November, 1917 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
35 
quality. With the exception of 
onions, squash, pumpkins and dry 
seeds, as beans, a relatively moist 
atmosphere is desirable. Exces- 
sive moisture is injurious, as it 
furnishes favorable conditions for 
rots. The aim, therefore, with most 
vegetables, is to keep the surround- 
ings sufficiently moist to prevent 
wilting. 
SOME OTHER REQUIREMENTS 
Good ventilation is desirable for 
the best storage. It helps to regu- 
late temperature and moisture, re 
moves foul odors and may help to 
prevent decay. 
Proper maturity influences stor- 
age. With some crops full matur- 
ity is necessary, with others slightly 
immature specimens store best 
while with some the stage of ma- 
turity makes little or no difference. 
Care of Bush Fruits. 
Amcng the farm operations 
which engage the attention of the 
small fruit grower in the north 
during the late fall, winter, and 
early spring are the pruning of 
the plants and their protection 
from drying winds, snow, and 
cold. 
Currants and Gooseberries. 
Both of these fruits have stood 
without injury the extremes of 
low temperature and drying winds 
which prevail in the northern 
Great Plains region. These fruits, 
therefore, need no protection 
against the cold or winds of win- 
ter. Sometimes, however, in re- 
gions having a heavy snowfall, 
branches of the currant are broken 
down bv the weight of snow and 
sleet. This danger may be easily 
avoided by drawing the branches 
together and tying them with 
coarse string. The tying may be 
done at any time after the leaves 
fall, but it is better to do this 
about the t ine the ground begins 
to freeze. 
This period between the falling 
of the leaves in autumn and the 
starting of growth in spring is the 
reason in which currents and 
goos be r es are pruned. The 
ideal currant bush at which the 
pruner should aim has six to 
Allies concolor : White Fir. A beautiful 
pyramidal evergreen with pale green or sii 
very folia, go. Native of Oregon where it 
grows to a height of two hundred feet. 
eight maui branches, whde the 
gooseberry has eight to twelve. 
None of these branches should be 
O’ e • 3 ye n rs old. Two or three of 
the r ain branches of the currant 
and three to four main branches 
of the gooseberry should be re- 
moved each season, the older 
branches being cut out and a like 
number of the most vigorous canes 
of the current season’s growth left 
to take their place. All other 
young canes and all canes bent to 
or near the ground should also be 
removed. If this system is fol- 
lowed each year after the bushes 
reach the age of 3 years, pruning 
will be relatively simple and the 
plantation kept in good condition. 
Raspberries and Blackberries. 
Raspberries and blackberries 
need winter protection in many 
parts of the North where low tem- 
peratures and drying winds pre- 
vail, especially where the snow 
covering is light. Certain varie- 
ties need protection, while others 
endure the same conditions with- 
out injury. Experience will indi- 
cate which varieties need this. 
Where the cold and drying winds 
are severe, as in the Great Plains 
region and in Colorado, cam s of 
the tender varieties must be cov- 
ered with soil. This should be 
done as late as possible, vet before 
the ground is frozen. Some of the 
soil should be removed from one 
side cf the row either with a hoe 
or plow, the canes inclined to that 
side until they are in a horizontal 
position and then entirely covered 
with soil to a depth of 2 or 3 
inches. As the canes of the black- 
berry arc more brittle than thes" 
of the raspberry, they must lie 
bent over with greater care. Often 
in practice the canes are bent over 
so that the top is alongside the next 
h 11, some soil thrown over the 
ends of the cares in order to hold 
them down, and the remaining 
parts covered by the use of a sp ’de 
or by throwing a shallow furrow 
over the canes with a plow. The 
canes should be uncovered in 
spring before the buds start, hut 
not until after all danger of hard 
freezing is past. Straw and other 
similar materials have sometimes 
been used to cover the canes, hut 
a v e unsatisfactory, as the air cir- 
culates through them and does not 
prevent winter injury. 
( Continued on p. 36) 
