72 STATE) POMOIvOGICAL SOCIETY. 



cultivation. They are the only ones of our garden fruits that 

 will endure our most severe winters and come out in the spring 

 without a damaged bud. 



In selecting ground for these fruits a moist piece, well under- 

 drained is desirable. If your land is in the sod, plow and till, 

 with a hoed crop, one season. When the crop is ofif in the fall, 

 about the first of September, prepare the ground. Have it rich, 

 mellow, and in good shape. 



In setting out plants, use a garden line so as to have your 

 rows straight, and set the plants in rows six feet apart, and in 

 the row five feet apart. The first two years after the plants are 

 set out you can plant corn or other hoed crops. 



In setting currants and gooseberries, set them deep in the soil ; 

 they will not bear fruit unless you do it. In setting the plants 

 in the hole, fill partly with soil and then put in some old dress- 

 ing, and then cover over this dressing with soil two or three 

 inches. 



By setting in the fall, say in September, a great deal of time 

 is saved, as new roots will grow until the ground is frozen deep, 

 and in -the spring they will take hold and grow and you will 

 hardly believe the plants were moved in the fall before. 



Currants and gooseberries are gross feeders and if you want 

 to get a large crop you must feed for it. Use barn dressing and 

 be very liberal with it. This will pay better than a small dose 

 which means a small crop of fruit, poor in quality and poor in 

 price also. 



For mulching fruits I use straw, swale hay and forest leaves. 

 All are good, but swale hay lasts longer than straw or forest 

 leaves. Forest leaves will keep down the weeds better than any 

 other mulching however; but you must be very liberal with 

 mulching in order to get any benefit from it. 



In preparing for winter protection, first, we do the pruning; 

 cut out the old wood and a part of the new suckers — leaving 

 from two to four on each bush. You get the best fruit from 

 new wood and young bushes. After this work is done, tie them 

 up or draw them together with a string, to keep snow and crust 

 from breaking them down. In .the spring cut the string and let 

 them loose for their summer's work. 



As a poison, for the currant and gooseberry worms, I use 

 London purple. I like it the best. It is light ; it does not sink 



