Select plants with a big root system rather than Make the hole considerably larger than seems Use the feet in thoroughly firming the soil when 

 a heavy top essential planting 



Small Fruits for Next Year's Crop-By w. c. McCollom, is 



AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY GARDEN THAT CAN BE SEIZED NOW— 

 HOW TO ENSURE BIG RETURNS FROM A FALL SET FRUIT BORDER 



THERE is such a distinct gain from 

 planting the small fruits in the fall 

 that the practice ought to be general. You 

 plant currants, gooseberries, raspberries, 

 etc., now and you gather full crops next 

 year. Small fruits are like bulbs indeed, 

 which we always remember to plant in 

 the fall, for spring results. Other nursery 

 stock generally, may equally well be 

 planted in either spring or fall, and the 

 total result will be the same. But with 

 small fruits you gain just so much time 

 because the roots can get thoroughly estab- 

 lished before hard winter arrives. 



Once planted the small fruits demand 

 but little care, merely an annual pruning 

 and mulching will keep them in good 

 health and productiveness. 



Proper planting is important, however. 



Don't be content with simply putting the 

 roots into the ground, but see to it that the 

 ground itself is well fitted to the plants. A 

 really good fruit border is such a source of 

 pleasure that it's worth while making a good 

 beginning, especially since it's all so simple. 



Small fruits are close rooters, do not 

 carry any extensive root system, and can 

 therefore be planted or transplanted with 

 impunity; but although this makes our 

 planting task much easier it likewise means 

 that the plants must have good rich soil 

 to revel in as they are not foragers. 



I have always contended that it repays to 

 properly trench a fruit border, because 

 when once established the plants will 

 remain for an indefinite period and without 

 good rich soil they can only produce fruit 

 of a mediocre quality. Trench the ground 



two feet deep, if possible, and add two good 

 layers of well rotted manure during the 

 trenching process. Of course, commer- 

 cially speaking, this is out of all reason, but 

 while commercial growers are trying to 

 produce berries for profit, our aim is quality. 

 Trenching is not such an expensive opera- 

 tion. I realize, of course, that digging in 

 the sandy soil of Long Island is much easier 

 than it is in a rough, stony location, but it 

 is safe to say, on an average, that in one 

 working day of nine hours one man can 

 trench two hundred square feet two feet 

 deep, at the same time adding the manure. 

 If, however, you feel that this is too ex- 

 pensive, the next best thing is to dig the 

 border one spade deep, adding one layer 

 of manure to the soil. This will be but half 

 the expense and it can only be expected to 



After all the planting is done prune back the currants, but not Quite to the ground 



103 



Cane fruits, planted deeply, are cu t back like this 



