CURRANTS A3D GOOSEBERRIES 29 



rant may be increased by dividing the old bushes, however plants 

 so made generally have but few very hard roots and are slow to 

 start into vigorous growth. 



Soil and Planting. The currant will grow in almost any 

 kind of land, and on that which will raise a fair corn crop it will 



give good returns, but 

 the soil cannot be too 

 rich or the cultivation 

 too constant for the 

 best crops of fruit. 

 Plants may be set out 

 in the fall or spring 

 with good results. If 

 set in autumn each 

 plant should be banked 

 up with about two 

 spadesful of soil. They 

 should be put live or six 

 : ^:.-.'^- feet apart each way, 



FIG 19. and for the varieties 



Currant bush with six of its stems layered. most generally grown 

 six is better than five feet. One plant is enough for a hill, and 

 those that are young and thrifty are better than older ones. Where 

 practicable they should be planted so as to allow of cultivation both 

 ways. They should not be set along a fence or border, as in such 

 places they are difficult to cultivate. The ^and should be plowed 

 lightly with a one-horse plow early in the spring, and the cultivator 

 started soon afterward. While the plants are in fruit, cultivation 

 will have to be suspended, as the weight of the berries will bend 

 the branches so that they will be in the way and liable to injury. 

 As soon as the crop is gathered the working of the land should be 

 again commenced and continued until the middle of August, after 

 which there is no need of it. 



Mulching. Good crops of currants may be grown without 

 cultivation provided the land is heavily mulched, and in somewhat 

 dry locations they are more surely grown on this plan than on any 

 other. The mulch may consist of straw litter, coal ashes, hard 

 wood sawdust, or similar material. If ashes or sawdust is used it 

 should not be mixed with the soil but kept on the surface. It is 

 often a good plan to mulch near the plants and cultivate in the 

 center of the rows. Ashes or sawdust used for this purpose will 

 keep down the weeds near the plants and do away with the neces- 

 sity of hand cultivating. Pine sawdust is not as good for this pur- 

 pose as that from the hard woods, but may be safely used if kept 

 on the surface of the land and not mixed with it. Partially rotted 

 sawdust is much to be preferred to that which is fresh. 



Pruning. The r-urrant is improved by some pruning eacl 

 year. This may be done at almost any season, but preferably ir 



