preference to a native variety 'that ripens without 
change of color. 
2. For 25 years I have been trying to grow American 
gooseberries for market; but I have not found any 
other variety so profitable as Houghton, notwithstand¬ 
ing its small size and rapid coloration at maturity. I 
have made this variety average me 50 cents net, per 
bushel, per year, during this time growing it between 
the trees in my new orchards, along with currants. 
For many years I experimented with Downing and 
Smith’s Seedling unsuccessfully ; and some time since 
abandoned the former on account of its rigid growth 
and savage thorniness. But lately I have learned how 
to grow Smith as suc¬ 
cessfully as Houghton; 
merely by planting in 
the open ground en¬ 
tirely free from shade, 
and giving it liberal cul¬ 
ture. It is now my most k 
profitable variety ; but gfagsfo, 
if Industry continues 
free from disease, it will 
unquestionably surpass T rajgSi 
Smith in profit, both 
from its size and its sal- ^ 
ability, not only for 
sauce or canning, but jQgy’**' 
for its edibility in its / /. 
natural state. So far, / 
I have not found much 
sale for ripe gooseber- 
ries, but I think we may 
expect, hereafter, that 
considerable quantities 
of the larger natives, 
like Red Jacket, can be 
freely sold in the ripened 
state for eating fresh, 
as w r ell as for canning, or preserving in sugar. berries as large, or nearly as large as the largest Eng- 
One of the chief objections to gooseberries, among lish, and of equal or possibly better quality, 
buyers, has been the labor of removing the dry corolla __ „ _ _ 
» ,, . ., ,, , . . Not Named.— From H. Sumner, Polo, Ill. — A single 
from the fruit. Many users, however, neglect this; , , , . , , 
, , , . . plant was sent here m 1884. The leaves rarely mildew, 
and really the objection is mainly of an imaginary f. . _ . , , ,, ,, 
, ,, , , ... . , , ,, the berries, which are as large as those of the Industry, 
nature, as I do not think these withered petals would , ’ . . „ , 
, , . . , not enough to injure them much. They are perfectly 
be much if at all noticed in the uses to which the „ 6 , , „ . T , 
, , ., . , c ....i..,.. smooth and of fair quality. Seeds dark. Ripens July 8. 
preserved fruit is put. Sure it is that the future „ .. , 
, . . , , , , Ihe plant is thrifty, of quite erect growth ; the 
of gooseberry culture m this country must depend , , „ J ^ & 
„ , , branches thorny. See Fig. 8. 
upon the introduction of large, well-flavored and 
productive varieties that are free from mildew, or Orange.—F rom H. M. Engle & Son, Marietta, Pa.— 
other diseases. The gooseberry is a fruit of the North; It is a seedling of Houghton and originated on the 
and it is my impression that its 
culture in the northern tier of 
States will always be attended by j$|f 
fewer difficulties than are met with 
3. I think that a slight prefer- .;) 
ence is given to a smooth over a Ij ' 
variety in competition with ^ 
cooking is believed to be about 
Canada. How successful spraying ^ 1 , ^ 
can be made remains to be proved; 
not be as effective when applied 
to gooseberries as to grapes. But 
I feel sure that a hot summer 
temperature is very ill suited to 
the gooseberry; and aside from 
fungous attacks, its culture will 
be more and more precarious as 
it is extended southward. Improvement should there- farm of John Musser near Shock’s Mills. Neither the 
fore be sought in the North. t. h. hoskins. leaves nor berries mildew. It is valuable for its earli¬ 
ness, being the earliest variety ever tried here. It 
ripens about July 1. It is highly productive. The 
berries are medium to small, of excellent quality, 
smooth and of a dull yellow when ripe. 
were smaller and therefore inferior for general culti- Cayuga or Frontenac. —From H. S. Anderson, 
vation. We have raised many self-seedlings from for- Union Springs, N. Y., November 1884.—Bears large, 
eign varieties, but the leaves, and generally the berries, smooth, green, oblong berries, in great abundance, 
mildew. We have attempted to cross the gooseberry which mildew more or less, though we usually get a 
and red or white currant without success. Crosses fair yield of clean fruit. Sharp, long spines. The 
between the gooseberry (male) and black currant pro- berries are the same as those of Columbus in size and 
duced berries, but the seeds failed to germinate. We shape. Seeds green. Ripens late. See Fig. 10. 
have tried during the past 20 years all the kinds which 
have been sent to us, and many others ordered from Pearl is a cross between Houghton and Whitesmith, 
various sources. All of the kinds described below may raised by Prof. Wm. Saunders of Ottawa, Canada. The 
be, and some certainly are, worthy of trial. It seems to plants were received in December, 1889. They are 
be simply a matter of time, if indeed that time has not of vigorous growth, with few and small thorns, the 
already arrived, ere we shall have mildew-proof goose- berries of medium size, green, smooth and free of mil 
dew thus far. Late to 
ripen. See Fig. 11. 
Hale’s Golden.— From 
South Glastonbury, 
inated with Rev. C. H. 
Polhemus, Hopewell, 
H - ■-'N. Y. Berries medium 
size, round to oblong; 
sweet, slightly hairy, 
iijr dew here and there. 
'• jagg Bushes thrifty. Begins 
dlif lply Red Jacket. — From 
vigorous, large thorns. 
Berries medium size, 
Ifp&fe. green, smooth, oblong, 
free of mildew. Dark- 
colored seeds. Ripens 
late, about July 12 to 
15. See Fig. 13. 
Columbus as judged by three plants set last spring, 
is a most promising variety. It is an American seed¬ 
ling raised (probably) from an English variety. The 
berries are large, smooth, oblong, without a trace of 
mildew, greenish-yellow when ripe, with veins extra 
prominent. Excellent quality. The plant is a strong 
grower, beset with large, long and sharp thorns. It 
was introduced by Ellwanger & Barry of Rochester, 
N. Y. Ripens about July 10. 
The new Carman Gooseberry which will be in¬ 
troduced as soon as a stock can be propagated suf¬ 
ficient for the purpose, will prove, we fancy, a formid¬ 
able rival of the Columbus. It seems 
to be mildew-proof, remarkably 
prolific of berries about the size 
^ and color of the Columbus and of 
nearly the same quality. The 
” engraving, Fig. 14, shows a berry 
and leaf as grown at the Rural 
Grounds the first season of fruiting. 
Cayuga Gooseberry. Fig. 10. 
WHY DO WE FERMENT 
MANURE?—II. 
I JOSEPH HARRIS. 
In a previous article on Ferment¬ 
ing Manure, I tried to show that it 
is not for the advocates of the prac- 
tice to prove it desirable, but for 
its opponents to show that it is 
apljlBB E injurious or unprofitable. The 
arguments advanced against it may 
be summarized as follows : 
Hl||l|pj^ 1. Manure is a heavy mass of 
material containing 75 per cent of 
* water. 2. It is a low-priced ar- 
tide, not worth more as a rule in 
the stables or farmyard than 50 
cents per ton. 3. It is not pleas¬ 
ant stuff at best to have around ; 
and when it ferments it is worse 
still and the gases that escape 
carry off the most valuable portion, 
and the rains wash out all the sol¬ 
uble and more available plant food. 
It is clear, therefore, that the less 
labor we spend on such heavy, low-priced material the 
better, and the quicker we get it on the land the less 
plant food shall we lose. 
To these objections those of us who advocate fer¬ 
menting manure reply: 1. It is a heavy, low-priced ar¬ 
ticle and we would spend as little labor on it as possi¬ 
ble. But in any case it has to be moved from the 
stables to a heap and from the heap to a wagon or 
sleigh, and drawn to the field and spread. 2. If allowed 
to ferment in the heap, the fermentation costs nothing. 
It is no more work to put it in a tidy, square-sided 
heap than to throw it into a tall, cone-shaped mass. 
The one pile will ferment, the other is apt to freeze, 
and when one comes to draw the former to the field, 
it is easily loaded and spread, while the latter is a 
cold, sodden, half-frozen mass disagreeable to load, 
Pearl Gooseberry. Fig. 11. 
Notes from the Rural Grounds. 
gooseberries of recent origin. 
All of the American varieties—Downing, Porter, 
Houghton, Smith, etc.—thrive here, and never mildew 
either as to leaf or berry, though little care is given 
them in the matter of pruning, manuring, mulching 
or cultivation. For family use, whether for jelly or 
to eat raw as picked from the bush when perfectly 
ripe, the quality is about all that we need look for in 
a gooseberry. We have raised many seedlings from 
the Houghton and Downing, some of which bore fruit 
sweeter than either, and in such abundance that the Industry is a failure here. The bush is of feeble 
branches could not support its weight. But the berries growth and both leases and fruit mildew. 
