526 THE FRUIT-GARDEN. [Oct, 
it must be particularly observed, always to keep the ground under 
and immediately contiguous to each bush, free from weeds 
or crops of any kind; for if damps and moisture are confined about 
the bushes in this way, the fruit will mildew and become use- 
less. 
It will be in vain to expect fine fruit, unless you have good kinds, 
and give them the best ground possible, a plentiful supply of ma- 
nure annually, frequent culture, and regular pruning. 
The best time to plant them out finally, is when they have had 
one or two years' growth from cuttings; or indeed the cuttings 
may, with great propriety, be planted where they are to remain 
for fruiting. Old gooseberry bushes seldom bear large fruit after 
being transplanted, unless they are carefully removed with large 
balls of earth round their roots. 
Previous to planting, each young tree should be pruned up to 
one clean stem of eight, to ten, or twelve inches, before you form 
the head; for when they are suffered to branch away immediately 
from the bottom, they, by spreading out so near the ground, will 
impede the growth of any crops that grow near them, and in the 
occasional and very necessary business of manuring, digging, hoe- 
ing, weeding, &c. will be very troublesome to work between. 
For further observations on the planting of gooseberries, see 
pages, 138 and 292. 
Pruning and Propagating Gooseberries. 
The latter part of this month and the entire of the next, will be a 
very suitable season for the pruning of gooseberries. It is a prac- 
tice too common in pruning these trees, to let them branch out 
with long naked stems, suffering them to remain in that state for 
many years. When that is already the case, they should be cut 
down, or considerably shortened, to promote a free growth of healthy, 
young shoots, which will bear fruit abundantly the second year. 
But for general instructions on this head see page 32. 
You may now plant cuttings of the various kinds of gooseberries 
which you wish to propagate; for the necessary instructions, see 
page 292. 
Note. New varieties of gooseberries may be obtained by sowing 
seeds of the best kinds you are able to procure, either in this, or 
any of the autumn months, in beds in the open ground, or in boxes 
of good earth. From these sowings the plants will rise freely 
in spring, and by the autumn or spring following, may be planted 
in nursery rows, to remain another season, after which they are 
to be finally planted out for fruiting: or they may remain where 
planted from the seed-bed till they show specimens of fruit; then 
those that are good are to be taken due care of; the others, which, 
by the bye, will be the far greater number, may be thrown away. 
If the seed is kept out of the ground till spring, scarcely any of 
it will vegetate till that time twelve months; therefore, it is ne- 
cessary either to sow it in autumn, or to preserve it in damp earth 
or sand, till February, or March. If sown in autumn cover it near 
