18 JANUARY 1952, Page 13

Pruning Gooseberries

The year before last I neglected my gooseberry bushes and suffered an alarming fall in the crop. My first neglect was in not pruning, and the second in not taking precautions against the birds in a season when food was more than usually scarce. I can speak with the wisdom of experience now. Get rid of old wood and cut out weak shoots; see that the heart of the bush is cleared. My bushes grow on a slope, and their tendency to weep is more pronounced on this account. Weeping branches should be pruned, because fruit that is touching the ground rots or is attacked by the insects that the shade encourages. Birds can be kept off with a mixture of lime and soot a little later in the season, but I find the use of black cotton