearing plants. For a later crop a 

 few bushes may be set on the north side of 

 a fence or wall. 



For the gooseberry, a regular and pretty 

 liberal pruning is absolutely necessary. Of 

 course no suckers should be allowed to grow. 

 In November the winter pruning should be 

 performed. The leaves now being off" it is 

 easy to see what proportion of the new as 

 well as old wood may be taken away; and 

 we will here remark, that it is quite impossi- 

 ble to obtain fine gooseberries here, or any 

 where, without a very thorough thinning 

 out of the branches. As a general rule, it 

 may safely be said that one half of the head, 

 including old and young branches — more es- 

 pecially the former, as the best fruit is borne 

 on the young wood, — should now be taken 

 out, leaving a proper distribution of shoots 

 throughout the bush, the head being suffici- 

 ently thinned to admit freely the light and 

 air. An additional pruning is, in England, 

 performed in June, which consists in stop- 

 ping the growth of long shoots by pinching 

 out the extremities, and thinning out super- 

 fluous branches ; but if the annual pruning 

 is properly performed, this will not be found 

 necessary, except to obtain fruit of extraor- 

 dinary size. 



The crop should always be well thinned 

 when the berries are about a quarter grown. 

 The gooseberry is scarcely subject to any 

 disease or insect in this country. The mil- 



dew, which attacks half-grown fruit, is the 

 great pest of those who are unacquainted 

 with its culture. In order to prevent this, 

 it is only necessary — 1st, to root up and de- 

 stroy all inferior kinds subject to mildew; 

 2nd, to procure from any of the nurseries 

 some of the best and hardiest Lancashire 

 varieties; 3rd, to keep them well manured, 

 and very thoroughly pruned every year. 



We do not think this fruit shrub can be 

 said to bear well for more than a half dozen 

 years successively. After that the fruit be- 

 comes inferior and requires more care in 

 cultivation. A succession of young plants 

 should, therefore, be kept up by striking 

 some cuttings every season. — Downing's 

 Fruits and Fruit Trees. 



Plank Roads. 



We are indebted to Philo White, Esq., 

 for a copy of a Report on Plank Roads, sub- 

 mitted by him to tiie legislature of Wiscon- 

 sin. Tiiis document furnishes a more full 

 and complete exposition of the advantages 

 of this description of roads, than we have 

 before met with. The first question consi- 

 dered is, what kind of roads are best adapted 

 to the present wants of the community] 

 And though railroads are admitted to afford 

 the greatest facilities under particular cir- 

 cumstances, yet it is concluded that there 

 are many situations where a class of tho- 

 roughfares less costly, " and more practical 

 for every day use," are called for. 



The advantages of plank roads over Mc 

 Adam or stone roads, are, that the former 

 can be made in all situations, without regard 

 to the character of the soil ; that they are 

 less liable to be affected by fro.st, — which is 

 sometimes very injurious to McAdam roads; 

 and that they can be built and maintained at 

 much less cost. It is calculated that horses 

 will travel with wheel vehicles, one-fifth 

 faster, and draw one-fifth more weight on a 

 plank than on a stone road. "In fine," says 

 the report, "plank roads are preferable to 

 those of McAdamized stone in cheapness, in 

 case of draught and in comfort to passen- 

 gers; greater speed being attainable on them 

 with less assistance to draught; and stage 

 owners say that they are less fatiguing to 

 horses than stone roads, at the same rate of 

 speed." 



Plank roads, it is said, were first made in 

 Russia; and their first trial in America was 

 in Canada, where they were made by Lord 

 Sydenham, who from a long residence in 

 Russia, had become well acquainted with 

 them, and was thoroughly convinced of their 

 utility. We are informed that the Canadi- 

 ans are now so well satisfied of the great 



