The latter are
so inclined to mildew in almost every locality that there is
rarely any certainty of satisfactory fruit. The same evil pursues
the seedling children of the foreign sorts, and I have never seen
a hybrid or cross between the English and native species that was
with any certainty free from a brown disfiguring rust wholly or
partially enveloping the berries. Here and there the fruit in some
gardens will escape year after year; again, on places not far
away, the blighting mildew is sure to appear before the berries
are fully grown. Nevertheless, the foreign varieties are so fine
that it is well to give them a fair trial. The three kinds which
appear best adapted to our climate are Crown Bob, Roaring Lion,
and Whitesmith. A new large variety, named Industry, is now being
introduced, and if half of what is claimed for it is true, it is
worth a place in all gardens.
In order to be certain of clean, fair gooseberries every year, we
must turn to our native species, which has already given us
several good varieties. The Downing is the largest and best, and
the Houghton the hardiest, most productive and easily raised. When
we remember the superb fruit which English gardeners have
developed from wild kinds inferior to ours, we can well understand
that the true American gooseberries are yet to be developed.
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