188 GROSSULARIE®. 
t.74. Fl. dan. 967. Blackw. herb. t. 285. Smith, engl. bot. 
1289. Flowers yellowish. 
Var. a, sylvéstre (D.C. fi. fr. 4. p. 406.) leaves and berries 
smaller ; lobes of leaves short. 
Var. B, horténse (D. C. 1. c.) leaves larger, sometimes varie- 
gated; berries sweeter and larger than in var. a. Cultivated in 
gardens. R. rubrum, Lois. nouv. dict. 3. 
Var. y, cárneum (Berl. mss. ex D. C. prod. 3. p. 481.) leaves 
rather tomentose beneath ; sepals red; cells of anthers distant ; 
berries pale red. R. rdbrum domésticum #, baccis carneis, 
Wallr. sched. p. 106. 
Var. 6, variegatum (D. C. prod. 3. p. 481.) berries variegated. 
Wallr. l.c. 
Var. £, album (Desf. cat. bot. p. 164.) berries white. Ait. 
hort. kew. 2. p. 40. Wallr. sched. p. 106. Berl. l.c. t. 2. f. 15. 
The red currant is called Groseille ordinaire à grappes, or 
d'outre mer, in French; Johannisbeere, in German; and Uvetta, 
in Italian. It is a low shrub, with smooth branches, downy 
leaves, yellowish green flowers, disposed in pendulous racemes, 
which appear in May, and the fruit ripens in June and July. 
The berries of this shrub, in its wild state, are red; but cul- 
tivation has produced white and pale red berries. Professor 
Martyn observes, that “ The currant does not seem to have been 
known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, as the southern nations 
of Europe have not even an appropriate name to it at this day. 
The old French name, groseilles d'outre mer, and the Dutch, 
beskins overzee, proclaim their having been strangers imported. 
Our English name of currant is evidently from the similitude of 
the fruit to that of the Corinth grape, the small grape of Zante, 
or the common grocers’ Corinths or currants. The red currant 
has been long cultivated in Britain, and very much improved in 
the size of the bunch and berry.” 
Use.—The fruit is acceptable at the dessert, being of an 
agreeable acid taste. It is much used for jellies, jams, and wines. 
Forsyth says it is the most useful of all the small fruit, either 
for the table and kitchen, or for preserving, making wine, &c., 
and continues longer in succession than any other. According 
to Withering, the juice forms an agreeable acid to punch; and 
Professor Martyn says it was a common beverage in Paris in 
1763. Its medicinal qualities are similar to those of other sub- 
acerb fruits, allaying thirst, lessening an increased secretion of 
the bile, and correcting a putrid and scorbutic state of the fluids. 
Varieties.—There are as follow: 
* Red currants. 
1 Common red, groseillier rouge à petit fruit, groseillier 
ordinaire à fruit rouge. p 
2 Red Dutch, large red Dutch, New red Dutch, large red, 
large bunched red, Morgan’s red, red grape, groseillier rouge 
à gros fruit. This is the best of the red currants for all pur- 
poses. 
3 Knight’s large red. 
4 Knight's sweet red currant. 
5 Knight’s early red currant. 
6 Champagne, groseillier a fruit couleur de chair. 
7 Striped-leaved currant, and variegated-leaved currant. 
8 Large pale red Dutch. 
* *® White currants. 
1 Common white currant, groseillier à fruit blanc. 
2 White Dutch currant, new white Dutch, Morgan’s white, 
white crystal, white Leghorn, pearl white. This is one of the 
very best of the white currants. 
3 Pearl white, blanc perli. 
4 Speary’s white. 
Propagation and nursery culture.—The same as in the goose-- 
I. Rises. 
berry. With a view to obtaining new improved varieties from 
seed, Mr. Knight procured cuttings, in the year 1810, of the 
finest varieties of the red and white currants, which he planted 
in pots of very rich mould, and placed under a south wall, to 
which the trees were subsequently trained. At the end of 8 
years, within which period the pots had been as often changed, 
the trees were first suffered to produce blossoms. These were, 
with the exception of a very small number, removed from the 
white currant bushes, as soon as their buds unfolded ; and those 
which remained were deprived of their stamens while immature, 
and subsequently fertilized by the pollen of the red variety. 
The seeds thus obtained were sown in pots, as soon as the fruit 
had become perfectly mature, and were subjected early in the 
following spring to the artificial heat of a forcing-house; by 
which means, and by proper subsequent attention, the plants 
grew more than a foot in height the first season. At 2 years 
old, in the year 1816, several of the plants, and in 1817, th 
greater part of them, produced fruit’of great variety of charac- 
ter and merits; but out of about 200 varieties, only 3 red and 
2 white appeared to possess greater merits than their parents. 
Soil and site.—All the sorts are very hardy, will grow freely 
and bear plentifully almost any where, alike in open or shady 
situations, by which the fruit may be obtained early, in June 
and July, and prolonged for several months in succession till 
October. As to soil, the currant generally does well in any 
common garden-soil, well tilled and recruited: it bears the 
greater crop ina strong loam or improved clay, somewhat moist; 
the earlier in a sandy light soil, which is not poor. Previous to 
planting, the ground should be dug 2 feet deep. es 
Final planting. The season for planting, on a dry soil, is 
any time in open weather from the fall of the leaf till Fe- 
bruary or March. Plants expected to bear the following sum- 
mer, are best moved in October, unless the ground be wet in 
winter. Allot a competent supply of standard bushes, to be 
planted chiefly in the kitchen garden, in a single row, round the 
main quarters, or in the outward borders, or some in cross rows; 
to divide extensive quarters. Plant them from 5-10 feet dis- 
tance inthe row. To raise large supplies, full plantations ate 
formed in parallel rows, with intervals between the rows of 8 
or 10 feet, and between the trees in each row of 6 feet. Where 
convenient, have also some choice sorts, trained against walls, 
paling, or trellis-work, of different aspects, to obtain early “i 
late fruit in perfection ; some against a south exposure for early 
production; others on east, west, and north walls for interme 
diate succession and late fruit. Plant them at 6, 8, or 10 feet 
distance ; letting them occasionally fill up the vacant spaces 
between other wall-trees. The branches should be allowed to 
advance from near the bottom, and be trained in a nearly hori- 
zontal direction, from 3-6 inches asunder. Before nailing them, 
cut out superabundant and irregular growths, retaining 2 page 
petency of regular shoots for orderly training, among which, 1 
any are of very considerable length, prune them to no 
extent. Some may likewise be trained as espaliers, in a €€- 
tached row in the borders or divisions of the quarters. The 
bushes so trained may either be left to grow without supports z 
be tied occasionally to stakes, and the branches thus will not 
overspread the ground. Being kept moderately thin and re- 
gular, they will bear fine large fruit, and make an agreeable 
appearance. it 
Mode of bearing.—Currant bushes, in general, bear the m 
both on the young wood of one, two, or three years one 
and on the older branches from small spurs and snags along t it 
sides, which continue for several years fruitful; but the fros 
produced on the last year’s shoots are always the finest, espe 
cially when the old mother bearers have borne more than 
years. 
