These three I would plant in the same row, in the small fruit plot or
permanent part of the garden, mainly because a third of a row of each
will afford an ample supply for a good-sized family, and all require
nearly the same treatment. The plants of each are all set together,
each in its own third of the row, not interspersed. The plants should
be set as early in the spring as possible, or can be planted in the
fall and well mulched with manure. The crowns of the rhubarb should be
set an inch or two under the surface, and no stalks pulled until the
second or third season; in the fall, when the ground is frozen hard,
the old leaves should be pulled off and the row well mulched with long
manure; in the spring this should be worked down to the roots, when
the ground is fit to work, and the soil kept loose and free from weeds
while the rhubarb is making its growth. The stalks can be pulled as
soon as they are large enough for use, and can be pulled until they
become so small as to be unfit for use; then dig in some fine manure or
compost, and let it grow at will until fall, when the stalks will again
be fit for use, though this second crop is generally allowed to go to
waste, mainly, I think, through ignorance of the fact that it is just
as palatable as in the spring, and that it can easily be canned for
winter use. Like asparagus, it must be liberally and continually fed,
to have it in fine condition and of good size.
The currants and gooseberries are subject to the ravages of the currant
worm, which cleans up every leaf and berry on the bushes just as they
are about to ripen. To prevent this, the bushes should be dusted with
white hellebore when the first worm makes his appearance; as this is a
very strong poison many are afraid to use it; and, indeed, great care
must be taken in using the fruit; still, the worms usually appear about
the time the bushes are in bloom, and if promptly welcomed will have
disappeared, and the poison be washed off the bushes before the fruit
has formed. Any one who does not like to use the hellebore can dust the
bushes with road dust or dry wood ashes every morning while the dew is
still on the leaves; care should be taken that the _under_ side
of the leaves should receive a good portion of whatever is used. There
is still another way of getting rid of these pests, and that is by
hand-picking them; but any one who has tried it will agree with me that
it is a somewhat tedious process when done every morning for a couple
of weeks.
When the fall comes these bushes should be well mulched, and in the
spring, before the growth starts, the old wood should be cut out of
them, care being taken not to trim them too severely; never take out
more than a third of the wood, or you will trim away your crop of
fruit for the season. When the spring opens, dig in the mulch and keep
the ground well worked and free from weeds, as in the asparagus and
rhubarb.