166 



will be continually throwing up suckers. The accompanying 

 illustration shows a bush with four branches, and a sucker springing 

 from the base, which, unless carefully suppressed, 

 will spoil its shape. The branches should be well 

 raised above the ground, say 12 inches. By this 

 means the fruit is kept clean, and sun and air 

 having full access to the branches, favour its fruit- 

 fuJness. To ensure this, the branches are cut half 

 back, with the result that there are at least double 



-Gooseberry cutting. 

 (J. WRIGHT.) 



Gooseberry bush a year from the cutting. 

 (J. WRIGHT.) 



the number the next season, as shown by the dotted 

 lines. When the time for the second pruning comes 

 these canes are cut back to about 12 inches in length 

 to good buds pointing upwards or outwards, so as to 

 keep the bush well above the ground. 



Unless gooseberries are pruned, the fruit never 

 or seldom attains to any size, and the bush is soon 

 exhausted. The gooseberry, like the currant, bears 

 well on spurs of two years or older wood ; they also 



bear well on the young annual shoots, when these are left with a 



certain amount of discretion. 



The illustration, one and two-years old wood on a gooseberry 

 branch, shows on the older wood natural spurs forming all along it, 

 and also two lateral shoots cut back at (x x). Unless these had 

 been cut back it would have been almost impossible to pass the hand 

 down the head of the bush for gathering the crop. It is essential 

 that all laterals should be shortened to at least allow the hand to 

 reach to the centre of the bush. A young shoot as shown in the figure 

 may be left at intervals, so as to enable the cutting back every few 

 years of the worn-out older spur-carrying shoots in the centre, or 

 the bushes have a tendency to soon cease bearing, except on the 

 outside. 



The currant bushes are formed in the same way as the goose- 

 berry bushes, but when the plant has as many branches as it can 

 carry, the additional growth of fresh new wood should not be 

 encouraged. The distance between the branches should be such 



