FOR NEXT SEASON’S JELEY AND JAM 
C. L. BURKHOLDER 
Purdue University 
OREGON 
•CHAMPION 
•GOOSEBERRY 
Keeping a Step Ahead of 
Spring by Setting Out 
Your Berry Bushes Now 
G URRANTS and Goose¬ 
berries should have a 
_ place in every garden. 
The fresh fruit makes a 
spicy table delicacy, while Goose¬ 
berries alone are an excellent sum¬ 
mer substitute for Cranberries. 
Both Gooseberry and Currant 
bushes will thrive best in the aver¬ 
age garden if kept heavily mulched 
with straw, leaves, or grass clip¬ 
pings. This mulching should be 
kept deep enough to smother 
■out all growth of weeds and grass during the entire grow¬ 
ing season. In the winter the mulch prevents freezing up 
of the entire root system. In summer the thick layer of decay¬ 
ing vegetable matter holds plenty of moisture about the roots 
of the plants which is very necessary for the production of high 
quality fruit. Hoeing and cultivating the soil about the bushes 
also conserves moisture, but so often this is neglected, and a 
mulch not only does away with the necessity of cultivation but 
is an insurance against neglect during busy periods. The 
mulching system may be started at any time of the year and 
•continued throughout the lifetime of the bushes. 
The Diploma Wilder, and Red Cross varieties of Currant 
are among the best for average garden culture. The Fay and 
Cherry varieties produce large fruit but are very light pro¬ 
ducers. Of Gooseberries the Downing and Houghton are two 
standard varieties. The Oregon Champion and Poorman 
are two more recent Gooseberry introductions 
and are superior in many ways to the older 
varieties. Unfortunately they are not be¬ 
ing propagated by many nurseries 
as yet. It is usually more satis¬ 
factory to order two-year-old 
nursery stock as these 
bushes have a better root 
system and make a 
much better start 
the first season. 
ROBABLY the main reason 
why old and new garden 
plantings have largely died out in 
recent years is due to the attacks 
of San Jose scale and currant 
worms. These two pests are easy 
to control if the right measures 
are taken in time. 
San Jose scale is an insect 
which lives the year around on 
the branches and sucks the sap 
from the bush. It must be killed 
by spraying with some material 
which will actually destroy the 
bodies of the scale as it is im¬ 
possible to poison them. Either 
lime-sulphur liquid diluted at the 
rate of one pint to each gallon 
of water, or the dry lime-sulphur at the rate of one-half pound 
to each gallon is effective. Miscible oil sprays are also good 
and more pleasant to use than sulphur sprays. Remove low 
hanging branches before spraying and make every effort to 
cover the entire surface of every twig and branch of the bush. 
Spray any time during the dormant season. 
The currant worm is a crafty despoiler of both Currant and 
Gooseberry foliage. A small moth lays a batch of eggs near 
the centre of the plant about the time the leaves are half grown 
in the spring. These eggs hatch into small green worms which 
have a ravenous appetite. They devour all of the leaves in the 
centre of the plant first and are usually not discovered until they 
are just finishing up the outside leaves of the bush. All Goose¬ 
berry and Currant bushes must be examined frequently about 
the time the leaves are half to two-thirds grown, and as soon as 
the first evidence of the worms appears, dust the foliage 
with powdered arsenate of lead. Mix i part 
arsenate with 7 parts hydrated lime or flour. 
If a hand duster is not available punch 
the bottom of a tin can full of small 
holes and use this to sift the poi¬ 
son over the plants. The dust¬ 
ing of the plants is more 
effectively done in the 
early morning when 
the leaves are wet 
with dew. 
CURRANTS FOR YOUR GARDEN 
Tested varieties for home culture, Diploma (left), Wilder 
(center), Red Cross (right); about half natural size 
