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MAKING A GARDEN
OF SMALL FRUITS

THE
HOUSE & GARDEN
MAKING

BOOKS

[* is the intention of the publishers to make this
series of little volumes, of which Making a
Garden of Small Fruits is one, a complete library
of authoritative and well illustrated handbooks
dealing with the activities of the home-maker and
amateur gardener. Text, pictures and diagrams-
will, in each respective book, aim to make perfectly
clear the possibility of having, and the means of
having, some of the more important features of a
modern country or suburban home. Among the
titles already issued are the following: “Making a
Rose Garden; Making a Lawn; Making a Tennis
Court; Making a Water Garden; Making Paths
and Driveways; Making a Poultry House; Making
a Garden with Hotbed and Coldframe; Making
Built-in Furniture; Making a Rock Garden; Mak-
ing a Garden to Bloom This Year; Making a Gar-
den of Perennials; Making the Grounds Attractive
with Shrubbery; Making a Bulb Garden; Making
a Garage; Making and Furnishing Outdoor Rooms
and Porches; with others to be announced later.

ai as
a Ta wan

s

Blackberries and other cane fruits when
blooming in the spring are as beautiful as
any of the hardy decorative shrubs

MAKING A GARDEN
OF SMALL FRUITS

F. F. ROCKWELL

Author of ‘‘Home Vegetable Gardening,”
*‘Gardening Indoors and Under
Glass,’’ Etc.

NEW YORK
McBRIDE, NAST & COMPANY
1914

CopyRIGHT, 1914, BY
McBRIDE, NAST & CQ.

SB38\
RES

Published, February, 1914

MAR 14 1914

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CONTENTS

PAGE

PLANNING THE FruIr GARDEN. . 1
BBA NOE cb lend) cds. set Wes hte leas oe aD
CuLtuRE—TuHeE Cane Fruits. . 18
CuLturE—Tue Busy Fruits . . 25
CULTURE—STRAWBERRIES . ... S81
CuLTURE—GRAPES . AC RSO FERN Tua CRU

CuLTURE—DWARF AND #£'TRAINED
Bre PIS yeh iin as el oe ake RN tees

GENERAL CarE—PRUNING AND
STEELY EG 6) RELA en or aac ae a Tr AL

THE ILLUSTRATIONS

Cane Fruits Have a Decorative

VALUE a at ote oe, te ae non tapse ce:

FACING
PAGE

Tue GarpDEN Mapr ATTRACTIVE WITH

SSRERE Ey RULERS cel oo beret marines ees
eOACKBERBIEG | (0) 4.25) ) en) eke hee AA dee, nae
MVABPRERGEIES, «,) le eee en eed
CuRRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES . . . 26 °
STRAWBERRIES Maren nr RITE Sa er iy Be ina =
BEER EES We HHL as Ye Slee RUB Aa Daan inten ne RE

TRAINED DwarF Pear Tree... 48)

Making a Garden of
Small Fruits

PLANNING THE FRUIT GARDEN

| vate ails realizes the advantage
of delicious fresh fruit, but few un-
derstand that they may grow it even in
a small garden. This book is to indicate
that there may be a garden that produces
fruit which is as beautiful as any flower
garden and which has a changing attrac-
tion up to the very edge of winter, when
it presents you with its bountiful reward.
Why not plant a garden of small fruits?

The question of extent is not a serious
one. Go over your ground carefully and
make a little sketch indicating the shape
and size of the space you have available
for setting out fruit. As already sug-
gested, corners, walls, house-sides and so
forth may be taken advantage of for
vines or trained fruits where space is
limited. Indicate on your little sketch—

I

2 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

which by no means must be a carefully
drawn plan—the number of each of the
various fruits—raspberries, blackberries,
dewberries, currants, gooseberries, straw-
berries, grapes and dwarf fruits, if any,
you will want. The proportions will de-
pend largely, of course, upon the family
taste for these things. Do not merely
put them down by “the dozen” but count
carefully how many of each you will re-
quire when they are set up at proper dis-
tances. The way not to plant a fruit
garden is to order a dozen or so of this
or the other thing all at one time or
when the fancy takes you and to plant
it wherever you “can find room for it” at
the time. It will not take any longer
to plan and be systematic about it in
the first place, and the results will be a
hundred per cent. better.

After you have figured out about how
many of each of the things you are going
to want, you should go carefully over the
varieties and decide which ones you want,
keeping in mind all the time, not only good
eating quality but also the season of ripen- -
ing; as in each case, it is highly important
that you should have the fruit over as long

Planning the Fruit Garden

a season as possible. With strawberries,
you should pick out an extra early, a
couple of mid-season sorts which ripen one
after the other, and an extra late variety,
and in addition to these a few of the newer
fall fruiting sorts, which will give you a
long-continued supply. The same care
should be exercised in making a selection
of the cane fruits, the tree fruits and the
grapes. With currants and gooseberries,
of course, the number of varieties is much
more limited, but even here, care should be
used in ordering, as the new varieties are
great improvements over most of the old
sorts.

Of course, in deciding where the various
things go, you should exercise your very
best judgment in so placing them that they
will interfere not at all, or as little as pos-
sible, with the working and the cultivation
of your vegetable garden, or with the gen-
eral plan of the flower garden and the
grounds. As already suggested, they may
be planted so as to give a generally decora-
tive effect to the grounds.

One of the good points about growing
fruits is that they will do well in any ordi-
narily good soil, even in a soil in which it

4. Making a Garden of Small Fruits

would be very difficult to grow good vege-
tables. One thing they all do demand,
however, and that is thorough drainage.
Wet feet and good fruit you will not find
on the same bush, vine or tree. Where
the ground available does vary a little in
character—which is, however, not likely
to be the case in the ordinary small home
garden—some preference is to be made as
to where the different things go, that is,
in light soil or in soil that is a bit more
heavy or clayey. ‘These preferences are
mentioned in the chapter on planting; and
if you are so fortunate as to have at your
disposal soil that varies as to its make-up,
you should give these preferences consid-
eration when making out your plan. They
are, however, not nearly so important in
producing results as proper fertilization
and culture.

Having made up your mind what you
want in the way of small fruits, and
where to plant them, the next step is to
get the best possible start by procuring
the best plants you can get. It is impor-
tant to have plants of good size. It is
much more important to have them abso-
lutely healthy and also true to name.

Planning the Fruit Garden 5,

Furthermore, you want to get them at as
reasonable a price as possible. From my
own experience, and that of others I know
personally, I feel confident in saying that
you will get much better satisfaction by
dealing direct with a reliable, well-estab-
lished nursery house, doing a mail-order
business, than by depending upon some
itinerant agent with a portfolio full of elab-
orate and gaily colored lithographs of the
most wonderful fruits you ever heard
about.

It usually pays best, especially where
one is setting out a limited number of
plants, to use plants of the first size and
quality. The difference in price on a
dozen or two will not amount to a great
deal, and results will be quicker and more
certain.

Most of the small fruits are very hardy
and do well over a wide range of climate
as well as of soil, and the standard varie-
ties which I mention have given quite uni-
versal satisfaction. If, however, you have
tried any sorts which did not seem to do
well, when properly cared for, or if
_ you want to be absolutely certain of your
way before you place your order, write

6 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

to your state experiment station or to your
nurseryman and ask him if the varieties
you have selected are all right for your lo-
cality, or if they have any others they
would suggest. This will involve very lit-
tle trouble on your part, and give you the
satisfaction of knowing that you are on
the right track before you go ahead.
While making out your order keep in
mind what has already been said about the
necessity of selecting varieties which will
give a succession or continuity of crop
over the longest possible season. The fol-
lowing varieties of the various small fruits
include most of the standard sorts which
have become universal favorites and a
number of the more up-to-date introduc-
tions which seem to be making good.
Raspberries. The red sorts are the
most popular, but you should include at
least one of the black sorts (black-caps) in
your list. Of the former, the King (ex-
tra early), Cuthbert, Reliance, Cardinal
(quite new), and Columbian are all excel-
lent. St. Regis and Ranere are two simi-
lar splendid varieties of recent introduction
especially valuable for the home garden as
they are ‘“‘ever-bearing,” continuing to
fruit, though not so heavily of course,

Planning the Fruit Garden 7

throughout the summer after the regular
spring crop. Palmer (very early), Gregg,
Kansas, Cumberland, are good dark sorts,
Golden Queen is the standard yellow.

Blackberries. Good standard varieties
are Early King, Early Harvest, Wilson
Jr., Kittatinny, Snyder and Erie. Mer-
serau is a splendid new early, and Rath-
burn an extra fine main crop sort, but not
so hardy as most of the others, doing best
south of New York.

Currants. The old favorite Red Dutch
is one of the hardiest, and more im-
mune to the borer than some of the newer
sorts, but the latter, if looked after, will
give much finer fruit. London Market,
Fay’s Prolific, and Prince Albert are all
good sorts, but the newer Perfection is
probably the best home-garden currant so
far introduced. White Grape is the best
white sort. Naples and Lee’s Prolific are
good blacks.

Gooseberries. ‘The native gooseberries
are the hardiest. Of these Downing and
Houghton’s Seedling are the best. Indus-
try is a fine English variety which does
very well here. Champion and Golden
Prolific are two other good ones. The
Pearl is a fine pale green dessert sort.

8 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

Strawberries. Early Ozark, a splendid
new sort, Alpha, and Climax are extra
early: Glen Mary and Sample, second
early: Nic. Ohmer, Wm. Belt, Cardinal,
Brandywine, Marshall, medium: New
York, Gandy, Leste Lovett, Fendall
(new), and Commonwealth, late.

To make the job easy for you, here is a
suggested order, ready-made:

HOME GARDEN ORDER FOR SMALL FRUITS.

(An Abundance of Fruit for Years to Come for $10.)

FRUIT PLANT VARIETY NUM-
BER COST
17x 1” Climax, early 100 $1.50
Marshall, midseason 106 1.00

Strawberry. 4 or
17x 2” Lester Lovett, late 100 1.00

f ee be Say 025

ardinal, red, late -40

Raspberry... { 3x6 Cuthbert, crimson .40

f Mumber, black 25

Merceraut, early -40

Blackberry .. 5x7 Erie, main "95
Dewberry... { 5x7 pres een,

Perfection, red
Currants ....4 45apart Lee’s Prolific, black
White Grape, white
Downing, pale green
Gooseberry..< 5-6apart Red Jacket, red
Industry, red

Wm HW WORD AA AAD”
ea
&

f Green Mountain, Early
| white 1 -50
pe oat Rick 1 025

6 or more mpbell’s Karly

Grapes ...... apart (Concord) 1 95
Delaware red 1 25
Catawba, dusky red 1 25
Pocklington, golden 1 25

Planning the Fruit Garden 9g

Grapes. Early black sorts, Campbell’s
Early, Moore’s Early, and Worden. Con-
cord is a fine old favorite. Wilder and
Eaton are also good. Red sorts (early),
Brighton (medium); Catawba (Salem)
and Delaware and Ionia, both late, are all
popular. Lindley is an extra large and
sweet red which deserves to be much more
widely known. The best of the early
whites are Moore’s Diamond and Green
Mountain (Winchell). Niagara and Em-
pire State are good late whites.

PLANTING

HE second half of the vitally impor-
tant point of getting a good start is
to do the planting properly.

You can as a general thing depend upon
your nurseryman to pack your plants so
that they will reach you in good condition
for setting out. The important thing for
you to do is to see to it that your ground
is in condition and awaiting their arrival
before you find them actually on your
hands. You should have things in such
shape that you can set them out immedi-
ately they reach you.

It is, however, sometimes impossible to
carry out such a program. In _ that
case you should see that your plants upon
arrival are protected from wind and sun,
by putting them in a cool, dark place such
as a shed or cellar. If they are put up
in a box or tight bundle, open them so that
the air can circulate freely about the leaves
and stalks or stems, preventing any chance

of molding or rot, but at the same time
io

Planting II

see to it that the roots are kept covered
with moss or bagging and kept moist.
Trees or shrubs, if they must be kept on
hand for some time before being set out,
should be “heeled in”—planted in soil tem-
porarily simply by digging a narrow
trench as long as is required, and stand-
ing them up in it, packed close together,
at an angle of forty-five degrees or so, and
filling in around the roots with earth. By
this method they may be kept in good con-
dition for a long time. They should, of
course, be kept in as nearly a dormant
state as possible and without making new
roots.

Where the plants, shrubs or dwarf trees
are to be set directly into the vegetable
garden, little or no preparation of the
ground, other than it has already received,
should be necessary. Where, however,
they are to be set out along a fence near a
house wall or in sod, the soil should be es-
pecially prepared for them in advance.

The first essential is proper drainage.
If your ground has not naturally a sub-
soil which will permit any surplus mois-
ture either to drain off or percolate down
through it, you must take some method of

12. Making a Garden of Small Fruits

correcting this fault before you plant. If
the ground is simply low and wet, ditch-
ing, or draining—either with stone or
drain-tile, though the latter is much bet-
ter—may be necessary. This work can
be done at very little cost, for a small area,
and will improve the ground not only for
fruits but for any other purposes to which
you may have occasion to put it. Where
a hard impervious sub-soil is found, even
though the surface may not stay wet and
soggy after heavy rains, it should be
broken up before planting. This can be
done either with the pick-ax or with a
small charge of low-grade agricultural dy-
namite. Breaking up the hard sub-soil in
this way not only lets any surplus water
through, but permits the tree-roots to go
down readily into the soil, instead of
spreading out near the surface, and in-
creases their range and capacity for re-
sisting the drought.

The soil in the “hole” for planting
should be thoroughly dug over and pul-
verized in a circle of two or three feet in
diameter and at least a foot in depth.
The soil, unless already in very excellent
condition, should be enriched to some ex-

Proper care in pruning is necessary to grow,
such blackberries as these, but it does not
involve much work

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PP AAR
Lo ane oy

thea

Planting 13

tent before any planting is done. If ma-
nure is to be employed for this purpose,
use only that which is very old and well
decomposed. Manure that is not thor-
oughly rotted should by no means be util-
ized for this purpose. Ground bone,
which should be part at least what is
known as “inch bone” (simply pure bone
crushed or cracked very coarse so that
many of the pieces are from a quarter of
an inch to an inch long), is excellent to
use for this purpose, as the plant-food in
it will become gradually available for a
number of years. A little potash, either
in the form of muriate or sulphate of pot-
ash, or in wood-ashes, should also be added.
A few good handfuls of sulphate or muri-
ate, or several shovelfuls of wood-ashes, to
each hole, will be sufficient. It is well to
use the potash even when the manure is
employed instead of the bone. But whether
manure or a chemical is used, it should be
thoroughly forked in and mixed through
the dirt in the hole, which should not be
filled within three or four inches of the top
until after this has been done. Then fill
in level with the surrounding grass or soil.
The object in keeping the richer soil be-

14. Making a Garden of Small Fruits

low the surface is to induce the roots to
strike downward, rather than to spread
around near the surface.

Fruit bushes or trees of various sorts
are usually sent out from the nursery just
as they are dug from the fields. If you
have everything ready to plant as soon as
your stock arrives (as you should plan to
have), it is well to state on your order that
you wish the nurseryman to prune all stock
back ready for planting. This will not
only save you the trouble of doing it, and
the possibility of doing it wrongly in case
you lack experience, but make your trans-
portation charges less. The reason it is
not done as a usual thing is that nursery-
men naturally want their stock, when re-
ceived by the customer, to come up to the
specifications for size, height, etc., given
in the catalog, and it looks like bigger value
for the money than it would if pruned
back. Do not be loath to make this seem-
ing sacrifice of stalk and branch. Plants
so treated will, at the end of the first sea-
son’s growth, be far ahead of what they
would have been without this pruning back.

In digging up, packing, and transport-
ing the plants, it will have been inevitable,

Planting 15

too, that some of the roots should have be-
come broken and bruised. When you un-
pack your stock you should look over the
roots carefully, and cut off, with a sharp
knife or pruning shears, back to good
sound wood, any which may have become
injured, or which are too long and scrag-
gly to go readily into the hole when plant-
ing. Under the cultural directions given
for the several different types of small
fruits, more definite directions for this
pruning back are given.

When setting out small fruits, as with
transplanting of all kinds im fact, the
point of great importance is to get them in
firmly enough so that the earth will be
packed compactly about the roots and hold
them without motion in one position until
a growth of new feeding rootlets has been
made. They should be set down into the
soil as deep or a little deeper than they
had been growing in the nursery, as shown
by the earth-mark on the stem, and the
roots should be spread out carefully in as
natural a position as possible, and not
cramped into a small space or bent back
up toward the surface at their extremities.
Work the soil in around the roots with the

16 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

fingers, and press it down with the hands
as tightly as possible until the bush or tree
is held firmly in an upright position.
Then it may be trod upon with the balls of
the feet to make it still more firm.

If it is very dry when setting out, water
may be applied in the bottom of the hole.
It should never be poured on top, after the
planting is done, as in that case it evapo-
rates quickly, and leaves the surface a hard
baked crust, doing the plant little or no
good, and possibly even injury.

Be sure, no matter what you are setting
out or how few of them there may be, to
get all your rows in absolutely straight
lines, and interspaces equal. This will not
only greatly improve the looks of your
fruit garden, but assist materially in tak-
ing care of it.

Most of the small fruits do best, espe-
cially in latitudes north of Philadelphia,
with spring planting. Strawberries are
often set out in late July or August, but
this is really a belated form of spring
planting, as they are set only with the idea
of having them become firmly established,
with a good crown formed, before winter
sets in.

Planting 17

As this planting is best done very early
in the spring, however, while the stock is
still dormant, or has just begun to make
new growth, and as there always are a mul-
titude of other things to attend to at this
time, it is well to prepare the soil and have
everything ready for them during the pre-
ceding fall, so that they can be set out
without any delay, when spring arrives.

Tree fruits may be set out in either the
fall or the spring, but they are, especially
the dwarfed or grafted sorts, generally
considered safer with spring planting.
The chief danger with spring planting is
injury from drought. This may be
guarded against by proper planting, culti-
vation of the surface soil, mulching with
strawy manure, leaves, or other light litter
such as grass clippings during the hottest
weather, and if necessary an occasional
thorough soaking with the hose in the late
afternoon or evening. Irrigation of this
sort is of course much more effective when
used with a mulch to prevent evaporation

during the day.

CULTURE—THE CANE FRUITS

HE soft-berried or cane fruits are

all treated in much the same way.
Any situation where they get the full sun,
and the soil is well drained, will answer.
It may be at the side of the vegetable gar-
den, or a narrow strip along a fence. If
there is not room otherwise, they may be
trained against the fence. If there is any
choice as to soil, use that in which there
is considerable clay.

The spot selected should be well enriched
with old manure, and dug down to a depth
of at least eight inches. The space needed
can readily be decided, as the plants will
require about four feet in the row and six
between rows—some sorts taking a little
more and some a little less space than this.
Set them in the soil an inch or so deeper
than they have been grown in the nursery,
working the earth in carefully and firmly
about the roots. At the time of planting,
cut the canes back to six or eight inches.

These plants will not bear fruits until the
18

With one of the new “ever-bearing” vari-
eties, such as the St. Regis, raspberries may
be enjoyed for a long season

Culture—the Cane Fruits 19

following year; but if one wishes fruit the
same year, it can be had by ordering ex-
tra plants, and setting these between the
plants set out for the permanent bed.
These extras are cut back only a little,
leaving them about two feet high. They
will bear fruit the same year as planted,
but are not likely to do much the following
year, so it is best to pull them up after
the season is over, As the plants cost
but a few cents apiece, this is not such
an expensive luxury as might at first ap-
pear.

After setting the plants out, do not neg-
lect the bed, as success will depend very
largely upon the thoroughness with which
the surface soil is kept stirred to maintain
the “dust mulch.” At first it will be well
to work the soil several inches deep, to
loosen it thoroughly after the packing it
gets while the plants are being set. After
root growth starts, however, it should be
loosened only on the surface, not more than
two or three inches deep. In very hot sea-
sons, a summer mulch of hay or spent ma-
nure will help retain the soil moisture, but
weeds must be kept out.

There are three methods of giving the

20 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

plants support. The one most commonly
used is to have a stout stake for each
plant, to which the canes are tied up with
some soft material—raffia or strips of old
sheeting. ‘The second way is to string a
stout wire the length of the row and tie
the plants to this. An improvement on
this method is to string two wires, several
inches apart, one on either side of the row.

Another important matter is the prun-
ing of the canes. The cane berries bear
fruit on the growth of the season previous,
and therefore it is necessary to cut out all
old canes that have borne one crop. This
should preferably be done just after the
fruiting season, but is sometimes left until
fall or spring. In the home garden, how-
ever, there is no excuse for thus putting
it off. The new growth each year must
also bescut out, as the plants send up more
shoots than are desirable for best results.
Cut out to the ground all but four or five
of the new canes. The canes left, if they
are to be self-supporting, as sometimes
grown, should be cut back when three or
four feet high. Where support is given,
however, they are usually not cut back un-
til the following spring. In the case of

Culture—the Cane Fruits 21

those varieties which have fruit on side
shoots, as most of the “‘blackcaps”’ do, also
cut back these side shoots one-third or
one-half in the spring.

It will thus be seen that in pruning
plants of this class there are three things
to keep in mind: (1) Cut out all canes
that have fruited. (2) Cut out all but
four or five of the new shoots. (3) Cut
back both new canes and side shoots one-
third to one-half.

Winter protection is usually given in
sections where the winters are severe—
New York or north of it. The canes are
laid down by bending over as flat as possi-
ble, and covering the tips with earth.
This is not done until just before severe
freezing weather. The canes are some-
times covered with rough litter; but bend-
ing them down is in itself a great protec-
tion, as they will not be so much exposed
to wind and sun, and will be covered with
snow when there is any. Another method
is to cover the entire canes with soil.
Whatever mulch is used, it should not be
put on until the ground begins to freeze,
and should be taken off before any growth
starts in the spring.

22 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

Raspberries—Raspberries like best a
clayey soil. It should be cool and moist,
but never wet. ‘The black and red types
of raspberry are distinct in flavor, and
both should be grown. The red varieties
should be planted about three feet apart
in the rows, with the rows five feet apart;
but for the blackcaps the rows should be
six feet apart, and in rich soil seven will
be more comfortable. The blackcaps
(and a few of the reds, like Cuthbert)
throw out fruiting side branches, which
should be cut back im spring one-half to
two-thirds their length.

Of raspberry enemies, the most trouble-
some is the “orange rust.” It attacks the
blackberry also. No effective remedy has
yet been found. Pull up and burn at once
all affected plants. On newly set beds,
our old friend the cut-worm may prove de-
structive. Search for him in the dirt at
the foot of the cut-off canes, and serve him
wheat bran mash with Paris Green (tea-
spoonful in a quart of water with the bran
mixed in). In some sections the raspberry
borer—the larva of a small, flattish, red-
necked beetle—does considerable damage.
He bores in the canes in summer, causing

Culture—the Cane Fruits 23

“galls” on the briars, and finally killing
them. Cut and burn.

Blackberries—If there is any variation
in the soil picked out for the berry patch,
give the driest place to the blackberries,
as lack of moisture effects raspberries
more seriously. Blackberries do not need
the soil quite so thoroughly enriched as do
raspberries, and a surplus of plant-food,
especially of nitrogen, may keep the vines
from ripening up thoroughly in the fall,
which is essential for good crops. If
growing too rankly, they should be
pinched back in late August. When tying
the vines up to support in the spring, cut
back the main canes to four or five feet,
and the laterals to not more than a foot
and a half.

The enemies of the blackberry are not
often serious, if the plants are well cared
for. The most dangerous is the rust or
blight, for which there is no cure but care-
fully pulling and burning the plants as
fast as infested. Another is the black-
berry-bush borer, whose presence is indi-
cated by wilting, and a change in color in
the canes which should at once be cut and

burned. Another pest which has appeared

24 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

but recently is the bramble flea-louse,
which resembles the green aphis, except
that it is a brisk jumper like the flea-beetle
of potato vines and turnips. The leaves
of infested plants twist and curl up in
summer, affording protection to the
enemy, and do not drop off in the fall.
Early on cold mornings, or in wet
weather, when the insects are sluggish,
cut out all shoots upon which any are to
be found, collect them in a tight bottomed
box, and burn.

The dewberry is really a blackberry,
that can be trained and requires the same
culture. As the vines are naturally slen-
der and trailing, in garden culture it must
be supported. ‘The canes may be staked
or wired up, as with blackberries, or a
wooden barrel-hoop, held by two stakes,
makes a good support. The dewberry
ripens ten days or more before the black-
berry, and for that reason at least a few
plants should be included in the berry
patch.

CULTURE—THE BUSH FRUITS

HE bush fruits, the currant and the
gooseberry, are very similar in their
requirements of soil and culture. A deep
rich moist soil—approaching a clayey loam
—is the best. ‘There is no danger of over-
feeding them, although where manure is
used it should be well rotted up.

The long-suffering currant will stand
probably more abuse than any plant in
the home garden—and is frequently the
most neglected. Although the currant is
so hardy, no fruit will respond more
quickly to good care. Plenty of room,
plenty of air, plenty of moisture—secured
when necessary by a mulch of hay or
other material in hot, dry weather—are
all essential to getting the best from the
currant bush.

Four or five feet each way is not too
much space to give currants. The soil
should be manured liberally, and well
worked before planting. Do not think
that you can dig out a little hole just big

25

26 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

enough for the roots, leaving the rest of
the ground unturned and unenriched, and
get good results. Keep the soil between
the bushes well cultivated. As the hot,
dry season comes on, mulch the soil if you
would be certain of a full-sized, full-fia-
vored crop. Two bushes well cared for
will yield more than a dozen halif-neg-
lected ones. ‘The currant suffers from ex-
cessive heat and dryness, but with proper
attention a full crop should be secured
every year.

As with the other small fruits, a most
important factor in growing currants is
proper pruning. The most convenient
and satisfactory way is to keep them in
bush form. Set the plants singly, at the
distance previously mentioned, and so cut
all new growth, which is produced gener-
ously by the currant, as to retain a uni-
form bush shape, preferably somewhat
open in the center. Another thing to
keep in mind when pruning is that the
fruit is borne on wood two or more years
old, so all wood should be removed either
when very small, or not until four or five
years old. All that is allowed to grow one
or two years and then removed, is just

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Culture—the Bush Fruits 27

that much of the plant’s energy wasted.
Therefore, in pruning currants, take out
(1) superfluous young growth; (2) old,
hard wood (as new wood will produce
better fruit); (3) all weak, broken, dead
or diseased shoots; (4) during late sum-
mer, keep the tips of the new growth
pinched off, which will cause them to ripen
up better, resulting in more fruit when
they bear; (5) maintain a good bush form,
go over the whole plant lightly in the fall,
trimming the desired shape—but do not
cut back more than one-third.

Under some special circumstances, as
where space is limited and they must be
grown close against a wall, it may be ad-
visable to train to one or two a few main
stems. ‘This, however, increases the dan-
gers of loss from the currant borer.

The black currant is entirely different
from the red and white currants. It is
used almost exclusively for culinary pur-
poses, or preserving. ‘The plants are much
larger, and should be put five or six feet
apart. Some of the fruit is borne on one-
year old wood, so the new shoots should
not be cut back. The old wood, also,
bears as good fruit as does the new growth,

28 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

so there is no need to cut it out until the
plant is getting crowded. As the wood
is much heavier and stronger than that
of the other currants, it is advisable grad-
ually to develop the black currants into
the tree form.

The common green currant worm is the
worst pest encountered in growing cur-
rants. Huis appearance will be indicated
by holes eaten in the lower leaves early
in spring—generally before the plants
bloom. Spray at once with Paris Green
in water (1 lb. to 50 gals.) or with arse-
nate of lead (2 lbs. to 50 gals. water). If
a second lot appear after the fruit sets,
dust with white hellebore. By the time
the fruit ripens, this will probably have
been washed off by the rains; if not, wipe
from the fruit. For the currant borer,
cut out and burn every infested shoot.
Examine the bushes carefully late in the
fall; those in which the borers are at work
will usually have a wilted look, and be of
a brownish color, readily distinguished.

The Gooseberry—The gooseberry re-
quires practically the same treatment as
the currant received. It is even more im-
portant that the coolest, airiest location

Culture—the Bush Fruits 29

available be given to it, and the most moist
soil. Even a partially shaded location
will serve, but in this case extra care must
be used in guarding against that often
fatal enemy of the gooseberry—the mildew.
Summer mulching, to retain moisture, is,
of course, of special benefit.

In pruning the gooseberry, as with the
black currant, it is best to cut out to a
very few or even to a single stem. Keep
the head open to allow the air to circulate
freely and reach every twig and branch.
The extent of pruning, besides being a
precaution against the mildew, will also
determine largely the size of the fruit; if
berries of the largest size are wanted,
prune out severely. All branches droop-
ing to the ground, and all which cross or
grow together, should be removed.

The enemies of the gooseberry are the
currant worm, borer and mildew. The
first two are treated as already described.
The gooseberry mildew is a dirty, whitish
fungous growth covering both fruit and
leaves. It is especially destructive of the
foreign varieties, the cultivation of which,
until the advent of the potassium sulphide
spray, had in many localities been prac-

30 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

tically abandoned. For this spray, use 1
oz. of potassium sulphide (liver of sul-
phur) to 2 gals. of water, and mix just
before using. Spray three or four times
a month, from the opening of the blos-
soms until the fruit is ripe,

CULTURE—STRAWBERRIES

RE you one of the thousands who,

while possessing at home a garden
plot with a nice sunny exposure, still an-
nually consent to pay fifteen to twenty-
five cents a quart for half ripe or over
ripe berries? Do you realize that straw-
berries may be grown readily in any good
sunny garden and that the twenty-five
cents you pay for a box of extra early,
extra bitter berries will actually buy
twenty-five strawberry plants; and that
these plants with their runners set out and
well cared for will produce easily half a
quart each next season? But that is not
the whole story. You can grow better
berries than you can buy, because the
quality is never perfect unless the berries
are ripened on the vines and fresh
gathered.

The two great deterrents to home straw-
berry growing are not any difficulties met
in growing the plants; they are, first, lack
of definite information on the subject, and,

32

32 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

secondly, the necessity of waiting until the
following season for a crop. It is so hard
to make any of our own plans reach be-
yond the usual annual circle.

With the price of layer plants of the
best varieties so low, it will hardly pay to
get plants of some unknown sort from a
neighbor’s bed, but getting the plants near
at hand has one advantage; they should
be kept out of the soil but a few hours.
However, if you have your bed ready, the
plants from the seedsman or nurseryman
will not suffer, because they will be (or
should be) carefully packed to keep the
roots moist. In either case be prepared
to get the plants into the ground as soon
as they come into your possession.

It has been said that strawberries can
be grown in any soil. It is true, that at
least some varieties will do well in almost
every soil, but good rich sandy loam, with
a southern exposure, protected on the
north, is the best if early berries are de-
sired. A northern exposure is more suit-
able for the late varieties. In either case,
the situation should be open and airy.
These are two requirements, deep soil and
thorough draining, if the largest, finest

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Culture—Strawberries a3

berries are wanted; both may be had at
little expense for such a small area as will
be required in the home garden.

In addition, the soil must be thoroughly
prepared. This is even more important
with strawberries than with most garden
crops. Unless the ground is in excellent
condition, cross plow and sub-soil plow
should be used, and then thoroughly re-
fined and harrowed.

Manure, too, is important. Old, fine,
mixed yard manure will be the best thing
to get, or a manure compost, well rotted
up. If not enough manure can be got,
supplement with chemical fertilizers—the
best combination being ground bone, acid
phosphate and muriate of potash in equal
proportions and at the rate of five pounds
per square rod. Whether manure or fer-
tilizer is used, supplement with light dress-
ings of nitrate of soda, (1) just after
setting, (2) in August or September of
each season’s growth and (3) soon after
the blossoms open in spring.

The young plants, or “runners,” for
new beds are usually set out in the spring
—April or first part of May—and on the
whole this is more satisfactory than au-

34. Making a Garden of Small Fruits

tumn setting. For the pot-layered sys-
tem described later, early autumn setting
is necessary. ‘The spring weather is more
likely to be favorable to rapid new growth
and the “layers” that have wintered over
are all well hardened and ripened and in
better shape to stand the disturbance in-
cidental to transplanting. When setting
out runners from one’s own bed, so that
the plants need be out of the soil only a
short time, fall planting need not be dis-
advantageous if a favorable day and time
can be chosen.

Before setting, the plants should be put
in shape by removing all dead or broken
and large leaves and trimming back the
roots about one-half. This gives a nice
stocky, studdy little plant that can be
“set” nicely. If your plants have been
shipped from a distance the roots may have
been “puddled” or dipped in clay mud, to
keep them moist. If so, rinse them off in
water and trim before planting. The ac-
tual operation of setting the plant in the
soil is one of the most important in the
whole culture of the strawberry. It is
best to do this work on a cloudy day or
late in the afternoon. If only a few rows

Culture—Strawberries 26

are being set, they may of course easily
be watered and shaded. The soil should
be so well prepared that it will not be
necessary to use a dibble, as the roots
should be spread out. Do not cover the
crown. Set the roots in as deep as is
necessary to cover all the roots, but not
deeper. Set them in firm—if the soil is
dry press into place with the balls of the
feet, placed either side of the newly set
plants.

There are two types of layers: those
rooted automatically in the soil of the
bed, and pot-layers. These latter are not
by sinking two or three inch pots into the
soil and filling level and holding a root-
ing runner in place over each with a small
stone, so that the roots will be confined
within the pot. These, of course, stand
transplanting more readily than the ordi-
nary layers, especially in summer or au-
tumn,

There are two ways of setting the
plants suited to the home garden, where
the best in quality as well as in yield should
always be aimed at. The first is the hill
system. ‘The plants are set in rows about
a foot apart. The rows may be single, or

36 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

four or five together in a bed, the rows a
foot apart, with a two foot alley between
the beds. In this case all runners are
pinched off as soon as they start and the
ground hoed between the hills. Where
only a few plants are grown and the soil
is rich and may be watered, this method
will probably give the best satisfaction.
The second is the “matted row” system.
The plants are set twelve inches apart in
rows about three feet apart. As the run-
ners start, they are rooted to a distance of
six or eight inches on each side of the row
and then turned along it. This gives a
neat, narrow row, twelve to sixteen inches
wide. These new plants are separated
from the parent ones as soon as well es-
tablished, and all other runners from both
sets of plants kept pinched off.

There are also two systems of growing
the berries as well as two of setting the
plants; the annual, by which only one
crop of berries is taken before the plants
are discarded, and the biennial. The lat-
ter may be used with either the hill or the
matted row system, but in either case the
first crop will be the best if not the biggest,
and the beds must be kept clean. For

Culture—Strawberries 37

the annual system, pot-layered plants and
the hill system of growing are used and
maximum quality and quantity of crop at-
tained. This system is as follows: as
soon as the plants are through fruiting or
by setting aside for propagation purposes
a few plants, not permitted to fruit, get
new plants by the pot-layering method.
As soon as possible after the middle of
July, set these in the new bed, which must
be rich and thoroughly prepared and give
them clean, frequent cultivation until the
fall. Pinch off all runners as fast as they
appear. ‘The idea is to make a strong
quick growth and concentrate it all in the
newly set crowns, thus assuring a full crop
of the very best fruit for the following
spring. The advantages of this system
are, that there is a full crop every year,
instead of only two in three years. After
the old bed is plowed down for a late vege-
table crop, there is time for an early one,
lettuce, peas, beets, etc., before the new
bed is set. It also means the very best
quality and size of fruit.

Whatever methods of planting and
growing are used, the beds must be kept
clean and frequently cultivated. A wheel

38 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

hoe and a small “onion” hoe for use be-
tween the plants are the handiest tools to
use. For a month or two after setting the
plants—work the ground rather deeply,
but as the new roots begin to form and
spread, restrict it to an inch or two in
depth. It is particularly important to
maintain the soil mulch in dry weather by
frequent stirring of the soil.

The purpose of mulching the strawberry
bed is fivefold. It gives winter protec-
tion; holds the plants from starting pre-
maturely in the spring; keeps the berries
clean; retains the soil moisture, and keeps
the weeds down. So it pays to do it well.
Salt or meadow hay is the ideal material
to use, but if 1t cannot be had, other cheap
hay, straw or even leaves will answer.
Cover both beds and walls to a depth of
two or three inches, before severe frosts.
Hold in place, if necessary, with boards
or plank. Leave on until growth starts
in the spring and then pull aside from each
plant to let the leaves and flower stalks
up through. Keep as evenly and com-
pactly about the plants as possible, to
mulch the soil and to protect the fruit.

The strawberry is comparatively free

Culture—Strawberries 39

from serious injury by disease, “rust” or
blighting of the leaves being the most
troublesome. Where clean culture is
given, and the beds kept down only one or
two years at a time, it is most unlikely to
prove troublesome. Sometimes also they
are attacked by mildew. Both troubles
are controlled by spraying with Bordeaux.
Make first application soon after plants
are set and three or four times before fall,
and just before blossoming, following ten
days later, in the spring.

Among the insect enemies, the White
Grub (larva of the June bug) is the most
troublesome. Dig out and destroy. Do
not follow grass or sod directly with straw-
berries. ‘The strawberrry worm, a small
green caterpillar, sometimes proves an-
noying, when in large quantities. Dust
the foliage, while moist, with finely sifted
ashes or with lime. If cut-worms cause
any trouble, dig up and destroy and catch
with sweetened bran mash sprayed with
Paris Green.

CULTURE—GRAPES

HERE may be some excuse for your
not growing your own fruit, if
your space is limited, but you cannot use
this excuse about grapes. The classical
fig-tree may not be adapted to your par-
ticular climate but by all means have your
own vine :—if there is not room for a trel-
lis in the garden, train it against the wall
of the house, woodshed or garage.

The grape is not particular as to soil,
as long as it is well drained. I have seen
them thriving on soil so gravelly that it
would seem nothing could grow there.
If it can be had, a soil rather of clay com-
position will be best. The exposure should
be to the sun, and if possible an open, airy
one. If the soil is not already in good
condition, and well enriched, prepare it
thoroughly in both these respects before
you plant. Stable manure will be good to
use, provided it is well rotted up, but a
liberal dressing of wood ashes should be
added to supply potash, as it is necessary

40

The most essential factors in growing good

gtapes are proper pruning and plenty of
potash

Culture—Grapes 41

to have the wood thoroughly ripen and
harden by fall, for upon this depends the
crop of the following year. If using
chemicals, take equal parts of bone, acid
phosphate and muriate of potash, with a
light top dressing of nitrate of soda, early
in the spring free of undesired sprouts as
directed under pruning. Secondly, spray
with Bordeaux mixture before every rain,
if possible, from the time the vine leaves
come out until about the middle of July.
After that use ammoniacal copper carbon-
ate. Take special pains to cover every
part of the new growth upon which the
fruit is borne.

Where only a few vines are grown, the
bunches are often protected by covering
with manila bags, put on when the grapes
are well formed on the bunches. The top
of the bag is slit down three or four inches
on sides and ends—four cuts—at the top,
slipped over the bunch, and the flaps
formed by the cuts folded over the canes
and pruned below the canes.

DWARF AND TRAINED FRUITS
see enthusiasts believe that the

dwarf fruit-trees will eventually re-
place the standard form altogether. I
believe this to be an altogether exagger-
ated view, but nevertheless under certain
conditions they are very desirable, and cer-
tainly a great boon to the man with a small
place. |
The great advantage of dwarf trees is
the fact that they can be grown where
there would not be room for standard types.
Standard trees, for instance, are set
thirty-five to forty feet apart. Doucin
stock apples can be set within fifteen to
twenty feet of each other, and Paradise
stock apples as close as ten or even eight
feet. Not only can three to five small trees
be set where one or two standards would
occupy the same amount of room, but they
can, if conditions require it, be trained to
a trellis along the boundary of the
grounds, so that their growth is almost en-
42

Dwarf and Trained Fruits 43

tirely lateral. It often happens, too, that
while there might be enough ground room
for a standard tree, the height would be
objectionable. And here again, of course,
the dwarf trees furnish a practical solu-
tion to the problem.

Another point in their favor which is
of almost equal importance to the man who
desires to grow his own fruit on a small
scale, is the fact that these small trees are
so easily cared for and so efficiently at-
tended to in the matter of spraying, prun-
ing, thinning the fruit, etc. With no
power except his two arms, he can care
for his dwarf trees quite as thoroughly as
the commercial orchardist can tend his
acres, with a power spray-pump and all
the other requisite apparatus.

It must be remembered, however, that
the dwarf fruits need exceptionally high
culture. The ground must be kept in the
best of condition and they must be thor-
oughly looked after, especially if they are
to be trained to a trellis ora wall. If you
are willing to undertake this extra work,
you will be well rewarded for it; but unless
you are, you had not better attempt to
grow them.

44. Making a Garden of Small Fruits

The fact is, that the dwarf fruit tree
offers a solution and a very advantageous
solution to those who would otherwise go
without fruit of their own at all. Its
stronghold will be the suburban garden
and the grounds of the small place; there
the amateur and the enthusiast will be
glad to give them all the attention which
they require, in return for apples, pears
and peaches in variety and of the first
quality, which they will begin to yield him,
not only after several years of fruitless
labor, but almost immediately.

Unless the trees are to be planted in a
garden soil already rich, holes should be
dug out to a considerable size and old, very
thoroughly-rotted manure mixed through
the soil before it is put back into them.
If the trees are to be set in a row along a
wall or a trellis, it will be better, instead
of making individual holes, to prepare a
trench or broad, deep furrow in the same
way. Where the trees are to be grown
against the wall two things must be
avoided—although in Europe they do not
have to pay attention to them because of
the difference in climate. Do not plant
them against the wall, but a foot or so

Dwarf and Trained Fruits 45

from it and trained on a trellis, for in our
hot summer sunshine the wall surface be-
comes so heated that it might be injurious
to the branches trained against it and also
training the limbs a few inches away from
the wall gives more opportunity for a free
circulation of air and the proper applica-
tion of sprays, etc., to all parts of the
branches. If possible, don’t train along a
wall facing south, as in such a location the
trees are pretty sure to start into bud pre-
maturely in the spring and be injured by
late frost. Where an exceptionally warm
and sheltered location of this sort cannot
be avoided it will necessary to counter-
act the effect by sufficient mulching. I
have a friend who has done this success-
fully by giving a big mulching of leaves
and corn stalks around the base of the
trees after the ground has become thor-
oughly frozen in winter and by shading
the trees themselves from the warm early
spring sun by pine boughs woven into a
temporary rough wire trellis. This mulch
is removed in the spring to allow thorough
cultivation, but again spread on toward
the end of June to conserve the moisture
during the hot dry, mid-summer weeks.

46 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

The trees should be so planted and ar-
ranged, especially in a garden where the
horse and cultivator are used, as to al-
low continuous cultivation in one direc-
tion. ‘That is, they should fit in with the
rows of asparagus, small fruits, strawberry
beds, etc., of a more or less permanent
character, in order to make their cultiva-
tion as convenient as possible.

The amount of space available and other
local conditions will determine whether
you want to grow the trees in their reg-
ular form or train them near a wall or
upon a trellis. In the latter case, the
growth is induced to take a lateral form,
as far as possible. Even with dwarfs the
results will depend very largely upon the
thoroughness with which the pruning is
done, especially in the early stages of
growth. To induce the pyramidal form of
growth, which is usually the best for dwarf
trees, it is necessary to cut back the main
shoots or “‘leaders” quite low down, thus
inducing the more vigorous growth of the
side branches, and leaving the tree with an
open center. At the time of planting they
should be shortened back about one-third
in the usual way, and as soon as they be-

Dwarf and Trained Fruits 47

come established the centers should be cut
back to a height of from ten to twenty
inches. If vigorous growth is made, these
side branches should be headed in, leaving
four or five shoots on each., These will,
of course, tend to an upright position in
making their growth. The following
spring these shoots should be cut back
severely—one-half will not be too much
if they have made a vigorous growth—
and in case they should be too thick re-
move some of the side branches from
which they sprout. This severe pruning
should be continued for three or four
years, and the shoots should be gone over
annually, early in the summer. All
branches that crowd or cross should be
cut out, and all those that seem to be mak-
ing too vigorous growth should be headed
back m order that the tree may be kept
symmetrical. For best results in the fruit
there should be free access of air and sun-
light to all parts of the tree. Each
spring, the annual growth of the year be-
fore should be cut back a third or more,
as may be required to keep the trees in
shape as small as desired.

Where the trees are to be trained upon

48 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

the trellis, a somewhat different system
has to be used. In the first place they
should be planted almost directly under
it, that is, so that the main trunk will grow
close to the wires and not several inches
away. After planting, when growth
starts, the main trunk should be cut off a
few inches above the first wire and three
buds allowed to develop. One of these is
trained along the wire on either side of
the trunk and the third encouraged to
make an upright growth as far as the next
wire, where the same process is used; that
is, three buds are left here, two of which
are trained in either direction on the
second wire, and the third bud, which
should preferably be on the opposite side
of the trunk from one below it, up to
the third wire, etc. The shoots which
start from the lateral branches should be
kept cut back to four or five inches, sav-
ing only one out of every two or three
so they will not be too close together.
Every spring, as soon as the buds are well
started, all those which are not desired
should be rubbed off before they make
any considerable growth, as this is not
only very much easier but also saves the

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Dwarf and Trained Fruits 49

strength of the tree for the growth which
is retained.

As regards the general care of dwarf
fruit trees, they are not very different from
the standards except that in order to be at
all successful they must be given excellent
care in every way and that it is generally
necessary to thin the fruits; an operation
which as far as standard trees are con-
cerned does produce better results, but
which is not usually attempted on account
of the difficulty of doing it thoroughly.
With the dwarf trees, however, it is not
only necessary, as they have the habit of
setting two or three times the fruit which
they have strength to develop—but they
are much more easily thinned, as most of
the fruit spurs may be reached from the
ground or at the worst from a step-ladder.
The thinning may be accomplished by re-
moving part of the fruit spurs, or a half
or more of the fruits themselves after they
have set and made some growth, which
will be before the first of August.

Not only should the soil be made rich
before the trees are set out, but they will
need yearly attention in the matter of
fertilization thereafter. As with standard

so Making a Garden of Small Fruits

fruits, green manuring with clover or
some leguminous crop, especially during
the latter part of the season, will be
beneficial, and the soil should not be al-
lowed to lack in potash. When there does
not seem to be a rapid healthy growth in
the spring a light application of nitrate of
soda will usually be found of great service.
Above all things the spraying must not be
neglected, and where it is so easily ac-
complished, there is absolutely no reason
for doing so, especially with efficient ready
prepared sprays of various sorts which
are now to be had from many sources.
Before using any of these, however, I
would strongly advise the fruit grower to
get the report of his experiment station
upon spraying and sprays in order that he
may see for himself from actual and care-
fully tried experiments what preparations
are likely to give the best results. The
percentages of efficiency obtained from the
various preparations are sure to prove in-
teresting and profitable.

GENERAL CARE—PRUNING AND
SPRAYING

O matter how good stock you get, nor
how thoroughly you have the ground
prepared and fertilized, you cannot ex-
pect to have satisfactory results unless you
are willing to keep careful watch over your
various undertakings in the way of small
fruit growing. The work is neither very
hard nor overwhelming, but a constant
vigilance must be maintained. If, for in-
stance, you are keeping your eyes open,
and spot the first batch of currant worms
as soon as they hatch out, it will be the
work of ten or fifteen minutes, perhaps,
to apply Paris Green or hellebore enough
to put them eternally out of business.
But if you plan to fix up your bushes in
the spring, and then not go near them
again until the fruit is ready to pick, you
will find yourself to have been cultivating
only a fine crop of disappointments.
Make yourself familiar enough with the
5t

52 Making a Garden of Small Fruits

several chapters on culture and the spray-
ing table in this chapter, so that you will
know when to expect the various dis-
eases or insects which are likely to cause
you trouble and be on the watch for them.
When any sort of trouble does make its
appearance, be ready to begin the fight
against it at once; a few days’ delay may
be fatal. Whatever spraying materials
you are likely to require should be kept on
hand ready to use—arsenate of lead,
Bordeaux-mixture, lime-sulphur solution,
Paris Green and hellebore may be had in
small amounts and in a form convenient
to keep and use, and the equipment of the
anti-insect armory need not be at all ex-
pensive. Along with the various sprays
and poisons the equipment should include
a modern compressed-air hand sprayer,
which will cost from four to seven dollars
according to the type and the attach-
ments. But you will have use for it prac-
tically all the year around, not only for
your small fruits but for the vegetable
garden, the flower garden, the hen-house
and so forth, and you should not attempt
to get along without one. A machine
made of brass throughout will cost a lit-

Pruning and Spraying 53

tle more, but will outlast three of the
others, as some of the sprays are very cor-
rosive when brought in contact with iron
or tin. In using your sprays especially
preventative ones, which have to be ap-
plied before the insects or diseases which
are to be fought have actually put in an
appearance, be sure to have the job done
on time. Furthermore, be sure to do it
thoroughly—every leaf, branch and por-
tion of the stem should be entirely coated.
If you cannot do this with one applica-
tion, make two.

From the frequent mention which has
been made of pruning in the preceding
chapters, you have probably realized by
this time that it constitutes a very impor-
tant part of successful fruit culture.

The best time for pruning is usually in
the autumn, or in the spring before new
growth starts to any extent. Prune first
of all to keep the plant, bush or tree in
the shape or form required. Then any
canes, limbs or branches which show signs
of disease, such as black-rot or galls, or
which have become broken or badly bruised,
should be cut back to firm, sound wood;
also any that cross or rub each other.

54. Making a Garden of Small Fruits

Small and dwarf fruit trees, if grown in
the open, should be developed into what is
termed the ‘‘vase” or open-headed form,
by cutting back the main “leader”? when
planting, and later the more central
branches, so as to keep them low, and in-
duce lateral growth as much as possible.

All cuts should be made clean and
smooth, and close up to the trunk or limb
from which the branch is being severed.
When a limb of any size (two inches or
more in diameter) is removed the wound
should be painted over with coal-tar or a
heavy lead paint.

Aim always to keep the small fruits in
good condition, well cultivated, well fed,
and they will reward you generously with
an abundance of such berries and fruit as
you would not be without for many times
the number of hours and dollars you will
find it necessary to spend on them.

55

Pruning and Spraying

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