time the mycelium becomes rusty brown and produces the winter form of the fungus. Through the winter the shoots are covered thickly with the brown mycelium and in the spring the spores contained in the perithecia germinate and start the infection anew, as in the case of the European mildew. This fungus has recently been the subject of legislation, and when it appears in a district strong repressive measures are called for. In bad cases the attacked bushes should be destroyed, while in milder attacks frequent spraying with potassium sulphide and the pruning off and immediate destruction by fire of all the young shoots showing the mildew should be resorted to.
The gooseberry, when ripe, yields a fine wine by the fermentation of the juice with water and sugar, the resulting sparkling liquor retaining much of the flavour of the fruit. By similarly treating the juice of the green fruit, picked just before it ripens, an effervescing wine is produced, nearly resembling some kinds of champagne, and, when skilfully prepared, far superior to much of the liquor sold under that name. Brandy has been made from ripe gooseberries by distillation; by exposing the juice with sugar to the acetous fermentation a good vinegar may be obtained. The gooseberry, when perfectly ripe, contains a large quantity of sugar, most abundant in the red and amber varieties; in the former it amounts to from 6 to upwards of 8%. The acidity of the fruit is chiefly due to malic acid.
Fig. 3b.—1, Fructification (perithecium) bursting, ascus containing
spores protruding; 2, Ascus with spores more highly magnified.
Several other species of the sub-genus produce edible fruit, though none have as yet been brought under economic culture. Among them may be noticed R. oxyacanthoides and R. Cynosbati, abundant in Canada and the northern parts of the United States, and R. gracile, common along the Alleghany range. The group is a widely distributed one in the north temperate zone,—one species is found in Europe extending to the Caucasus and North Africa (Atlas Mountains), five occur in Asia and nineteen in North America, the range extending southwards to Mexico and Guatemala.
GOOTY, a town and hill fortress in southern India, in the
Anantapur district of Madras, 48 m. E. of Bellary. Pop. (1901)
9682. The town is surrounded by a circle of rocky hills, connected
by a wall. On the highest of these stands the citadel, 2100 ft.
above sea-level and 1000 ft. above the surrounding country.
Here was the stronghold of Morari Rao Ghorpade, a famous
Mahratta warrior and ally of the English, who was ultimately
starved into surrender by Hayder Ali in 1775.
GOPHER (Testudo polyphemus), the only living representative
on the North American continent of the genus Testudo of the
family Testudinidae or land tortoises; it occurs in the south-eastern
parts of the United States, from Florida in the south to
the river Savannah in the north. Its carapace, which is oblong
and remarkably compressed, measures from 12-18 in. in extreme
length, the shields which cover it being grooved, and of a yellow-brown
colour. It is characterized by the shape of the front lobe
of the plastron, which is bent upwards and extends beyond the
carapace. The gopher abounds chiefly in the forests, but
occasionally visits the open plains, where it does great damage,
especially to the potato crops, on which it feeds. It is a nocturnal
animal, remaining concealed by day in its deep burrow, and
coming forth at night to feed. The eggs, five in number, almost
round and 112 in. in diameter, are laid in a separate cavity near
the entrance. The flesh of the gopher or mungofa, as it is also
called, is considered excellent eating.
The name “gopher” is more commonly applied to certain small rodent mammals, particularly the pocket-gopher.
GÖPPINGEN, a town of Germany, in the kingdom of Württemberg,
on the right bank of the Fils, 22 m. E.S.E. of Stuttgart on
the railway to Friedrichshafen. Pop. (1905) 20,870. It possesses
a castle built, partly with stones from the ruined castle of Hohenstaufen,
by Duke Christopher of Württemberg in the 16th century
and now used as public offices, two Evangelical churches, a
Roman Catholic church, a synagogue, a classical school, and a
modern school. The manufactures are considerable and include
linen and woollen cloth, leather, glue, paper and toys. There are
machine shops and tanneries in the town. Three m. N. of the
town are the ruins of the castle of Hohenstaufen. Göppingen
originally belonged to the house of Hohenstaufen, and in 1270
came into possession of the counts of Württemberg. It was
surrounded by walls in 1129, and was almost entirely rebuilt after
a fire in 1782.
See Pfeiffer, Beschreibung und Geschichte der Stadt Göppingen (1885).
GORAKHPUR, a city, district and division of the United
Provinces of British India. The city is situated on the left bank
of the river Rapti. Pop. (1901) 64,148. It is believed to have
been founded about 1400 A.D. It is the civil headquarters of the
district and was formerly a military cantonment. It consists of
a number of adjacent village sites, sometimes separated by
cultivated land, and most of the inhabitants are agriculturists.
The District of Gorakhpur has an area of 4535 sq. m. It lies immediately south of the lower Himalayan slopes, but itself forms a portion of the great alluvial plain. Only a few sandhills break the monotony of its level surface, which is, however, intersected by numerous rivers studded with lakes and marshes. In the north and centre dense forests abound, and the whole country has a verdant appearance. The principal rivers are the Rapti, the Gogra, the Gandak and Little Gandak, the Kuana, the Rohin, the Ami and the Gunghi. Tigers are found in the north, and many other wild animals abound throughout the district. The lakes are well stocked with fish. The district is not subject to very intense heat, from which it is secured by its vicinity to the hills and the moisture of its soil. Dust-storms are rare, and cool breezes from the north, rushing down the gorges of the Himalayas, succeed each short interval of warm weather. The climate is, however, relaxing. The southern and eastern portions are as healthy as most parts of the province, but the tarai and forest-tracts are still subject to malaria.
Gautama Buddha, the founder of the religion bearing his name, was born, and died near the boundaries of the district. From the beginning of the 6th century the country was the scene of a continuous struggle between the Bhars and their Aryan antagonists, the Rathors. About 900 the Domhatars or military Brahmans appeared, and expelled the Rathors from the town of Gorakhpur, but they also were soon driven back by other invaders. During the 15th and 16th centuries, after the district had been desolated by incessant war, the descendants of the various conquerors held parts of the territory, and each seems to have lived quite isolated, as no bridges or roads attest any intercourse with each other. Towards the end of the 16th century Mussulmans occupied Gorakhpur town, but they interfered very little with the district, and allowed it to be controlled by the native rajas. In the middle of the 18th century a formidable foe, the Banjaras from the west, so weakened the power of the rajas that they could not resist the fiscal exactions of the Oudh officials, who plundered the country to a great extent. The district formed part of the territory ceded by Oudh to the British under the treaty of 1801. During the Mutiny it was lost for a short time, but under the friendly Gurkhas the rebels were driven out. The population in 1901 was 2,957,074, showing a decrease of 3% in the decade. The district is traversed by the main line and several branches of the Bengal & North-Western railway, and the Gandak, the Gogra and the Rapti are navigable.
