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32 

 LETTER NINTH. 



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ON THE GOOSEBERRY, CURRANT, RASPBERRY, AND BLACKBERRY. 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 



Thorc are two drawbacks to the successful 

 and profitable culture of this fruit in this coun- 

 try, — the miMew and the caterpillar, to which 

 may be added in some localities the birds. The 

 Baltimore Oriole, and the Scarkt Tanagor, two 

 of our most beautiful birds, are very fond of 

 this fruit, and for years I have not been able to 

 get a ripe berry, and have therefore not Vjcen 

 able to test the different varieties as I could 

 have wished. 



Some of the English varieties, such as the 

 Whitesmith and a few others, do not appear to 

 be subject to mildew, while the Houghton seed- 

 ling, and some other crosses with the American 

 wild gooseberri??, are perfectly exempt. 



Different localities, and even different parts 

 of the same grounds, are much more free from 

 it than others, for which there is no way of ac- 

 counting. 



The small green caterpillar, and more lately 

 the Britijih gooseberry caterpillar, have in- 

 creased to so great a degree in some places, 

 that the leaves of both the gooseberry and , 

 currant are entirely eaten off before the fruit , 

 is ripe, and the crop is lost. Patience in ' 

 clearing the bushes of these pests by hand- | 

 picking, or other contrivances, or by waiting I 

 till they disapjjear through natural causes, ; 

 which they in general do sooner or later, is the I 

 only remedy. 



The gooseberry requires good, rich soil, well- 

 manured annually, as, unless it grows strongly, 

 it is apt to suffer from the great heat and 

 droughts of our summers, and the fruit becomes 

 small and inferior. 



The best mode of pruning is very simple ; all 

 suckers rising from the bottom of the stem 

 should be taken off early in the season, and a 

 portion of the old wood should be cut out an- 

 nually, leaving younger to take its place, tak- 

 ing care not to have the centre filled up with 

 small wood. As a general thing it is better 

 after the bushes have grown six or seven years, 

 to root them out, having new plantations com- 

 ing on to replace them. 



BEST VARIETIES OP OOOSEBERniEg. 



The following are amongst the best varieties ; 

 but, except by trial of many of the best varie- 



ties, it id impossible to tell which are the most 

 suitable for the climate in any given locality. 

 Some of the large, smooth Lancashire varieties 

 are apt to spoil with the sun, getting opaquo 

 and sour. Instead of remaining transparent and 

 s'veet. 



The smaller varieties are probably more suit- 

 able here, and they are also finer flavored. 

 The following can be recommended : — 



SMALL HIOH-FLAVORED BERRIES. 



Champagne Red, Green Gage Smooth, 



Champagne Yellow, Keen's Seedling Red, 



Early Hairy Green Ironmonger Red, 



Gage, Warrington Red. 



AMERICAN VARIETIES. 



Houghton's Seedling Reddi'sh, 

 American Seedling, 

 and sub-varieties of these. 



These are crosses between the small, smooth, 

 wild gooseberry, and the English ; they arc 

 weaker and more slender growers than the 

 English, very thorny, and the fruit small ; but 

 it is better for preserving, being richer and more 

 aromatic in flavor. 



I have raised some very fine varieties, hy- 

 brids between the wild prickly-fruited variety, 

 and the Euflish, or rather from seed of the ori- 

 ginal hybrid, again crossed with the best Eng- 

 lish. 



These varieties grow very strong ard up- 

 right,- the young shoots covered with light yel- 



lowish-brown spines ; the fruit is of various 

 sizes and colors, some smooth and some hairy ; 

 i many of them are of excellent flavor, and I 

 think will be found more suitable to the climate 

 and great acquisitions. I have not yet beon 

 able to test them suflRciently as to productive- 

 ness. 



BEST LANCASHIRE PRIZE SORTS. 



Bed. — Atlas, Crown Bob, Hopley's Champion. 



White. — Ostrich, Wandering Girl, White- 

 smith. 



Green. — Angler, Conquering Hero, Thumper 

 Riley's. 



Yellow. — Bank's Dublin, Husbandman, Pilot. 



Many others, however, are probably equally 

 as good as these. The Whitesmith is the surest 

 variety for a large crop of choice fruit. The 

 Early Sulphur will not answer in this climate. 



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