658 



GOOSEBERRY 



GOOSEFOOT 



928. An American Gooseberry (X ■''i>) — Ribes oxyacanthoides. 



partakes largely of European characteristics. Downing 

 is the most widely planted of all Gooseberries in America 

 (Fig. 929); fruit medium size, oval, green; plantupright, 

 vigorous, healthy, productiye. Houghton, uii old favor- 

 ite; fr. small, round, dark red, good quality. Pearl; 

 almost identical with Downing, of which it is a seedling. 

 Josselyn; fr. large, red, oval; plant vigorous and pro- 

 lific. Another promising native type is J?. CijMOshati, 

 represented by the Mathews, of Iowa origin. 



PropiK/afion. — This is effected in three principal ways. 

 (!) Cuttings : The Gooseberry does not "strike" very 

 readily from cuttings. Native varieties root more freely 

 than English types. The cuttings may be taken in the 

 fall, as soon as the wood is ripened. They should be 

 7 to 9 in. long. They may be set in the ground at once, 

 or tied in bundles and burietl in the ground, or stored in 

 a cold cellar over winter. The collar must be cold — 

 almost down to freezing point. Fall-set cuttings should 

 Ije planted obliquely, so that the heaving of the ground 

 will not throw them out. Set cuttings in nursery row 

 3 feet apart and give clean culture. (2) La^'ers: Propa- 

 gation by layering is tlie common nursery practice. For 

 this purpose, plants 5 or G years old are used. They 

 should be vigorous and healthy. They should be cut 

 back severely in tlie autumn or early spring. This en- 

 courages a dense, bushy growth. The layering is done 

 by plowing a furrow ai^ainst the row on each side aud 

 forcing the branches down by throwing soil directly on 

 top of the bushes. In moist regions a comparativel}'' 

 small amount of covering is necessary. In dryish re- 

 gions .5 or 6 inches of soil is necessary. In the fall the 

 soil is renjoved and the rooted branches separated from 

 the parent bush, leaving buds for the production of 

 shoots the following season; or, the entire plant may be 

 taken up and divided. (3) Root-cuttings: Native Goose- 

 berries may also be propagated by cuttings of the rootf^. 

 The plants are taken up in the fall witli all roots pos- 

 sible. The latter are cut into 2- or 3-inch lengths and 



929. Downing Gooseberry. 



packed in boxes of earth, wliich a.re stored in a cold cel- 

 lar. In spring the pieces of roots are planted innursery 

 rows, covered with 2 inches of soil. English varieties 

 are not readily propagated by this method. When single- 

 stem plants arc desired, they should he grown from cut- 

 tings. In order to discourage sprouting tendencies thf 

 buds above the roots should be removed — disljudded. 

 Layer plants are best for producing the husli form of 

 plant used almost exclusively in America. 



Diseases. — The Gooseberry, as a rule, is affected se 

 ously by only two plant parasites, mildew and leaf-sp« 

 The former attacks the English varieties, while the h 

 ter is the chief fungous enemy of American varieties. 



Mildew {Sphcerofheca Mors-Uvaj) : This is the bu 

 bear of English varieties in America. It has done mo 

 to discourage the cultivation of this type than anythii 

 else. This fungus attacks shoots, foliage and fruit, 

 covers the affected part with a gray, frost-like coatin 

 This turns to a dirty brown lat(-.r on. It is a surfac 

 growing parasite, and the web-like covering may 

 peeled from the fruit in its early stages. The ends 

 the shoots and younger leaves are attacked first, cau 

 ing the bush to take on a stunted appearance. Rem 

 dies for mildew: (1) Sanitary: circulation of airsecur 

 by a favorable site, good drainage and proper trainin 

 {'2) Fungicides: {a) Potassium sulphide, liver of sulph 

 ] nz. to 2 gals, water. Spray 4 or 5 times, at intervals 

 C. or 8 days, beginning with the unfolding of the leave 

 (h) Bordeaux mixture may be used with good resul 

 for the first two applications. It stains the fruit whf 

 applied after the fruit is half-grown, (c) Dilute copp 

 sulphate, 1 oz. to 15 gals, water, )nay be used throug 

 out the season. 



Leaf-spot (Sepforia I^ihis): This disease attacks t] 

 leaves only. It produces numerous small brown, irreg 

 larly shaped spots or patches on the Ivs. This spottii 

 causes a premature dropping of the Ivs., often befo 

 the fruit is fully developed. Remedy: Spray early 

 the season, and again after harvesting the fruit, wi 

 Bordeaux mixture. 



Injurious Insects. ~{1) The imported Currant won 

 The larva of a saw-fly attacks the foliage soon aft 

 fruit sets. The attack is first made on the low 

 leaves. From this point the worms work upward < 

 the bush, stripping the leaves in their line of marc 

 The worms are exceedingly voracious, and will defolia 

 a bush in 2 or 3 days. The mature insect is a saw-fl 

 which deposits its eggs on the under side of the lea 

 Usually two broods occur during the season. Treatmen 

 Spray with arsenical poison early. Bordeaux mixtu 

 and Paris green may be used in combination for t' 

 early spray. For tlie later spi'ays, fresh powder 

 hellebore, at the rate of 1 lb. to 50 gals, of water, 

 effective. The grower should not wait for the inse 

 to make its appearance, but should ward off danger 

 soon as the leaves appear by spraying with Bordeai 

 mixture and Paris green, which will adhere to tl 

 foliage and be on the spot when needed. Other i 

 jurious insects are the Gooseberry fruit worm [Epoch 

 C(inadensls), wliich burrows in the green fruit, causii 

 it to drop. Remedy: Destroy infested berries. 



2. Currant borer {Psenoce-rus supernotatus) : Ti 

 larva of a moth. Eggs are laid near the tip of the car 

 down the center of which the larva tunnels. Infest 

 canes are readily detected. They should be cut out ai 

 burned. San Jose scale aud four-lined leaf-bug a 

 sometimes injurious. When a plantation is infested 

 the former it should be thoroughly treated with whs 

 oil soap mixture in winter, diluted kerosene on sunshii 

 diiys in spring, or, in bad cases of infestation, it w 

 ]trobal>ly be wisest to root up and destroy the busht 

 Kerosene emulsion is used against the fourdined bi 

 with .success, j^^^ cj^,„ 



GOOSEBEKEY, BAEBADOES. Sco Pereskia. 



GOOSEFOOT. Vernacular for Chmopodilim. 



