The Canadian Horticulturist. 297 



EXPERIENCE WITH GOOSEBERRIES IN SOUTH SIMCOE. 



HE enlargement of our journal, and the kind invitation to all mem- 

 bers, to take hold, should certainly have the effect of bringing out 

 a good deal of practical experience, and it may be discussion ; 

 which in their turn should furnish material for the meetings of the 

 ' Association. It seems to me that some of the things I want to 

 know about are : 

 I St. Pruning. 

 Fertilizers ; quantity, kind and results. 

 Varieties grown, and results. 



Novelties tried, and have they proved to be improvements. 

 Time, which is more important than the mere price, is often lost with these 

 for the want of a little information! from those who know. 



With your permission, I will give a few notes out of my experience with 

 some of the different varieties of gooseberries : 



Downing stands first, all things considered, it averaged three quarts per 

 bush, every year, for four years. 



Smith's Improved, I have dug up. Fruit fine, but no yield in four years' 

 trial. [It yields abundantly at " Maplehurst.'' — Ed.] 



Industry, ditto. I have tried boards, laid tightly underneath, for mildew, 

 but the result was failure. 

 In new varieties. 



Autocrat grave a large crop, of very large fruit, less mildew than any other 

 variety. 



Pearl, apparently no larger than Downing and nowhere in crop, but I still 

 hope for better things in future. 



All these were heavily dressed 'with stable manure and ashes. With me, the 

 tips of the new growth, on even Downing, are affected with mildew, at this sea- 

 son of the year. Autocrat seems to be exempt from this. 



Trimming, with me, consists in cleaning out underneath, and thinning out 

 head ; not too thin, or fruit scalds. No cutting back ; any stem that is cut at all 

 is cut clean out. 



Nantye, Aug. ij, i8g2. Stanley Spillet. 



Tile Draining an Orchard. — To drain an orchard, the soil of which is 

 hard pan with a foot of muck on top, the drains should be not more than 50 

 feet apart and, if the land is very wet and cold, two rods to 40 feet would be 

 better. Run them parallel and lay them 3 to 3^ feet deep. Round tile are 

 best and, if they have to run only 200 or 300 feet, 2 inch tile will do, if they are 

 to carry nothing but ram and surface water. If the land is quite wet, an 

 occasional line of a larger size of tile should be put in from the most springy 

 parts of the field. — Farm and Home. 



