JOLY 3. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, 
231 
on the undressed they have made considerable ad¬ 
vances. Rut I took liberties with the original plan. I 
first syringed the bushes with soap-suds, and on the 
heels of this the bushes were smothered with dry soot. 
Like as in many other things, we should, doubtless, 
begin at the beginning, and there can be little doubt 
that this pest should be attacked in the winter, pro¬ 
bably as soon as the leaves are shed. 
But, passing by the caterpillars, let us see what other 
assistance the Gooseberry might receive before the 
extreme summer heats arrive. Mulching, then, is of 
much importance, especially on light soils. I have so 
high an idea of this practice, as subservient to a course 
of hardy fruit culture worthy of Britain, that I would 
advise all who possess a garden, and love high fruit 
culture, to provide a heap of material—a sort of apology 
for a midden or dunghill—every spring. I have done 
so this spring, and I had a bulk of material not to be 
despised, although composed, in the main, of half-rotten 
tree-leaves, old and half-decayed litter, &c., which had 
been used to protect things iu winter, and no small 
portion the rotten remains of vegetables. To talk of 
mulching every year may carry an expensive sound 
into the ears of our friends, but they may just be re¬ 
minded of the comparative inexpensiveness of the 
material; and I may here add, that, as has been said of 
vegetable matter, anything which has once vegetated 
and become a plant, is, when decomposing, qualified to 
become a kind of manure. 
But this is not a mere question of manures; it is 
also one of moisture, and of its dissipation through 
heat. A coating of any sweet material in the month of 
May, after the soil has become warmed by the sun’s 
rays, is of much benefit, both as to the present and 
future crops. 
Raspberries. —These, too, enjoy a little of the before- 
mentioned mulch, and one of the chief points of summer 
culture is to thin away any suckers which will not be 
wanted. A profusion of these not only shade the fruit 
too much, but rob the bearing wood. Some thinning- 
out of the blossom-shoots is occasionally necessary, 
where the plants are strong, and where a heavy com¬ 
plement of shoots has been left. Those who can afford 
time will do well to apply water liberally if drought 
occurs. Raspberries abhor drought, and even love a 
partial shado during summer. 
Black Currants. — Here, again, is a shrub which 
devours moisture greedily. I need scarcely observe, 
that mulching is of as much importance here as in the 
case of the Raspberries. Mine are in very high con¬ 
dition indeed, but they have a pile of mulch mostly 
composed of half-rotten grass, leaves, and rubbishy 
green stuff, in a fermentative state, piled over their 
roots, four inches thick; they luxuriate highly in this. 
Before I took to such practice, one-half the crop used to 
drop on the heels of the first swelling, and not unfre- 
quently the other half were blistered by the ravages of 
the Aphis rihes, or Currant Fly, which ever attacks de¬ 
fenceless subjects. No fruit better repays a thorough 
watering than this, especially about the period of the 
fruit commencing its final swelling. 
Red and White Currants. — As I have often 
urged, in the pages of The Cottage Gardener, the 
gross and rampant breast-wood should be reduced at 
this period. I use the hedge-shears for this purpose; 
those, however, who have leisure, may use a knife, or 
the finger and thumb. I recommend the shoots being 
reduced to about five inches in length. I have found, 
by experience, that the fruit is seriously depreciated in 
size by too much sunlight. I have little doubt, how¬ 
ever, that where ilavour is the prime consideration, it 
would be well to reduce the spray to little more than two 
inches, just when the fruit is half coloured. It may 
here be observed, that the White Dutch Currant requires 
little of this" assistance ; and frequently is best un¬ 
touched, as it produces so much less spray. 
Gathering. —Whilst on the subject of bush fruit, it 
may be well to remark on the gathering of them. 
Where Gooseberries are attacked with the caterpillar, 
and a great portion of their foliage damaged, the best 
way is to gather every berry as soon as possible. We 
have practised such a gathering, and in addition, we once 
ran the hedge - shears lightly over the bushes, by which 
means they were induced to make a new growth 
speedily; in addition, some liquid-manure might be 
given them. In the general gathering of Gooseberries, 
it is good practice to thin them out; this allows the 
remaining portion to make very superior fruit. In the 
case of the dessert kinds, especially, this practice is to be 
recommended, as the flavour of the fruit left is thereby 
much enhanced. 
Wo may just advert to Strawberries, although they 
do not come precisely in this class. Those who want 
to excel in culture by what is termed the young runner 
system, should immediately see to them. My practice 
is to prick the runners out, as it is termed, and to 
transplant them finally in tho end of February ; and to 
those on a small scale, at least, I can confidently recom¬ 
mend tho practice, for tho berries will assuredly be 
higher flavoured; the reason of which is, that the 
spring foliage is developed in a more moderate and 
substantial way through the slight check they receive in 
removal. I select a piece of hard ground, which lias 
been undug for months, manure it well with thoroughly 
rotten and well divided manure, and then fork it in 
only six inches in depth ; the forking is performed 
twice, in order to mix it thoroughly. The runners are 
planted here nearly a foot apart, and the moment they 
are planted, a few tree branches are stuck amongst 
them to ward off extreme sunshine—the object being 
that they receive no check, for they cannot afford to 
lose a day. Watering, of course, is performed ; and in 
a fortnight the boughs are removed, and through the 
summer all runners are cut away, and the crop kept 
clean. When severe frosts occur, a little long litter is 
strewed over them after they are frozen tolerably hard ; 
and this remains on sometimes for weeks. This year, 
I planted such out at the end of the frost—a month, at 
least, later than usual, but my young plantation is at 
this time the best I ever possessed. 
Those who want to produce good plants for succession 
work, in forcing cannot do better than practise this — 
potting their plants at the end of September. 
R. Errington. 
Grattan on Old Trees. —“ He loved old trees, and 
used to say, ‘ Never cut down a tree for fashion-sake. 
The tree has its roots in the earth, which the fashion 
has not.’ A favourite old tree stood near the house at 
Tinnehinch. A friend of Grattan’s, thinking it obstructed 
the view, recommended to him to cut it down.—‘ Why 
so?’ said Grattan.—‘Because it stands in the way of 
the house?’—Grattan. ‘You mistake, it is the house 
that stands in the way of it, and if either must come 
down, lot it be the house.’ ” 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S EXHIBITION, 
Chiswick, 20th June. 
The June exhibition at Chiswick was above the aver 
age this season in Orchids, Pelargoniums, and the 
general growth, training, and respectability of all the 
plants, except, perhaps, one collection of very common¬ 
looking Pansies, at which most of us would have 
“jumped,” four years ago. 
