GOOSEBERRY. The original plant of the cultivated Gooseberrry of Europe is said to be Ribes uva-erispa. It is found wild quite plenti fully, and sometimes side by side with the culti vated varieties, also run wild from gardens. In England many varieties of the cultivated fruit are known, but in the United States but few varieties 'of the English gooseberry can be grown on account of the tendency of the fruit to mildew. In the West this disposition to mil dew is so great that their cultivation is not attempted, except occasionally in the gardens of amateurs, who are sometimes rewarded with a fair crop for their care and pains. On the other hand our small native variety, improved by cul tivation and selection from seed, may be grown in every garden, on account of their freedom from mildew. The principal varieties are Amer ican seedling Downing's seedling, Houghton's seedling, and Mountain seedling originated from the wild gooseberry of the United States, Ribes birlelluni, a cut of which is given. The bushes of our native varieties should be planted four by four feet or, better, five by three and a half feet, for ease in cultivation. All that is required is to keep the plantation free from weeds, the super abundant wood to be cut away each fall. This, with the addition of a dressing of compost each autumn, will ensure uniform crops of fruit. The cultivation of the European varieties is identical with the last, except, that the soil should have a slight dressing of salt each year. The spaces between the rows and about the plants should also be heavily mulched, since it has been found that mulch is a preventive of mildew. If mil dew attacks the fruit, dusting with sulphur when the dew is on is one of the best remedies. The insects attacking the gooseberry feed also on the currant. In the article Currant Worm, we have
given some of these. The principal species not given there are as follows: The Gooseberry Span worm, more generally called the Currant Span worm (see cut); a, b, lame, c, pupa, should not be confounded with the Saw fly given below. The perfect insect is a small moth, while the Saw fly is a two-winged fly. The Span worm, spins down when disturbed, and either of ' the species should be care fully hand picked. The egg, enlarged at a, and natural size at b, is also shown. The Span worm appears with the first leaves, while the Saw fly comes in May and June.
r On page 409 are cuts of European Saw fly, a, male, b, female; the cross lines showing natural size. Below is given cut of the Native Saw fly and larva. The larva of the European species is much larger. The lame of the native species, according to the late Dr. Walsh, are grass green worms, half an inch long with black heads, the heads becoming green after the last molt, but with a lateral brown stripe meeting with the opposite one on top of the head, where it is more or less confluent. They spin their cocoons on the hushes on which they feed, and the fly appearing about two or three weeks after, or about the mid dle of August in the North. The larva of the imported Saw fly is larger, distinctly seined, and covered with minute warts, which the native worm does not have. Many persons use Paris Green and London Purple for dusting both cur rant and gooseberry bushes to kill the worms. It should never be allowed on plants bearing fruit above ground after the fruit is set. White hellebore powder, however, is innocent to human life, and an effectual insecticide.