The Planting of the Fruit-Farm 109 



cherry tree and a raspberry bush. The bush will 

 gain on the tree; the berry-field, on the orchard. 

 You are robbing the orchard while raising berries, 

 nor can you fertilize the ground for both orchard 

 land raspberries. The raspberry roots are persist- 

 lent and can be exterminated only after costly 

 labor, running through years. Your trees will 

 suffer, and you started to raise an orchard not 

 berries ; therefore give the orchard the right of way. 

 A passing crop like potatoes, or any hill crop, 

 even strawberries which last but two years, may 

 be suffered, but do not neglect to fertilize both 

 for the cover crop and for the trees. At best it is 

 a doubtful venture, and when your orchard is at 

 last in bearing, you will regret if you delayed and 

 stunted it by a cover crop of raspberries, and will 

 rejoice that you gave it the land. 



Currants and gooseberries demand rich, moist, 

 well-drained land. England and central Ger- 

 many — cool, moist regions of the earth — are the 

 paradise for currants and gooseberries. America 

 is too dry for the best fruit of this order. Yet, 

 if they can be grown, both fruits are profitable. 

 The care of the bush consists in cutting away dead 

 branches and superfluous young ones. The fruit 

 comes on the old canes and one must therefore 

 trim with discretion. The enemy comes like a 

 thief in the night, — ^borer, leaf blight, and currant 

 worm. The astonished farmer discovers suddenly 

 that his bushes are bare sticks. Before the blos- 

 soms, spray with a weak solution of Paris green; 



