572 



Gooseberry Growing. 



[Sept., 



GOOSEBERRY GROWING. 



Gooseberries are extremely valuable to the market grower both 

 when grown by themselves and as bottom fruit in plantations. 

 Owing to the climate they can be grown to greater perfection in 

 this country than in any other. Of late years extension of their 

 culture has received a set-back from American Gooseberry 

 Mildew, but with the better control of that disease the position 

 is now much improved. The profitable life of well-cared-for 

 bushes may be said to be about 15 years. 



Varieties. — In selecting varieties for planting, due regard 

 must be paid to the locality, the particular demand to be met, 

 and to likely facilities for picking. They may be divided into 

 distinct classes : — 



(a) In certain early districts such as the Cheddar, Exe 



and Tamar Valleys in the West, and Sandwich in 

 Kent, it has been found most profitable to grow 

 gooseberries for the early green berry trade, and 

 for this purpose Berry's Early and May Duke are 

 tne most useful. These are usually marketed in 

 chips or strikes. 



(b) The heavy cropping varieties such as Whinham's, 



Berry's Early, Crown Bob, Lancashire Lad, Care- 

 less and White Lion, may be picked for sale as 

 green berries, or for jam, or when ripe for dessert. 

 The bushes are usually picked over a number of 

 times. The quantity left to ripen should be 

 governed by the amount of other fruit likely to 

 be on the market, and facilities as to picking. They 

 are marketed in half sieves. If sold for jam the 

 bushes are cleared before or at latest when the berries 

 begin to change colour, and the fruit is sent in half- 

 sieves or in bags. 



(c) Certain districts find it most profitable to specialise in 



high quality dessert fruit. For this purpose Care- 

 less is grown in Wisbech; Cousin's Seedling in East 

 Kent, especially around Sandwich, and now, to some 

 extent, in Wisbech; White Lion in Middlesex; and 

 Early Sulphur in Middlesex and the Sandwich dis- 

 trict in Kent. In addition there are the varieties 



