English Gooseberries 297 



ENGLISH GOOSEBERRIES 



Although frequent mention has been made of the English 

 varieties, it may be well to say a word further regarding 

 their culture in the United States. Like all European 

 fruits, they have been tried again and again, yet they 

 have only succeeded here and there, when meeting pe- 

 culiarly favorable conditions. Benj. G. Smith, of Cam- 

 bridge, successfully cultivated them for years, and oc- 

 casionally other growers have succeeded, but the general 

 fact remains that the English gooseberry is not a success 

 in America. It may produce a few good berries when 

 young, but is almost sure to fail later. It is said to thrive 

 well on the northwest coast where the climate is more 

 like that of England. In 1884, a motion was made at the 

 meeting of the American Pomological Society to strike 

 all English varieties from their list, but it was barely lost. 



The reason for this failure of the large and fine English 

 gooseberries in the United States is that they are constantly 

 attacked by mildew. Any number of remedies have been 

 suggested against the mildew in times past, the most 

 common practice being to mulch the ground with manure, 

 stones, tin cans, old boots, or other strange material which 

 might be thought to possess especial virtue. Salt applied 

 to the soil was vainly tried, and at one time grafting the 

 plants on the Missouri currant was thought to be a remedy. 

 Any of these things which afford a nearer approach toward 

 the ideal conditions demanded by the gooseberry will aid 

 in preventing the mildew, but none of them is infallible. 

 Yet recent experiments show that under favorable con- 



