PRUNING AND TRAINING THE PLANTS 567 



far. Some Canadian thornless varieties are being tested and 

 may prove desirable. 



Plant at Such Distances as to Permit of Horse or Tractor 

 Cultivation, This is for economy of labor. Allow 8 feet between 

 rows for the team or tractor or 6 feet for cultivation with a 

 single horse. Plants are 4 to 6 feet apart, depending on the 

 vigor of the variety and its habit of growth, in standard 

 practice. Set the plants deeply, furrowing out the rows in one 

 direction and finishing with the shovel. Follow the usual pre- 

 cautions for protection of the roots from sun and wind. 



In the Hudson River Valley in New York, currants are com- 

 monly set between grape rows and also beneath the vines, all 

 cultivation being done with a single horse or by hand. In 

 other sections, they are frequently planted between fruit trees. 

 A moderate amount of shade does not seem to interfere with 

 productivity, as long as the fertility of the soil is maintained. 



2. Pruning and Training the Plants. Currants and goose- 

 berries are usually trained to the bush form. The best fruit 

 is generally borne on one-^ two-, and three-year wood; there- 

 fore wood older than this should be removed. Fruit is borne 

 laterally on the one-year shoots and branches and on spurs of 

 the two- and three-year-old wood. Although fruit is borne on 

 spurs of older wood, it is generally smaller and poorer in 

 quality. 



After the first yearns growth, any weak, slender, or low- 

 lying shoots should be removed, leaving from six to eight strong 

 shoots per plant. After the second yearns growth, thin out the 

 new shoots, leaving three or four. After the third yearns 

 growth, leave three or four new shoots and thin out three or 

 four of the three-year-old branches. After this pruning there 

 will be three or four three-year-old branches, three or four 

 two-year-old branches, and three or four one-year-old shoots 

 to bear the crop during the fourth year. From this time on 

 remove all branches over three years old or those which have 

 borne two crops from spurs and replace these by leaving three 

 or four of the strongest new shoots. 



