THE GOOSEBERRY. 157 



The Gooseberry. 



The Gooseberry is a favourite fruit of our English 

 gardens, and a great acquisition it is, too, in the early 

 seasons. If Gooseberries can be had fit for tarts on 

 Whit-Sunday, untold joy is felt by the millions of 

 our juvenile and adult friends all over the country ; but 

 as our climate is fickle, and the seasons vary consider- 

 ably, it is a matter of some little uncertainty about 

 getting this fruit fit for the purpose at the important 

 time referred to. I think this uncertainty may be 

 obviated to a great extent by planting the Gooseberry 

 on low "walls facing the south, or in rows a few feet 

 from the foot of a wall on which Peach-trees are 

 planted, and trained as dwarf espalier trees. Plant a 

 single row 2 feet from such a wall, 4 feet apart, and 

 train them on stakes as for espalier Apple-trees. The 

 stakes may be iron rods or small stakes of wood, 3 feet 

 long, driven 1 foot in the ground, and there will be 

 2 feet out of it on which to train the fruit trees, laying 

 in the wood right and left 4 inches apart. These 

 dwarf-trained Gooseberries will give an abundance of 

 fine early fruit, and will be somewhat earlier still if 

 trained on a wall. They will look very pretty and neat 

 if done well, occupy but little ground, and amply 

 reward the trouble taken to get extra early fruit. 



The propagation of the Gooseberry consists of striking 

 cuttings of the last growth in the early autumn and 

 winter. Any spare stuff may be made into cuttings, 

 which should be 10 or 12 inches long, straight, and 

 stout. Trim the base of it just below a bud, cut it 

 smooth at right angles, leaving the bud untouched at 

 the base, and cut three or four off above it, leaving 

 three or four buds at the top part of the cutting. 

 "When a number are done, dig them into the ground, 

 making a trench as for planting Box edging, and lay 

 the cuttings in up to the buds left on them at the top ; 

 dig some good earth on to them, and set the foot on 

 the lower part of them, treading the soil on them pretty 

 firmly ; dig on, and cut another trench 9 or 10 inches 



