328 AMERICAN HUSBANDRV. 



of any animal oflfered to him ; and the EngUsh goose- 

 berry-grower also has his Gooseberry-book, in 

 which the varieties and their quaUties are as care- 

 fully recorded, and to which constant reference is 

 made when this fruit is under discussion. Upward 

 of 700 varieties are known, most of them the result 

 of crosses ; and in Lancashire and other goose 

 berry districts of England, fairs are annually held, 

 at which prizes for the best fruit are distributed in 

 sums of from ten shillings to ten pounds sterling, 

 when the names and sizes of the winning fruits are 

 entered in the " Gooseberry-book." One variety, 

 the " Roaring Lion," has been known to reach the 

 weight of an ounce and a half to a single berry ; and 

 many kinds have produced berries exceeding an 

 ounce in weight. In Lancashire, where the cultiva- 

 tion of this berry is carried to greater perfection 

 than in any other part of the world, not only is the 

 ground made very rich, but applications of the drain- 

 ings from dunghills is occasionally made ; and, while 

 the roots of the plants are kept well watered, suck- 

 ling, as it is called, or placing a sewer of water im- 

 mediately under the fruit, is practised to a consid- 

 erable extent by the competitors for these prizes. 



Gooseberries are propagated with the greatest 

 ease in several ways, but cuttings are most gener- 

 ally used. These should be taken in the autumn 

 from healthy, vigorous shoots, the buds, with the 

 exception of two or three on the upper part, cut off, 

 as directed for currants, and the plants placed in a 

 good soil. Gooseberries may be planted in rows 

 six or eight feet apart, and should be five feet from 

 each other in the rows. Where so much space is 

 not convenient, the plants may be trained to a single 

 stem, and tied to a stake ; this, though the stems are 

 six or eight feet high, if properly pruned, wiir admit 

 closer planting, while the circulation of air and the 

 production of fruit will not be prevented. 



Unfortunately, nearly all the varieties of the Eng- 



