THE GOOSEBERRY 



489 



had from rainfall, and retained by cultivation and mulching, irri- 

 gation must be resorted to. 



Pruning. If the currant is to t>e grown in tree form, the 

 branches from the upper buds of the cutting should be shortened in 

 at the end of the first summer, and branches growing horizontally 

 should be removed. The weaker shoots in the head are thinned 

 out, but not so much as to leave the top too open. If the plant 

 is to grow as a bush, the only winter pruning will consist in remov- 

 ing dead wood, and thinning the new shoots as may seem desir- 

 able. Summer pinching of the new growth is desirable, as it causes 

 the fruit to set closely and tends to a thick growth of foliage also, 

 and this is necessary, for the bark is liable to sunburn, and the 

 best fruit is that which is well sheltered by the leaves. Another 

 advantage of the bush form is the less likelihood of killing by 

 borers, which is imminent when the growth depends upon a single 

 stem. 



Bearing. The currant bears a quantity of excellent fruit the 

 second year from the cutting, and reaches its fullest product about 

 the fifth to the eighth year, when the yield in the Haywards region 

 is said to range from one and a half to three tons to the acre. 



Varieties. The Cherry currant is the prevailing variety, al- 

 though the old sorts, the Red and White Dutch, the Red and White 

 Grape, etc., are grown in some localities, and Fay's Prolific is 

 approved by some growers. Pomona is one of the best of the 

 newer red varieties and the old Fertile de Palluau is reported as 

 doing better than others in hot, interior situations. Black cur- 

 rants are but little grown, the market demand for them being very 

 light. 



THE GOOSEBERRY 



The Gooseberry is another fruit with somewhat circumscribed 

 area in this State. In localities which favor it, the fruit is often 

 found very profitable, but the demand does not warrant any great 

 increase of product. Though the gooseberry thrives in some situa- 

 tions which do not suit the currant, they may both be described 

 as averse to the hot and dry parts of the State. Still, for home 

 use or local, sale one can grow certain varieties of gooseberries suc- 

 cessfully, by protecting them from too great exposure to the sun, 

 and by keeping the soil sufficiently rich and moist. The choice of 

 varieties is of the greatest importance, as will be mentioned pres- 

 ently. At present the chief supplies of the gooseberry, as of the 

 currant, are produced in the country adjacent to San Francisco 

 Bay, though thriving and profitable plantations are found elsewhere 

 near the coast, here and there in the interior, and at considerable 

 elevations on the slope of the Sierra Nevada. 



