172 THE HANDBOOK FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS 



law requires that both the currant and gooseberry be eliminated 



from your garden. 



Location. — In the 

 south the northern 

 or northeastern slope 

 is considered best. 

 In the north the 

 plants should be pro- 

 tected from the 

 Avinds. Do not plant 

 Avhere there is con- 

 tinual dampness ; 

 have a free circula- 

 tion of air. 



Soil— The best 

 type of sc* is a deep 

 garden loam richly 

 incorporated with 

 humus. Sod land 

 should be prepared 

 in the fall. 



Planting. — Before 

 setting the plants, 

 cut off all broken 

 roots and cut the top 



back to about ten inches from the croA^^ll. Plant one to two 



inches deeper than where propagated. For horse tillage the 



rows should be six feet apart. 

 The plants may be set from 



Fig. So. — Map of the United States, showing the 

 regions where currants and gooseberries may be 

 groAATi. The area marked a is naturally best 

 adapted to currants and gooseberries; in 6 the 

 summers are too long and too hot for these 

 fruits; in c low rainfall limits their culture ex- 

 cept imder irrigation, though these fruits are 

 planted in many dry-land fruit gardens through- 

 out this region. Although the area marked d 

 Las sufficient rainfall for these fruits, most of 

 the rain occurs during the winter months and 

 the moisture must be carefully conserved, while 

 e is both too dry and too hot in summer. The 

 boundaries of these areas are not sharply defined, 

 but grade imperceptibly into each other. — U. 8. 

 Dept. of Agriculture. 



Fig, 86. — A black currant bush before 

 pruning. — U. S. Dcpt. of Ayricul- 



FlG. 87. — The black currant bush shown 

 in Fig. 86 after pruning. The canes 

 left are all one to two years old. — 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 



