16 



CASSELI/S POPULAR GARDENING. 



Collectors of these Conf ervse should be provided with 

 a supply of wide-mouthed short glass tubes, having 

 good corks, and some pill-boxes, the latter for dry- 

 objects ; for Algae are not all aquatic. The green 

 dust which we find on trunks of trees, and on palings 

 in winter, Protococcus viridis, belongs to this order of 

 plants ; it apparently consists of a collection of 

 circular green cells, each separate from the other ; and 

 in this respect differs from most other Algae, which 

 are made up of cells joined end to end in a thread- 

 like arrangement. Small patches of a dark green 

 jelly-like substance may sometimes have been noticed 

 upon rocks in wet localities, and upon damp gravel 

 paths in early summer after rain. This is Nostoc 

 commune, and under the microscope is found to be 

 composed of threads of circular cells, with some 

 solitary cells amongst them. 



In Batrachospermum moniliforme, which is a dark 

 brown mass of wavy jelly, found only in running 

 water, the threads are composed of oval cells joined 

 together by their longer diameters, and these threads 

 are branching. It is called the Frog-spawn Conferva, 

 and is one of the most beautiful objects that can be 

 found for the microscope. It would be very in- 

 teresting to try and grow this, but not easy to arrange 

 for imitating its natural conditions. The green Con- 

 fervas consist of threads without branches, and they 

 float in the water. Their threads are divided into 

 compartments, some long, others short ; in some 

 species these divisions contain one or more cells, 

 in others there is a spiral thread. "We find the latter 

 form in Zygnema spiralis, a bright green Conferva, 

 which is found growing at the bottom of streams in 

 spring, and in summer rises to the surface, and forms 

 a scum. 



Any one who would give the requisite time and 

 attention to the growth of these very interesting 

 plants, which are almost the lowest in the scale of the 

 vegetable kingdom, would be amply rewarded for 

 his trouble. 



SMALL AND BUSH FRUITS. 



By D. T. Fish, assisted by William Camiichael. 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 



THIS is, without doubt, the king of all the fruits 

 of this character — the most luscious of all the 

 Currant-worts. Whatever may be said of the juici- 

 ness and sweetness of Currants or Raspberries, yet 

 there is a sparkling briskness and freshness, as well 

 as sweetness, about the Gooseberry that far exceeds 

 either of these. Most lovers of Gooseberries are, in 

 fact, often heard affirming that they are second to no 

 fruit that can be grown in our climate. Judging by 

 the enormous quantities consumed by those that love 



Gooseberries, even this overstated merit may be held 

 to be established. The plant being indigenous is, 

 consequently, one of our hardiest fruits, and there are 

 scarcely any portions of the country so ungenial in 

 climate, and so poor in soil, as to refuse to grow 

 Gooseberries. This, however, must not be understood 

 to mean that any, even the poorest, soil is good 

 enough to grow Gooseberries to perfection. On the 

 contrary, as we shall see, none can be too good for 

 this purpose. The same, however, can hardly be 

 said of the climate. This may readily prove too hot 

 and forcing for the bringing out of the full flavour of 

 this specially hardy fruit. For the Gooseberry is one 

 of those fruits that must not be hurried. The faster it 

 is grown, the lower its quality. A mean temperature 

 of 55° throughout its period of ripening seems to 

 suit it best. Certain it is that the same Gooseberry 

 from, say, Perthshire and Cornwall is wonderfully 

 different, and the quality is all in favour of Scotland, 

 and against the South of England. Possibly the ex- 

 cess of heat carries the conversion of the acid of the 

 fruit into saccharine matter rather too far, thus going 

 round or back towards acidity again. Be that as it 

 may, there can be no doubt of the fact that the 

 further north, in reason, the better and sweeter the 

 Gooseberries, and vice versa. 



Next to an excess of heat, a scarcity of water 

 is the most fatal to full flavour in the Gooseberry. 

 Possibly the reduced rainfall in the South, as con- 

 trasted with the North, is at least full half the reason 

 of the inferiority of the Gooseberies in the southern 

 portions of the country. It has almost seemed at 

 times as if the flavour of Gooseberries were washed 

 rather than shined into them. 



As regards the latter, many Gooseberries of the 

 thinner - skinned varieties cannot bear much direct 

 sunlight without serious injury. It scalds or burns 

 them, and so lowers or ruins their flavour, and sets 

 up incipient fermentation within the substances of 

 the fruit ; and hence the wisdom, especially in dry 

 districts, such as East Anglia, of making the Goose- 

 berry a sub-crop under Plum or Apple trees, or, 

 where this is impracticable, growing it on north walls 

 or borders. There are other advantages in choosing 

 these aspects besides those of shade, coolness, and 

 moisture. It keeps the Gooseberies back in the 

 spring, and this often saves a crop. For hardy as 

 the Gooseberry is in a dormant state, no sooner does 

 it break into half -opened leaflets than the first frosts 

 blacken the young fruit, and there is an end of the 

 crop for that season. However, the shade must not 

 be overdone. For example, though Gooseberries on 

 north borders or walls may acquire the highest 

 flavour, if fully exposed to the light, those overhung 

 by Apple, Plum, or other trees, are frequently of 

 very inferior quality. 



