270 Bush-Fruits 



The seeds germinate at a low temperature, and are likely 

 to start too early unless kept in a shaded place. If sown 

 at once in flats, the flats can be kept in a cool, shaded 

 place during the winter, and given partial exposure in 

 spring. Plunging them in the soil will aid in preserving 

 moisture, and covering with a wire screen will insure safety 

 from destruction by mice or other animals. If a green- 

 house is available they may be brought inside toward 

 spring, where the seeds will germinate quickly. The young 

 plants may be potted off when two or three inches high, 

 and planted out when well established. 



PLANTING 



The first essential in planting fruit is a thorough prep- 

 aration of the soil. For currants, the land should receive 

 a heavy dressing of stable-manure, and be plowed deep. 

 If the underlying layers are hard and impervious to roots 

 and moisture, subsoiling may be of value. Under-draining 

 will be better. One may choose almost any distance apart 

 to set the plants, and find it recommended somewhere in 

 horticultural literature. The distances advocated vary 

 from three-by-four feet to five-by-eight feet, with every 

 possible intermediate combination. Rows six feet apart, 

 with the plants four feet apart in the rows, will generally 

 be satisfactory. If the design is to cultivate both ways, 

 five feet apart each way may be better. Cross-cultivation 

 is commonly only needed at intervals, and the wider row 

 should be in the direction most convenient for cultivating. 



The land should be in fine, mellow tilth, as deep as 

 plowed. It should then be marked both ways, with fur- 



