Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-10-08
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AORICULTURISTS


Some OF Our Best Gooseberries.
To the fruit grower In Iowa, the
gooseberry deserves more than pass
Ing notice. Its general cultivation has
been discouraged, instead OF enccur-
aged, writes M. J. Wragg In Iowa State
Register. II is one OF the few fruits
that should have more general cult
walton. On such soil as we have in
Iowa, with climate where the goose
berry can be brought to its highest
perfection, we should not hesitate In |
recommending the best sorts and get |
ting every farmer and gardener in the |
whole land to plant more of this fruit. |
II is the only fruit we know OF that can
be marketed while green. shipped thou
sands OF miles and handled. 1t has a
demand In all markets and its time oil
shipping, from the time 1t is large
enough to be used to the time 1t Is
ripe. covers period ordinarily from
two to four weeks. Just now there are
many OF our Eastern friends who are
trying to push bcsore the public many
NJ the foreign varieties, such as the
Industry, Crown, Bob, etc. On these we
will say, go slow" The great enemy
Of the foreign gooseberry, the mildew.
is ever present. We have tried In the
last ten years to see IL we could not
in some way overcome this disease; So
far 1t has baffied our best efforts. ana
we believe that the good American
sorts are much superior to the English
gooseberry, and that 1t is blessing
that nildew attacks the English sorts
az fast as planted. OF the American
class Of gooseberries, II is a noticeable
fact that the skin Is much thinner ana
not so tart. and they are greater bear
ers than the foreign sorts. The Down
ing, which Is an old standard with us.
can always be relied upon as sure
fruiter. and when given good cultiva-
ton and ground that is reasonably
good, We need not fear any ravages VI
mildew. 1t is a large fruit and when
ripe IL nearly white. The Houghtoa
and Crystal are both giving US good re-
suits. but the Champion. which Is
pure American, is giving us better re-
suits, take It for number OF years
than any sort we have. While not
quite SO large as the Downing yet the
pusnSr are WIN ~ S'S'S 49,
and. on our soil. mildew scarcely ever
attacks the leaves or fruit. The In
dustry Is this year giving US SONS
: fruit. yet We believe Its general plant
! ing should be discouraged. There ar
! many things claimed for II. but VI
believe that 1t will go the way OF tn
rest OF the foreign gooseberries. In
Columbus bears US partial crop ever,
year OF very large fruit double the siz
b OF the Downing: but 1t is not SO profit
& able for general cultivation. The Chau
& tauqua. cross between our American
II an, the foreign gooseberry, gives Il
IS the largest berry We have, take Their
e all through: but yet We fear that
y has so much foreign blood in 1t this
lie IL will not prove a profitable fruite
d on all soils The Red Jacket promise
we'll and we believe that by amateur
s, II should be planted in a small wa,
ID The Triumph. which is a new sort, oil
Is iginated in eastern Pennsylvania. an
h, has given us two successive crops {
te the largest berries we ever saw. "
~ believe that on soils where there is
e stiff clay subsoil this berry will prov
successful berry. The Purple Ger
which is nothing more than an in
en- proved wild gooseberry. has given I
a. three successive crops. II is muc
ev smaller than the Houghton and b
n. comes quite red when ripe. The farr
on er who does not believe In cultivatio
m. or Who has not the time for 4. won
or better plant this sort, as it seems
I'd have the faculty OF taking care OF
"a self; but yet we do not care to recor
-, mend 1t, when We have such sorts
,.L the Downing, Houghton. etc. We b
g., lieve that the best time to plant COOS
49,. berries ia In the fall. Pillow 70
ground well, plant in rows seven fe
apart and six feet apart in the row
There is much talk Of late of Erowi
"A. gooseberries. currants and other fru
NV Of this nature in tree form. Our {
wv perience is that this is not as good
Wv the bush form. as the bush form gi,
more bearing surface to the plant a
tends to help renew the bushes. as 81
tions die out. Plant rows north a
south as far as possible, as this lets
sun in on both sides of the row. w
good cultivation, keeping out wee
and good drainage. you may rest
curad Of n good crop of goose cherries