GROSSULARIEE. 
Pruning.—The chief part of the future culture is seasonable 
pruning. After the plants are furnished with full heads, they 
produce many superfluous and disorderly shoots every summer, 
crowding the general bearers, so as to require retrenchment 
and regulation, both in the young growth of the year and older 
wood. The season for the capital pruning is winter; buta pre- 
paratory part is performed in summer, to thin the superfluous 
shoots of the year where too crowded, excluding the sun and 
air from the fruit. First as to standards :— 
_ Summer pruning.—In May or June cut out close the most 
irregular shoots, rising in the centre of the bush with all the 
cross and water shoots, to admit more freely the essential in- 
fluence of the air and sun, and promote the growth of the fruit 
and improve its flavour. Also twist off all root suckers as they 
appear. 
Winter pruning.—This extends both to the old and young 
“wood ; the time for it is when the plant is at rest. Of the 
shoots of the preceding summer, cut out the cross-placed and 
the otherwise itregular, with those which are not wanted for 
vacancies ; but superfluous good lateral shoots are”to be cut 
down to short stubs or artificial spurs, about half an inch long, 
so as to leave an eye or two, in order that they may send out 
fruit-shoots and spurs. With regard to the old bearers, take 
away those which are naked, or getting unfruitful, or of which 
the fruit is declining in size; reduce any of excessive length, 
pruning in to some well-placed lateral young shoot, to preserve 
the head within some regular compass; cut out also any de- 
cayed or cankery parts; retain a competency of the finest best- 
placed new shoots above and below vacant parts, to come in for 
successional bearers, or to supply the places of defective old 
wood, and preserve a leading shoot to the principal branches, 
where within orderly limits, shortening such terminal shoots as 
are of greatest length to 10, 12, or 15 inches, according to their 
strength and the situation of the branches, and leaving those of 
small extent mostly entire. Take care of the small lateral 
fruit-spurs, and occasionally select short lateral shoots of 1, 2, 
or 8 inches, for bearing fruit; or similar small shoots may be 
cut to short snags of an inch or two long, also for fruiting. 
Thin out spurs of the old branches where very thick. As the 
old fruit branches decline bearing, or decay, cut them away, 
taking care to provide young ones in succession ; and thus keep 
the bushes always furnished with full-bearing branches, and ad- 
vancing young bearers, in a regular open expansion, 6, 8, or 10 
inches asunder at the extremities, circumscribing the general 
head within the height of 3 or 4 feet, or 5 at most. 
“ Currants of the finest quality,” Mr. Neill observes, ‘ are 
raised by Macdonald, at Dalkeith House. A good deal depends 
upon the way in which he manages the bushes, especially during 
the ripening of the fruit. He prunes the bushes at the usual 
season of mid-winter, shortening the last year’s shoots down to 
an inch or an inch and a half. Next summer the plants show 
plenty of fruit, and at the same time throw out plenty of strong 
shoots. As soon as the berries begin to colour, he cuts off the 
summer shoots to within 5 or 6 inches before the fruit. This is 
commonly done with the garden shears, with which a man may 
go over half an acre of bushes in a day. Sun and air thus get 
more free access, and more of the vigour of the plant is di- 
rected to the fruit; the berries are found not only to be of higher 
flavour, but larger than usual.”—Neill, Cal. mem. vol. 2. 
To wall-bushes, espaliers, and fan- standards, without support, 
the same course of summer and winter pruning is applicable, 
with the obvious variations required by their figure. In training 
wall-trees, 2 branches are led in an horizontal direction along 
the bottom of the wall or trellis, perhaps half a foot from the 
surface of the earth, and the growths from these of all upright 
shoots, which will admit of being arranged at the distance of 
I. Rises. 189 
5 or 6 inches from each other, is encouraged. Fan standards 
are sometimes trained in a manner nearly similar, and some- 
times with the branches radiating from the crown of the stem. 
Insects, &c.—The red currant is occasionally attacked by the 
caterpillar, and very frequently by the Aphis ribes, Lin. which 
changes the colour of the leaves to red, pits and puckers them, 
and causes the fruit to be shrivelled and flavourless. Forsyth 
says, “ As currants are very liable to be devoured by earwigs, 
which take shelter under their leaves and branches, bundles of 
bean-stalks should be hung up some time before the bushes are 
covered with mats or nets. If proper attention be not paid to 
this, the fruit will generally suffer very much from these insects. 
After the bushes are covered, take the mats off once in 3 or 4 
days, and kill the earwigs that have got into the bean-stalks, 
which it will be necessary still to keep hung up. As there is a 
sweetness in the inside of bean-stalks which attracts the ear- 
wigs, they very regularly take shelter in them from rain.” 
Taking the crop and preserving.—The ripening fruit comes 
in for small gatherings in June, advances to maturity in July, 
and continues in perfection till the end of August; or if trees 
in a full exposure are timely defended from birds and the full 
sun, with garden mats, or protected with nets where they grow 
against walls, the fruit may be continued good till September or 
October. Gather in a dry state, as in rainy weather they lose 
their flavour. 
Forcing.—To obtain early currants by forcing, let some good 
bearing trees, in pots, be placed early in January or February, 
in any common forcing department: they will produce ripe fruit 
in April or May. 
Red and White Currant. Fl. April, May. Brit. Sh. 4 to 6 ft. 
50 R. cranpudsum (Ruiz. et Pav. fi. per. t. 233. f. 6. but 
not of Ait.) leaves cordate, bluntly 3-lobed, doubly serrated, 
rugged ; racemes short; calyx glandular, pubescent. h. H. 
Native of Chili, on wooded hills. Berl. l. c. t. 2. f. 20. 
Glandular-calyxed Currant. Fl. April, May. Clt. 
Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 
51 R. campanuta tum (Humb. et Bonpl. in Willd. herb. ex 
Reem. et Schultes, 2. p. 500.) leaves somewhat 5-lobed, doubly 
crenated, cordate, hairy beneath; lobes obtuse ; petioles cili- 
ated with glandular hairs; racemes pendulous ; calyx campa- 
1820. 
nulate; petals oblong-spatulate ; styles bifid. h. H. Native 
of Mexico, near Moran, at the height of 3900 feet. R. affine, 
H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. et spec. amer. 6. p. 60. Flowers 
white. Hardly distinct from the following species. 
Campanulate-calyxed Currant. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 
52 R.Ku'ntuu (Berl. mss. ex D. C, prod. 3. p. 482.) leaves 
somewhat 5-lobed, doubly serrated, rather cordate at the base, 
pubescent; racemes solitary or numerous, crowded, erect; calyx 
campanulate ; petals spatulate, reflexed; stamens 5-6, hardly 
shorter than the petals; styles 3-4-cleft; stigmas capitate. k. 
H. Native of Mexico, along with the preceding. R. multi- 
florum, H. B. et Kunth, l. c. but not of Kit. 
Kunth’s Currant. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 
53 R. rri'ste (Pall. nov. act. petro. 10. p. 378.) leaves 5- 
lobed ; branches simple, twiggy, bearing leaves and racemes of 
flowers at the apex; racemes pendulous, both when in flower 
and in fruit ; corollas flattish, reddish on the outside, and yel- 
lowish inside; petals revolute. bh. H. Native of Siberia, 
on the Mongol Mountains. Berries small, black, insipid. Root 
creeping. 
Dark-fruited Currant. 
2 to 8 feet. 
54 R. cracia`Le (Wall. cat. no. 6833.) branches smooth ; 
leaves glabrous above, but with a few scattered bristly hairs 
beneath, cordate at the base, 3-5-lobed at the apex; lobes acute, 
serrated; petioles long, serrated at the base; racemes droop- 
Fl. April, May. Clt. 1820. Shrub 
