144 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



and pluni plantations, as they stand the partial shade very well 

 until the permanent trees get too large. The bushes are set 

 from nurseries rows at three years old and if possible in fall. 

 We get much better bushes by growing them from rooted 

 cuttings than buying them from nurseries, for they can be 

 handled to much greater advantage on our own place. The 

 bushes are dug up carefully with all the soil that will cling to 

 them, placed on hand barrows and taken three or four at a 

 time to their permanent places. The earth is well firmed about 

 the roots and for ^\•inter protection it is heaped up about the 

 body of the plant. In the spring this soil is leveled down some- 

 what and a dressing of well rotted manure added to the bushes. 

 Besides this one-eightli pound of sulphate of potash is applied 

 to every four bushes, together with one-half pound of dis- 

 solved bone-black. These three-year bushes set in the fall will 

 produce a fair crop of fruit the next season. The currant 

 worms are kept in clieck by a spray of arsenate of lead in 

 Bordeaux mixture, at tlie rate of 2 pounds of arsenate to 50 

 gallons of Bordeaux. One application is generally enough, as 

 arsenate of lead sticks to the foliage a long time, }"et no ill 

 effects can be noticed on the fruit. We pick currants dry in 

 quart boxes and ship in 32-quart crates. Most of this picking 

 is done by Italians and the cost per quart is about one-half of a 

 cent. The fruit sells for about eight to ten cents per quart 

 and as many as 14 quarts have been picked off of one five-year 

 bush. 



The demand for currants is increasing each year, and the 

 market wants a large red berry as well as large clusters, which 

 we find in Fay's Prolific, a seedling of the Cherry. After 

 fruiting a portion of the two-year wood is cut away, thus 

 keeping the bushes open to sunlight and air. 



Gooseberi'ies are picked with a small rake with the teeth 

 placed close together ; the berries are raked into large shallow 

 boxes holding about 15 quai"ts. Of course some of the leaves 

 and twigs are taken oft" in the process, so that the berries are 

 run through a fan mill and all these leaves are blown out ; the 

 berries are then packed in. 32-quart crates. \\'e think the 

 gooseberry a very profitable crop, selling at eight cents per 

 quart, thus netting about $350 per acre. 



