1092 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS goosebebey 



variety best known at present is 8t. 

 Joseph, but what appears to be an equally 

 good one is that called St. Anthony of 

 Padua. They are both of French origin, 

 and worth growing in all gardens 



Culture and Propagation. — Per- 

 petual Strawberries may be grown in 

 the same soil and situation as the other 

 varieties, but they prefer a light moist 

 loam, and a partially shaded place. They 

 are, • however, not increased by runners, 

 although they produce many. When these 

 appear they should always be severed 

 from the plants, as they are only a strain 

 and an obstacle to fruiting. 



Seeds may be sown during April in a 

 cold frame, and also out of doors in May 

 in prepared beds. To obtain good sturdy 

 plants, the seedlings should be trans- 

 planted from the seed bed once or twice 

 during the year in showery weather. 

 About the end of September or during 

 October, according to the weather, the 

 plants are finally transplanted about 18 

 in. apart to the ground in which they are 

 to fruit the following year. The first 

 crops of fruit will appear in June, about 

 the same time as the ordinary early kinds, 

 but they contmue to flower and fruit 

 without intermission up to the middle of 

 October in good seasons. To make them 

 last even longer than this, the plants may 

 be covered with lights if there is a 

 prospect of obtaining more fruit. After 

 the fruiting period is over the plants may 

 either be pulled up and thrown away or 

 kept on until the following season to pro- 

 duce an early crop. In any case seed 

 should be sown every spring as stated 

 above, so that a new plantation is made 

 every autumn. By retaining the fruithag 

 plants of the previous year for the first 

 crop the following year, the first flower 

 trusses may be pinched out of the plants 

 put out the previous autumn. In this 

 way the late summer and autumn crops 

 will be heavier and finer. 



THE GOOSEBERRY (Eibes Gros- 

 sularia). — The Gooseberry belongs to 

 the genus Kibes, the characters of which 

 are given at p. 436. It is indigenous to 

 England and the temperate parts of 

 Europe and Asia, and may be regarded as 

 the hardiest of all our cultivated fruits. 



A few years ago a so-called ' spineless ' 

 or thornless Gooseberry raised in France 

 attracted a good deal of attention, and not 

 unnaturally, as the gathering of berries 



usually makes one thoroughly acquainted 

 with the numerous sharp spines. There 

 are generally 1-3 of these jutting out 

 like bayonets beneath each bud on the 

 branches. The fruit of the spineless 

 Gooseberry, however, possessed no par- 

 ticular merit, and the plants unfortu- 

 nately developed spines in due course. 

 They were supposed to have been ordi- 

 nary Gooseberries grafted on stocks of 

 the Currant. 



Soil. — The Gooseberry flourishes in 

 ordinary good garden soil which is well 

 drained and neither too light nor too 

 heavy in texture. In fact a good Rasp- 

 berry soil will also suit Gooseberries and 

 Currants. 



The Gooseberry succeeds better m the 

 cooler and moister .climate of the north 

 of England and Scotland than it does in 

 the warmer and drier parts of the south 

 of England. It is therefore desirable, in 

 selecting a position for Gooseberries in the 

 south of England, to find a rather cool, 

 moist, and partially shaded one, such as 

 between rows of fruit trees that are not 

 too close together. In the north of 

 England and Scotland the bushes may be 

 planted in the open sunshine, while in 

 Ireland, which is on the whole more moist 

 than England and not so cold as Scotland, 

 the cultivator must Ukewise seek a favour- 

 able situation, and one facing north would 

 be useful. 



Planting. — The period of planting is 

 from the middle of October to the end 

 of November, as for Easpberries. The 

 bushes should be at least 5-6 ft. apart, and 

 on no account should they be planted too 

 deeply, as this causes the development of 

 suckers from the base of the stems (see 

 article on Planting Fruit Trees, p. 1032). 



The soil should always be well pre- 

 pared and dug a few weeks before plant- 

 ing, and may receive a more or less 

 heavy dressing of weU-rotted manm'e ac- 

 cording to its condition. 



Pruning. — Established bushes only 

 require to have then- main or leadmg 

 branches shortened back to about 6 

 inches, more or less, according to whe- 

 ther the bush is required to increase 

 in size or not ; and the side shoots cut 

 back to two or three buds. This opera- 

 tion is best done in winter. In early 

 summer, however, say early in June, if 

 time can be spared, it is a good plan to 

 remove all side shoots, buds &c. that arc 

 not required. If these are allowed to 



