644 Report of the Department of Horticulture of the 



Profits vary greatly from year to year depending on all of the 

 factors involved in yields and costs and also on the selling price. 

 The price received usually varies from four to eight cents per pound, 

 averaging around five cents, depending on the character of the 

 market. Most of the fruit goes to canning and jelly factories. Under 

 some conditions an average profit of $100 per acre may be expected. 

 In other cases it may vary one way or the other from that figure. 



Picking and marketing the fruit. — The fruit must be picked and 

 handled with care to arrive at its destination in good condition. 

 The berries should be dry when harvested and not over-ripe. The 

 stems should be severed from the bushes, care being taken not to 

 pull off or injure berries. Some varieties are much more easily 

 picked than others on account of the clear space of stern at the 

 base of the clusters. Fruit may be picked greener for distant markets 

 than for nearby markets, and slightly greener for jelly than for 

 canning, a few green berries showing on each cluster. The season 

 of harvest is comparatively long. Currants are usually marketed 

 in quart baskets or in grape baskets and are mostly sold by the 

 pound. The smaller baskets are placed in crates of various sizes 

 similar to strawberries, the average sized crate holding 32 quarts. 



Publications available on currants. — This Station makes no recom- 

 mendations as to the best books on currants. They are very few. 

 The subject is treated in " Bush Fruits", and " Small Fruit Culturist " 

 which should be available at any of the large book houses. Nearly 

 all the Experiment Stations issue from time to time information on 

 this subject which may be secured free of cost on application. The 

 suggestions in this circular are not full directions. Details vary 

 widely in different places and must be worked out by each grower 

 to meet his own conditions. 



Varieties recommended for trial. — The following list of varieties 

 is suggestive. The kinds will not all succeed equally well in every 

 place. Some will be failures. The list, however, includes only 

 those varieties that have made a good record at this Station during 

 recent years including older and newer varieties which appear 

 worthy of trial. 



Red Currants. 



Chautauqua. — 'Vigorous, productive; clusters long; berries large; picks easily. 

 Cherry. — Large; clusters short; productive; standard. 

 Diploma. — ■ Vigorous, upright; light red, semi-transparent berries. 

 Fay. — Sprawling habit; large; medium productive. 

 Filler. — ■ Productive; bunches short; berries large. 



Perfection. — Bush more upright than Fay, medium in \ igor; large berries, high 

 quality. 



Red Cross. — Large; milder and slightly later than Cherry. 



Red Dutch. — Growth good; sprightly acid; dark red; medium size. 



Ruby. — ■ Mild-flavored; desirable for home use. 



Wilder. — Good late variety; vigorous; fruit large; long season; standard. 



