Book I. 



GOOSEBERRY. 



733 



4639. By seeds. As far as we know, the scientific mode of impregnating one variety with anotlier has 

 not been applied to this fruit. In general, the seed of some choice variety thoroughly ripe is taken and 

 sown in autumn or early in spring, in beds or pots of rich liglit mellow earth : when the plants are 

 a year old they are planted out in nursery rows, to be cultivated and trained there a year or two ; in ge- 

 neral they will bear the third year. 



4640. By cuttings. Miller says, the best season for planting gooseberry-cuttings is in autumn, just 

 before their leaves begin to fall. The cuttings should be taken from bearing shoots, rather than those ^ 

 gourmands which issue from the main stem. Cut them to such a length as the strength and ripeness of ' 

 the wood will bear, and cut off'all the buds excepting three, or at most four at top, and train the plants 

 with a single stem of nine inches, or a foot high, trom the top of which the branches should radiate up- 

 wards at an angle of 40^, or better if 45«, Haynes advises taking off cuttings in July, when the fruit is 

 on the tree, in order to make sure of the sorts. He says, by immediate planting, watering, and shadmg, 

 as good plants are produced as from ripe wood-cuttings. {Tr. on the Gooscben y, &c. p. 92.) 



4641. Soil and site. Any good garden-soil, on a dry bottom and well manured, will 

 suit the gooseberry. That which is soft and moist produces the largest fruit. The 

 situation should not be under the drip of trees over-much shaded or confined, otherwise 

 the fruit will be small, ill flavored, and the plants apt to mildew. Forsyth says, goose- 

 berries should be dunged every year, or at least have a good coat of dung once in two 

 years. Haynes recommends a mixture of peat and loam well manured, and a shaded 

 situation. The last he proposes to effect by planting among his compartments of goose- 

 berries, rows of Jerusalem artichokes in the direction of east and west. 



4642. Final planting. " The season for planting gooseberries is any time during open weather from 

 October till March. When trees are procured from the public nurseries choose such as are of some ad- 

 vanced size, about three years' growth, with pretty full heads, for immediate plentiful bearers. Let the 

 general supply be in standard bushes, and planted principally in the kitchen-garden, in single rows, along 

 the boundary ed^es of the main compartments, or outward borders, from six to eight feet apart j or some 

 may be planted in cross rows, to subdivide extensive compartments. When the object is to raise large 

 quantities of fruit, plantations are made in continued parallel rows, eight or ten feet asunder, by six feet 

 in the row. It would be ehgibie to plant a few choice sorts against south and other sunny walls or pa- 

 ling, for earUer and larger fruit; and on north v/alls, to ripen late in succession." {Abercro7nbie.) 



4643. Forsyth says, " The market-gardeners about London plant them in rows, from eight to ten 

 feet apart from row to row, and six feet from plant to plant in the rows. In small gardens 1 would re- 

 commend planting them in a compartment by themselves, at the distance of six feet between the rows, 

 and four feet froin plant to plant ; or you may plant them round the edges of the compartments, about 

 three feet from the path ; you will then have the ground clear for cropping, and a man, by setting one 

 foot on the border, can gather the gooseberries without injuring the crop." 



4(544. 'Neill says, " In some places gooseberry-trees, on the sides of the borders, are trained to a single 

 tall stem, which is tied to a stake : this, though six or eight feet high, occasions scarcely any shade on 

 the border, and it does not occupy much room, nor exclude air ; while, at the same time, the stem be- 

 comes close hung with berries, and makes a nleasant appearance in that state." {Ed. Enc. art. Hoi-t. 

 \ 161.) 



4645. Maker observes {Hart. Trans, ii. 146), that as " the crop of ripe fruit is often injured, by having 

 tlie largest and earliest berries prematurely gathered, whilst green, for tarts, a sufficient number of trees 

 of such varieties as are the earliest, should be planted in a separate compartment of the garden, and de- 

 voted exclusively to the use of the kitchen, for tarts and sauce." 



4646. Mode of bearing. The gooseberry produces its fruit not only on the shoots of 

 last summer, and on shoots two or three years old, but also on spurs or snags arising 

 from the elder branches along the sides ; but the former afford the largest fruit. The 

 shoots retained for bearers should therefore be left at full length, or nearly so." (Aber.) 



4647. Pruning. " The bushes will require a regulating pruning twice in the year." 



4648. Suminer pruning. "Where any bushes are crowded with cross and water shoots, of the same 

 year, shading the fruit from the sun, and preventing the access of air, thin the heart of the plant and 

 other tufted parts moderately, pinching off or cutting out close what spray is removed ; but do not touch 

 the summer shoots in general." Maher says, " it will greatly contribute to the perfection of the fruit, if 

 the very small berries are taken away with a pair of scissors about the middle or end of May ; and these 

 small berries will be found quite as good for sauce or gooseberry-cream as the larger." 



4549. Winter pruning. "You may proceed to the winter pruning any time from November until the 

 end of February, or until the buds are so swelled that farther delay would endanger their being rubbed 

 off in the operation. Cut out the cross shoots and water-shoots of the preceding summer, and the su- 

 perfluous among crowded branches. Prune long ramblers and low stragglers to some well placed lateral 

 or eye J or if an under-straggler spring very low, cut it away. Of last year's shoots retain a suffi- 

 ciency of the best well placed laterals and terminals, in vacant parts, to form successional bearers, and 

 to supply the places of unfruitful and decayed old wood, which, as you proceed, should be removed. 

 Mostly retain a leading shoot at the end of a principal branch, leaving it either naturally terminal, or 

 where the branch would thus be too extended, pruning to some competent lateral within bounds. The 

 superfluous young laterals on the good main branches, instead of being taken off clean, may be cut into 

 little stubs of one or two eyes ; which will send out fruit-buds and spurs. Of the supply reserved for 

 new bearers, a small number will probably require shortening, where too extended, or curvated incom- 

 modiously ; leave these from eight to twelve inches in length, according to strength and situation ; those 

 of moderate extent and regular growth will require very little shortening, and many none at all. Ob- 

 serve, too close cutting, or general shortening, occasions a great superfluity of wood in summer : for the 

 multiplied laterals thus forced from the eyes of the shortened branches increase to a thicket, so as to re- 

 tard the growth and prevent the full ripening of the fruit : on which account it is an important part of 

 pruning to keep the middle of the head open and clear, and to let the occasional shortening of the shoots 

 be sparing and moderate. Between the bearing branches keep a regulated distance of at least six inches 

 at the extremities, which will render them fertile bearers of good fruit. Some persons, not pruning the 

 gooseberry-tree on right principles, are apt to leave the shoots excessively close and tufted, while they 

 shorten the whole promiscuously; others sometimes clip them with garden-shears to close round heads; 

 in consequence of being pruned in these methods, the bushes shoot crowdedly, full of young wood in 

 summer, from which the fruit is always very small, an.d does not ripen freely with full flavor." 



4650. Forsyth says, " Many of the Lancashire sects are apt to grow horizontally, and the branches 

 frequently trail on the ground, v/hich renders them liable to be broken by high winds, especially when 

 they are loaded with fruit. In that case I would recommend two or three hoops to be put round them, 

 to which the branches may be tied, to support them, and prevent their being broken by the wind." 



4651. Jeeves has tried training gooseberries on an arched trellis, in the manner of a bsrceav, or arbor- 

 walk. For this purpose, he plants in rows, five feet and a half apart, and the plants three feet distance 

 in the row. He choosea the strongest-growing kinds, and trains four branches, at nine inches' distance 



