9^ AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



will pretty nearly cover that for the blackberry. It probably 

 pays to spray these cane fruits and your strawberries, too. 



Question : How about the Agawam ? 



Mr. Putnam : It is a good berry ; it is not so hardy as the 

 Snyder. 



The currant is one of the most profitable small fruits. It 

 makes a splendid filler for an orchard. It needs a rather heavy 

 soil. It will not do well on a gravelly soil. It needs to be 

 cultivated. The old-fashioned way of letting the currants grow 

 under the garden wall and expecting to get good fruit is just as 

 ridiculous as to grow apples in the pasture. It requires heavy 

 manuring, likewise a little lime in the soil — rather heavy soil. 

 I would set two year old plants. I prefer to set them not nearer 

 than 5x5, although I have some set 4x4. Prune them the 

 first year or two, cutting back about one-third growth to 

 keep them down, and then cut off some of the old wood each 

 year that has been bearing for two or three years, so you will 

 have some new w^ood coming along all the time, and you will 

 keep your bushes in pretty good condition. You should spray 

 your currants for the currant worm and of course if you have 

 San Jose scale in your vicinity you should spray them for that. 

 Spray them just the time when the currants are setting — when 

 the petals are falling. That is the time that I find the first 

 worm. You should take him within fifteen minutes or he will 

 get ahead of you. Then I give them a spray of a Bordeaux 

 mixture or 1-50 lime sulphur and 3 lbs. arsenate of lead. If you 

 let them get very big you will spot your currants and they will 

 show it because the arsenate of lead sticks. There is a market 

 for black currants if you make it. 



You ought to grow plenty of grapes for the family if you 

 don't care to for market. It is one of the best fruits and we 

 don't appreciate the fact that we can keep grapes for the family 

 for quite a while. You can keep grapes very well if you will 

 take a little pains, in the cellar on slatted frames, and you can 

 grow them well here. If I had time I would like to take up 

 the grape question a little. I don't believe you are growing all 

 the grapes you can in Maine. You cannot grow them on heavy 

 soil. If you have a steep side hill, rocky, with a south slope 

 which isn't worth much of anything else, you can raise good 

 grapes. You should plant the hardy and early maturing varieties. 



