126 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



PLANTING AND GROWING CURRANTS BY THE 

 MARKET GARDENER. 



FRAXK YAHNKK, WINONA. 



The greatest obstacle for the market gardener in planting cur- 

 rants is, that he has to wait three years before he receives any 

 returns from his valuable land. This can be always avoided by the 

 right way of planting them. 



The piece of land the market gardener would like to plant his 

 currants on must be prepared carefully in the fall, and the currants 

 must be planted early in the spring. The rows ought to be eight 

 feet apart and the plants five apart in the row. This distance is the 

 most convenient for cultivating and spraying them, also in hauling 

 manure between them. 



Before planting, the ground must be marked out both ways, then 

 heel in the plants in different places so that they are convenient at 

 any time for planting. Then with a spade lift up the ground where 

 the plant is to stand and set it in; let the ground fall back upon the 

 roots and step on it, so as to press the soil onto the roots. By a little 

 practice the planting can be done rapidly. 



After planting, the ground must be smoothed off with a fine one- 

 horse harrow. Then some early vegetables, as carrots, beets or 

 radishes, can be sown between them. As this crop has to be kept 

 clean, the currants need no extra care, and very little land is wasted. 



In the spring of the second year, the ground between the rows 

 must be plowed and smoothed with a cultivator and harrow. Then 

 a crop of beans or dwarf peas can be raised between them. 



After the second j'ear, the ground ought to be left to the currants. 

 Every spring the ground between the wide rows must be plowed 

 and leveled with a fine-tooth cultivator and kept cultivated both 

 ways until July, or as long as weeds appear, but not later than the 

 middle of August. Every two to three years a good coat of barn- 

 yard manure must be applied to the currants. The best time to 

 apply the manure is in the fall; then plow it under in the spring. 



Currants grow in almost any kind of soil, but the soil best adapted 

 is the sandy loam. 



It is generally thought that currants need little care, so most 

 farmers raise their currants in fence corners and so obtain poor 

 fruit. Therefore, the market gardener must give his currants the 

 best cultivation possible. 



. To make currant raising profitable, obtain first-class fruits, give 

 them care, and the highest price will be obtained. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Wedge: How do you plant your currants, Mr. Yahnke? 



Mr, Yahnke: I plant my currants a little slanting. I lean 

 them to the south, just a little bit south, if I can; in that way 

 the sun does not shine directly on the stem. The wind blows 

 mainly from the southwest, and it will blow them straight; the 

 currant will grow straight any way. The currant is not planted 

 deep enough, but if you plant them in a slanting position they 



