500 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 



Uses. This fruit is, in the first place, a very important one in its 

 green state, being in high estimation for pies, tarts, and puddings, com- 

 ing into use earlier than any other. The earliest use made of it appears 

 to have been as a sauce with green goose, whence the name, goose-berry. 

 In its ripe state it is a very agreeable table fruit, and in this country, 

 following the season of cherries, it is always most acceptable. Unripe 

 gooseberries are bottled in water for winter use (placing the bottles, 

 nearly filled, a few moments in boiling water, afterwards corking and 

 sealing them, and burying them in a cool cellar, with their necks down- 

 ward). They are also canned, the same as with cherries, peaches, and 

 other fruits. 



As a luxury for the poor, Mr. Loudon considers this the most valu- 

 able of all fruits, " since it can be grown in less space, in more unfavor- 

 able circumstances, and brought sooner into bearing than any other." 



Propagation. Gooseberry plants should only be raised from cut- 

 tings. New varieties are of course raised from seed, and the produc- 

 tion of new American varieties of large size and fine quality affords a 

 field of occupation which we should rejoice to see abundantly filled. 



In preparing cuttings select the strongest and straightest young shoots 

 of the current year, at the end of October (or very early in the ensuing 

 spring) ; cut out all the buds that you intend to go below the ground 

 (to prevent future suckers), and plant the cuttings in a deep rich soil, 

 on the north side of a fence, or in some shaded border. The cuttings 

 should be inserted six inches deep, and from three to six or eight inches 

 should remain above ground. The soil should be pressed very firmly 

 about the cuttings, and, in the case of autumn planting, the cuttings 

 should be inserted into the ground level with the upper buds, and then 

 covered with a mulch of coarse manure, to be taken away in the fol- 

 lowing spring, when they should be examined, and the earth pressed to 

 render it firm again should the cutting have been raised by severe frost. 

 After they have become well rooted — generally in a year's time — they 

 may be transplanted to the borders, where they are finally to remain. 



Cultivation. The Gooseberry in our climate is very impatient of 

 drought, and we have uniformly found that the best soil for it is a deep 

 strong loam ; or at least whatever may be the soil, and it will grow in a 

 great variety, it should always be deep — if not naturally so, it should 

 be made deep by trenching and manuring. It is the most common 

 error to plant this fruit shrub under the branches of other trees for the 

 sake of their shade — as it always renders the fruit inferior in size and 

 flavor, and more likely to become mouldy. On the contrary, we would 

 always advise planting in an open border, as, if the soil is sufficiently 

 deep, the plants will not suffer from dryness, and should it unfortu- 

 nately be of a dry nature, it may be rendered less injurious by covering 

 the ground under the plants with straw or litter. In any case a ricli 

 soil is necessary, and as the Gooseberry is fond of manure, a pretty 

 heavy top-dressing should be dug in every year around bearing plants. 

 For a later crop a few bushes may be set on the north side of a fence 

 or wall. 



For the Gooseberry, regular and pretty liberal pruning is absolutely 

 necessary. Of course no suckers should be allowed to grow. In No- 

 vember the winter pruning should be performed. The leaves now be- 

 ing off, it is easy to see what proportion of the new as well as old wood 

 may be taken away ; and we will here remark that it is quite impossible 



