1874 .] 
CULTURE OF THE GOOSEBERRY.-1. 
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white with closely-appressed down. The flower-heads are in loose pedunoled 
corymbs, the ray-florets being few and broad, and the involucres cylindric, with 
imbricated scales. It is no doubt a very desirable hardy shrub, and has received 
at the hands of the Eoyal Horticultural Society a First-class Oertificate.—T. M. 
CULTUKE OF THE GOOSEBERRY.—I. 
HE extremely variable nature of the growth of the different varieties of 
Gooseberry, and the difficulty often experienced in getting at the fruit on 
some of the strong-spined, close-growing sorts, has led me to believe that 
a few remarks on an improved mode of culture which, although by no 
means new, is not often adopted, may be acceptable to amateur growers, to whom 
also any system which economises space, as this purposes to do, will, no doubt, 
be acceptable. 
To all such I recommend the adoption of the Espalier mode of growth, as in 
every respect far more suitable for their purpose than the common mode of bush 
training, as it has a very neat and pleasing appearance, and the trees are far 
more easily manipulated and pruned than when sprawling over the ground. The 
system of pruning also is so very much simplified, that the veriest tyro could 
hardly make a mistake when the trees are fairly started on the right system. 
We often find, in the common mode of bush-culture, that it is a difficult 
matter to prevent many sorts, such as the Warrington, for example, from growing 
as it were downwards, almost like weeping-trees; and being thickly set with 
spines, pointing mostly inwards, the operations of thinning-out the young fruit and 
gathering the ripe fruit are thereby rendered rather unpleasant; besides which, the 
weight of fruit often bends down the branches so much, that on the occurrence 
of heavy rains all that on the lower branches is rendered comparatively useless 
for delicate purposes. By the system of training to Espaliers, all these trouble¬ 
some matters are reduced to a minimum. Of course, there are ways and means 
of circumventing these and other inconveniences, even on the bush system of 
training, as, for instance, by securing much longer stems free of wood, and 
systematically thinning-out the branches, as only good practical hands know 
how; but these are more complicated in their management, and I claim for the 
Espalier system a perfect simplicity of management, and therefore, hold it to 
be the best adapted for the purposes of the amateur, to whom also it should 
further recommend itself as leaving a greater space for cultural operations, as 
well as from its general neatness of appearance. 
The amateur may obtain at the Nurseries young bushes fit to commence 
training at once, but if he prefers it, and time is not an object, he will do well to 
prepare his own plants, by selecting in October the strongest shoots he can 
obtain of such varieties as he may prefer (of which a list for guidance will be 
hereafter given), shortening them to six inches, and removing carefully every bud 
except the two at the top. The reason for this is to prevent the future tree from 
throwing up suckers, which are very detrimental. The bottom of the cuttings 
