of Rural Art and Taste. 



367 



delicate and perishable kinds, especially to 

 what are termed 



The Small Fruits.— These are usually 

 more certain to produce a crop than the larger 

 sorts ; besides, readily confined to a small 

 space. They can also be changed without 

 any great cost of time, should the sorts first 

 planted prove unworthy of cultivation. Be- 

 sides, some of the very best varieties are 

 never seen in market in prime order, for the 

 very good reason that it is impossible to trans- 

 port them, when fully ripe, to any considera- 

 ble distance. Consequently, if one would 

 have such fruits they must cultivate them, or 

 obtain a supply of some neighbor. 



Ulachberries.Some may object to intro- 

 ducing the blackberry into gardens on account 

 of its thorns, as well as the habit of most of 

 the varieties in producing suckers at a con- 

 siderable distance from the main plants. But 

 if the canes are trained to stakes or trellises, 

 and the suckers cut off" with a hoe once or 

 twice during the summer, the objections named 

 are scarcely worthy of the least consideration. 

 It is only through neglect that a "blackberry 

 patch" becomes a nuisance. North of the 

 latitude of New York city, we have no variety, 

 which has been thoroughly tested, that equals 

 the Kittatinny in size, productiveness, and 

 hardiness of the plants. 



The Dorchester is a little earlier, not quite 

 as large as the Kittatinny, and a valuable 

 sort for the north. South of the latitude 

 named, Wilson's Early merits attention ; it 

 being the largest variety known, but not supe- 

 rior to the Kittatinny in flavor. 



Good, strong, one-year-old plants, set out 

 in spring, will produce canes large enough to 

 bear a moderate crop of fruit the next year. 



The culture required is merely to keep the 

 ground rich, tie up the young canes to some 

 support, and cut out the old ones every season 

 after the fruit is gathered. 



Ciiri-anfs.— There are some fifty or more 

 varieties of currants in cultivation ; but I 

 think the following five sorts comprise all the 

 really valuable merits known to belong to our 

 cultivated kinds : Black Naples, Red and 

 White Dutch, White Grape, and Versailles. 



It is almost impossible to make the soil too 

 rich for the currant ; and one rather heavy or 

 clayey is preferable to a light loam or sand. 

 But they will thrive in any kind of soil not 

 too wet, provided it is rich. In warm cli- 

 mates, and rather dry soils, the ground among 

 the plants should be constantly covered in 

 summer with some kind of coarse mulch. 

 This will keep down weeds, and the soil cool 

 and moist. Young plants, of one or two years' 

 growth from cuttings, are better than older; 

 and the greater part of the top should be 

 pruned away at the time of planting. Pruning, 

 in after years, consists mainly in thinning out 

 both old and young canes, as they become too 

 numerous. 



Crniiherrieft.— This fruit is seldom culti- 

 vated in gardens ; it being better adapted to 

 low, wet grounds than those usually selected 

 for gardens. But a small bed is admissible, 

 even if for no other purpose than ornament ; 

 and* if well cared for, in the way of keeping 

 the weeds from smothering the plants, and 

 the ground liberally watered, a fair crop may 

 be obtained. Of course, the cranberry is not 

 particularly valuable as a garden fruit; still, 

 it is worthy of trial. 



GooticberHes.— There are few localities 

 where the large European sorts will thrive 

 without receiving extra care and attention. 

 If such are tried, the main points to be ob- 

 served are to keep up a supply of young, 

 thrifty plants, discarding the old ones as soon 

 as they becoiue diseased. Clean culture, or 

 mulching the ground, and an annual thinning 

 out of the young shoots to prevent overbear- 

 ing, are the best safeguards against the great 

 enemy of these fruits — the mildew. 



Our native sorts succeed in most localities 

 in the northern States, and with no more 

 attention than the currant ; at least, no more 

 than this fruit should receive. Smith's Im- 

 proved, Downing and Houghton's Seedling 

 are among the very best, although of small 

 size when compared with the foreign sorts. 



Grapes. — The grape may be admitted 

 pretty freely into the smallest gardens, be- 

 cause the vines may be trained over the fences, 

 upon arbors, or against the sides of buildings. 



