AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
247 
as are adapted to our readers’ wants, or contain 
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-••- 
CULTIVATION OF GOOSEBERRIES. 
The following article, found in Hovey's Maga¬ 
zine for June, is headed “ Cultivation of Goose¬ 
berries in Canadabut we think the practical 
information it furnishes, is equally adapted to 
the Northern States, at least those bordering on 
Canada, and we are glad to transfer the article 
to our columns for the benefit of our readers 
generally. We would however add that, goose¬ 
berries in this neighborhood are less affected 
with mildew when grown in bushes, instead of on 
a “stright, clean stem,” as here recommended. 
Nowhere on the American Continent can the 
gooseberry be raised in greater perfection than 
in Canada, and the northern part of the United 
States, a fact which is admitted by the most 
eminent cultivators and writers on Horticulture 
amongst our neighbors across the lines, and 
nowhere in our Province has the cnltivation of 
this fine fruit been brought to such a high state 
as in the city of Montreal. The Horticultural 
Society established there some seven or eight 
years ago, has been mainly instrumental in di¬ 
recting more attention to be turned to goose¬ 
berry culture, as well as increasing to a vast 
extent the taste for gardening generally. At 
the gooseberry shows of the Society, held in 
August, we have seen displays of this fruit 
which could only be excelled in the moist cli¬ 
mate of England, and which evinced a skill and 
perseverance on the part of our amateurs and 
gardeners of which we may well be proud. 
Ten years ago, only a few straggling old sorts 
of the gooseberry were grown; now over two 
hundred varieties can be shown in their proper 
season, comprising all the sorts most famed for 
either size or flavor. 
The gooseberry is a fruit universally admired. 
When we consider the delicious flavor of some 
of the best varieties, the ease with which they 
are grown, the small piece of ground they oc¬ 
cupy, and the enormous product they some¬ 
times yield, we can only wonder its cultivation 
has generally been so sadly neglected. No gar¬ 
den, however humble, ought to want its share 
of gooseberry trees. In the hot season of the 
year they provide us with an abundant supply 
of luscious and healthy fruit—any quantity of 
them can be eaten with impunity. We have 
seen them in universal use in large quantities 
by every class of people, and never once saw any 
evil results. For green use in tarts, and in the 
shape of preserves, they are also invaluable. 
To sum up its qualities we would say, gives us 
a good “ Ironmonger,” well colored and of tol¬ 
erable size, and we do not envy any one, either 
their grapes or their peaches. Loudon says it 
is the most valuable of all fruits, since it can be 
grown in less space, in more unfavorable cir¬ 
cumstances, and brought sooner into bearing 
than any other. 
As we believe the gooseberry can be grown to 
perfection by the humblest cottager, we propose 
here to offer a few short remarks regarding our 
method of cultivation, as a guide to our farmers 
and others who may desire to add this fruit to 
the produce of their gardens and orchards. 
The great barrier to its successful cultivation 
hitherto has been the want of proper pruning, 
and the carelessness with which they have been 
raised when in a young state; we see them 
generally allowed to grow without pruning at 
all, whereby they become rampant and thicket¬ 
like in their growth, and instead of yielding 
fruit, only produce leaves and branches. Ano¬ 
ther serious fault is allowing the bushes to 
throw up suckers from their roots, whereas they 
ought to be grown with a clear stem from six 
to twelve inches high; straggling, low-set bushes, 
which are infested with suckers, will never pro¬ 
duce fruit properly, and the sure and best rem¬ 
edy is to cast them out. Contrast with this, a 
clean-legged bush, as it is technically called, 
that is, with a straight clear stem nine inches 
high, properly pruned and thinned of all use¬ 
less and superfluous branches, and loaded with 
half a bushel of fine fruit, and it will be admit¬ 
ted that the sort of cultivation we have spoken 
of as generally seen, is not cultivation at all. 
Young gooseberry trees ought to be chosen for 
planting two or three years old, preferring the 
first-mentioned age, if the bushes are strong and 
hearty; choose such as are raised from cuttings , 
discarding those procured layers , which can 
never make good plants. Set them in tolerably 
damp soil; here is the grand secret with the 
gooseberry in this climate; it naturally loves a 
moist atmosphere ; this we have it not to give 
in this country ; if the soil be not naturally deep, 
it should be made so by trenching and manur¬ 
ing. England possesses a moist climate, and 
there it meets a congenial home. Here, then, 
we must plant it, if we have a choice of a situ¬ 
ation, in a low, damp soil, not a wet one, but 
where the ground is moist and cool; it could be 
grown admirably under the shade of orchard 
trees, although some cultivators consider that it 
will not thrive if planted in such situations. 
We have seen whole plantations of them set 
out under the shade of apple trees, from which 
the most abundant crops were annually gath¬ 
ered. 
The ground must be pretty well manured, 
and kept scrupulously clean; we have seen 
plantations in Britain give unfailing crops, for 
many successive years, without manure; but 
in this dry and warm climate, it strikes us that 
we must manure more liberally for every sort 
of crop, if vegetation is to be carried forward. 
The trees ought to be dug round every fall, 
using a strong grape in preference to a spade; 
and they will amply repay the additional care 
of a mulching of manure over the surface of 
the ground, which serves to keep the roots 
cool, as well as affording nourishment. 
Where it is practical to do so, we consider 
the best method of planting is to set out the 
young bushes in squares or patches, giving 
them from five to six feet distance apart; we 
are speaking now of grounds which are well 
kept, and where a certain neatness prevails at 
all seasons; a very common way is to plant the 
bushes all around the borders at equal distances, 
but by this plan these flower spaces are kept 
continually trodden over by the feet (a ripe 
Graset is a tempting morsel!) and also littered 
by the fallen fruit. It is, moreover, not always 
the case that the soil of the borders around the 
garden walks are suitable for the cultivation of 
gooseberries, so that it will be found most judi¬ 
cious to choose a proper piece of ground, and 
set it apart for their cultivation alone. 
To insure a good supply of well-flavored 
fruit, the bushes must be pruned every fall or 
spring, preferring the former season; we say 
they must not only be pruned, but severely 
pruned—more so than any other species of 
fruit tree—the heart of the bush should be well 
cut out, so as to keep it open, and nearly all the 
young side shoots of the past year should be 
cut out, leaving only two or three eyes at the 
base of each of the leading shoots ; and a few 
of the side shoots should only, however, be 
shortened to about half their length. By the 
leading shoots—we mean those which terminate 
the old branches; by attending to these few 
easy rules, and using the knife unsparingly, but 
skilfully, we would soon see different looking 
fruit from that usually produced. We may as 
well here state that the berries are produced 
over every part of the bush, except the wiry 
old wood and current year shoots. 
A gooseberry plantation will last one’s life¬ 
time. They are in perfection after they are six 
years planted out, and will produce. regularly 
for many years afterwards. 
The medium-sized and small sorts will be 
generally found to be the best flavored, and 
therefore most worthy of cultivation. In this 
country, however, these sorts are not so salea¬ 
ble as the large kinds ; the largest and heavier 
kind which has ever been raised, is a very ex¬ 
cellent and palatable fruit; it is a red sort, and 
we may here remark that the red ones are gen¬ 
erally the richest flavored kinds, those of a 
white color being the most flavorless, although 
perhaps as profitable for market as any of the 
others. The richest flavored are those of Scotch 
and Irish origin. But nowhere has their cul¬ 
tivation been so much attended to as in Lan¬ 
cashire and the middle portions of England. 
Last summer we made a professional tour 
through all these parts, and it was quite inter¬ 
esting to see the zeal and competition evinced 
by the weaver’s gardeners, and the amateurs, 
in their favorite pursuit.—Messrs. Cockburn & 
Brown, Cote de Neiges, Canada. 
GARDENS THAT NEVER FAIL. 
“ My garden failed last year, owing to the 
drouth,” was the remark of a friend of ours, 
when apologizing for the slovenly appearance of 
the patch of ground which he dignified with the 
name of garden , and in which, each year, after 
plowing and harrowing the ground, he is accus¬ 
tomed to plant cabbages, onions, beets, cucum¬ 
bers, melons, &c., for the supply of his family; 
but the soil being clayey, and not over 5 or 6 
inches in depth, with a compact sub-soil be¬ 
neath, the crops were of course liable to dry up 
in such a season of severe drouth as was last 
year in June; and as such seasons are by no 
means unusual in this climate, it is good policy 
for every one who has a garden, or vegetable 
patch, to adopt such a system of culture as will 
prevent the danger of failure from this source. 
Deepening the soil is the only effective means 
of protection against failure from drouth. Plow 
or spade up the sub-soil in the fall, so as to ex¬ 
pose it to the mellowing effects of frost, say to 
the depth of a foot at least, and if deeper so 
much the better, adding a good supply of stable 
manure; the crops will then push their roots 
so deep, and moisture will rise from below so 
constantly, that while other gardens around 
may fail from drouth, this will continue green 
and flourishing; and the increased yield as well 
as improved quality of its products will in a 
single year almost or quite pay for the improve¬ 
ment. 
Cucumber, melon, and similar vines appear 
to have small roots, but their roots run very 
deep if opportunity is offered them. Experi¬ 
enced gardeners will not fail to give them deep 
as well as rich ground, in this sunny climate 
where drouths are so frequent. The same is 
true of cabbages, and in short nearly all kinds 
of garden vegetables. The directions for the 
culture of such things as given in most books 
on gardening, are written by persons unaccus¬ 
tomed to so dry and warm a climate as ours, 
and hence are deficient in not sufficiently insist¬ 
ing upon deep culture as a preventative of in¬ 
jury from drouth. "We find it necessary to 
give “line upon line” on this subject .—Ohio 
Cultivator. 
Frenchman’s Description op a Yankee. —A 
Frenchman traveling in the United States, sends 
the following sketch of a “genuine Yankee” to 
a Parisian journal: 
“ Picture to yourself, if you please, a lean 
figure with bony wrists; feet with dimensions 
that would forever tarnish the escutcheon of a 
gentleman; a hat stuck upon the back of the 
head, straight hair, mouth stretched from morn¬ 
ing till night by a lump of tobacco; lips stained 
yellow by the juice of the same weed; a black 
coat with narrow skirts; a tumbled shirt; the 
gloves of a gendarme; trowsers in harmony 
with the rest of the equipment; and you will 
have before you the exact portrait of a thorough¬ 
bred Yankee.” 
No Place for Bachelors. —In China, if a 
young man is not married by the time he is 20, 
he is drummed out of town. No place for 
bachelors among the fumfurns. 
