EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 019 



Commercial fertilizers may be used to supplement stable manures. 

 Muriate or sulphate of potash applied at the rate of 100 or 200 pounds 

 per acre sometimes increases the production and quality of the fruit. If 

 necessary to depend upon commercial fertilizers as a source of plant 

 food one containing 3% available nitrogen, 10% available phosphoric 

 acid and 4% available potash, applied at the rate of 500 to 1000 pounds 

 per acre, is recommended. However, in using commercial fertilizers it 

 sliould be remembered that they add only the mineral elements to the 

 soil, and it is therefore necessary to employ the use of stable manure, 

 or cover crops, each year to maintain a good supply of humus which is 

 highly important in growing these fruits. 



rUT-XING 



Proper and systematic pruning is important. When the plants are 

 set the tops should be cut back slightly nnd the bush balanced up as 

 much as possible. Some pruning is usually necessary at the close of the 

 first season after planting to shape the bush and regulate the number of 

 main stems to be left. 



About six stems should be selected and all others cut out. Those left 

 should be headed back so that they are all of a uniform length. No 

 further pruning will be necessary, except to keep the plants thinned out 

 to a desired form and any straggling branches headed in, until the close 

 of the fourth season. Some of the old wood should then be removed. In 

 pruning bearing plants it should be kej^t in mind that the best fruit is 

 borne at the base of the one-year-old shoots and on spurs which develop 

 from two and three-year-old canes. Pruning, therefore, should consist in 

 cutting out all the oldest canes each year and thinning out the new 

 shoots leaving only a few of the strongest ones to replace the older bear- 

 ing canes. A good bush slionld have fr(un five to eight bearing canes, 

 Ihe nnnibci' depending on llie fertility of the soil and the vigor of Ihe 

 variety. It should be the aim in all subse(pient ])runing to ])rovide lliis 

 number of canes two and three years of age, and a good su]i])ly of young 

 ones coining in to take their ])laces. Yei-y vigorous young shoots jirc 

 soinetinics headed in to induce the develo])ment of si)urs along all |>arts 

 of the stem. All l>ranches tending to lie on the ground should be rc^ 

 moved and the center of the bushes kept somewhat open by removing 

 all crowding and interfering branches. Do not leave the bushes too 

 thick. This is a common mistake in pruning these fruits. Larger ber- 

 ries and better filled bunches are secured and the fruit is more easily 

 harvested if the bushes are not allowed to become too dense. 



Black currents l»ear the most fruit on the one-year-old canes. There- 

 fore, in pruning them the aim should be to keep up a good supply r>f 

 young shoots. The wood must practiciilly be lenewed ench year. 



Pruning nuiy he doiu' ;iny lime during ilie doi-niunl seiison. but il is 

 'perha])s belter to do the woi-k during late winter oi- very eai'ly in Ihe 

 s])i'ing befoi'o growth starts. 



In pruning it is imj)ortaiii lo watch for any indications of Ihe cane 

 !»orer. A cane with a black center ami somewhat hollow indicates Ihe 

 work of llu' I>orer and sucji ;i cane shoidd be cut back until sound, healthy 

 pi I li is re.iclied. 



