314 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



cultivation of the ground is identically the same. After 

 three years old, all old wood should be cut from the 

 currant bushes, and thus the bush be renewed from 

 year to year. Besides, new growth should be contin- 

 ually shortened-in during the growing season to stim- 

 ulate production of side branches. Even the laterals 

 should be nipped in a few inches. This will form a 

 strong bush and increase the fruit. There should be 

 an abundance of moisture at fruitage, as it will greatly 

 aid fruit development in size, yield and general appear- 

 ance. For lack of better sorts the writer is growing 

 the old-fashioned Red Dutch with marked success, but 

 the war upon insecfts is no small part of the -labor 

 involved. 



Cranberries. — The first requisite is level land in 

 order to flood with water. An adequate supply of fresh 

 water must be at hand on a higher level which can 

 be used for this purpose. The land is first dug over 

 and all the roots taken out, so as to subdue all vege- 

 table growth, which would interfere with the growth 

 of the cranberry plants. The ground is smoothed per- 

 fe<5lly level and then is sanded to the depth of four to 

 five inches. The plants are set sixteen inches apart 

 each way. Under such conditions they grow some- 

 what slowly. This seems necessary to secure best re- 

 sults. A strong, rapid growth means rank vines and 

 little fruit. The vines are of creeping habit similar to 

 the strawberry, making runners that strike root at in- 

 tervals and throw up fruit branches. Some growers 

 prefer to plant in rows two or three feet apart with 

 trenches between. The objecft of the sand is to more 

 effedlually smother all other vegetation than the cran- 



