The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-04-22
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
- AGRICULTURISTS
Some UP-to-Dats Hints About Cul-
tivation Of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures, VittcuIturs and
F1oricultuEa go
Some Of Our Best Gooseberrfes.

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 encour-
aged, writes M. ]. Wragg in Iowa State
Register. It is one of the few fruits
that should have more general culti-
vatlon. On such soil as we have in
Iowa, with climate where the goose
perry 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.
1t 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 of
shipping, from the time it is large
enough to be used to the time it is
ripe, covers period ordinarily from
two to four weeks. Just now there are
many OF our Eastern friends who are
trying to push before the public many
OF 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 if we could not
In some way overcome this disease; So
far it has bafhed our best efforts, and
we believe that the good American
sorts are much superior to the English
gooseberry, and that it is a blessing
that mildew attacks the English sorts
as fast as planted. OF the American
class OF gooseberries, it is a noticeable
fact that the skin is much thinner and
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 a sure
fruiter, and when given good cultiva-
tion and ground that is reasonably
good, we need not fear any ravages IF
mildew. It is large fruit and when
ripe is nearly white. The Houghtoa
and Crystal are both giving us good re-
suits, but the Champion, which is a
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
bushes are laden with fruit every year
and, on our soil, mildew scarcely ever
attacks the leaves Or fruit. The In
dnstry IS this year: giving suss some
fruit. yet we believe its general plant
ing should be discouraged. There are
many things claimed for it, but we
believe that it will go the way of the
rest of the foreign gooseberFies. The
Columbus bears us a partial crop every
year of very large fruit double the size
OF the Downing; but it is not so profit
able for general cultivation. The Chau-
tarqua, cross between our American
AM the foreign gooseberry, gives Us
the largest berry we have, take them
all through; but yet We fear that it
has so much foreign blood in it that
it will not prove profitable fruiter
on all soils. The Red Jacket promises
we'll and we believe that by amateurs
it should be planted in small way.
The Triumph, which is new sort, or
iginated in eastern Pennsylvania, and
has given us two successive crops Of
the largest berries we ever saw. We
believe that on soils where there is a
stiff clay subsoil this berry will prove
a successful berry. The Purple Gem,
which is nothing more than an i'm
proved wild gooseberry, has given US
three successive crops. 1t is much
smaller than the Houghton and be-
comes quite red when ripe. The farm
er who does not believe in cultivation,
or who has not the time for it, would
better plant this sort, as it seems to
have the faculty of taking care of il
self: but yet we do not care to recon-
mend it, when we have such sorts as
the Downing, Houghton, etc. We be-
lieve that the best time to plant goose
berries is in the fall. Plow your
ground well, plant in rows seven feet
apart and six feet apart in the rows.
There is much talk of late of growing
gooseberries, currants and other fruits
of this nature in tree form. Our ex-
perience is that this is not as good as
the bush form, as the bush form gives
more bearing surface to the plant and
tends to help renew the bushes, as Sec
tions die out. Plant rows north and
south as far as possible, as this lets the
sun in on both sides of the row. With
good cultivation, keeping out weeds,
and good drainage, you may rest as
sured of a good crop of gooseberries.
Preparing Bees for WIntering.
At an Indiana convention Some vears
ago L. r. Jackson said: I have made