The Cultivation of Fruits 133 
Neither a very light nor a very heavy soil is well suited 
for the cultivation of this bush. The roots like to ramify 
freely in the soil. The Gooseberry succeeds best in the 
North of England and in Scotland, where the summer is 
not so hot during the period of ripening. 
Care should be taken not to plant the bushes too 
deeply, and, when once they are established, a liberal 
supply of well-rotted farmyard manure should be given 
each year, forking it in lightly round the bushes. The 
Gooseberry bears its fruit on spurs as well as on the young 
wood. Therefore a combination of the two systems of 
pruning — spur and extension — should be adopted. Care 
must be taken not to start the extension system too early, 
or the bushes may be spoilt. Young shoots on young 
bushes should be cut fairly well back to get the main 
branches of the bushes strong, and thus able to support 
the smaller branches, which will be laden with fruit. If this 
be not done, the branches will be weak, and, when laden 
with fruit, will bend over and spoil the bush. The fruit 
also, if not actually lying on the ground, will get splashed 
with sand during heavy rains, thus spoiling it to a great 
extent. When the main branches have grown strong, by 
being cut back each season for several years, the extension 
system may be gradually adopted. The shoots may be 
left longer and longer, until they have practically attained 
their full length. Then, in favourable seasons, if careful 
manuring has been done, each bud from the base to the 
apex will produce fruit. When pruning is required, the 
first thing to do is to look over the bush for any dead 
branches, afterwards cutting out all cross shoots, and all 
weak, worthless ones. Then the bush should be carefully 
