eight] strawberries AND THEIR KIN 



if possible, north and south, allowing the sun very 

 freely to reach the fruit. At the same time it must 

 be borne in mind that a very hot June will some- 

 times blister a large part of the crop and ruin it. 

 The best soil for the gooseberry is clay; in fact, it 

 will never give its best results on sandy soil. For 

 manures apply strong compost, with ashes or barn- 

 yard manure that is thoroughly decomposed. 



The gooseberry starts into growth very early in 

 the spring, and must, therefore, be planted very 

 early. Set in rows, about six feet apart; or, if to be 

 cultivated both ways, the plants must be five feet 

 apart each way. The trimming of the gooseberry 

 must be somewhat unlike that of the currant, as it 

 bears best on young wood. In the case of the cur- 

 rant we remove nearly all the suckers each year; 

 but with the gooseberry we cut out the oldest wood 

 and the weakest suckers. We must prune, also, to 

 encourage upright growth, cutting away the most 

 drooping stems. The English gooseberry will 

 thrive best where there is partial shade. I find 

 that gooseberries, as well as currants, give admir- 

 able results when planted in rows between grape 

 trellises. Our American varieties are not all of 

 them of pure, native blood. Several of them are 



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