THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



275 



Of white currants, there are very- 

 many according to the names which 

 exist, and there may be many without 

 names. "Who knows ? To assert a 

 negative is almost as dangerous as 

 attempting to prove one. But for an 

 affirmative I can say that I never saw 

 but one kind, and that is White 

 Dutch. For instance, Jeeves's White 

 is White Dutch; Morgan's White is 

 White Dutch ; New White Dutch is 

 White Dutch ; White Grape is White 

 Dutch ; White Leghorn is White 

 Dutch ; Humber's "White is White 

 Dutch. Confound those fellows who 

 tack their own names to things that 

 they had no hand in originating. It 

 is worse than if they carved their 

 names on oak-trees and churchyard 

 palings, and is of the same type of 

 trickery as that of the seedsmen who 

 call Emperor Pea Smith's Light- 

 ning, Brown's Instantaneous, Jones's 

 Champion, and Robinson's Hasty, in 

 order to make a little local fame, and 

 at the same time get an extra sixpence 

 or a shilling a quart. The large 

 bunches of white currants you see at 

 Covent Garden are White Dutch, and 

 the reason why they are so large is 

 because they come from the rich soils 

 of Fulham and Bermondsey, where 

 the trees are pruned in winter to mere 

 stumps, every young shoot being cut 

 back to about two inches. Do the 

 same, and you will have similar re- 

 sults, and that is the only way to win 

 at exhibitions, and at home to secure 

 the good favour of the ladies, with 

 whom, by the by, white currants are 

 always in good favour. 



As for black currants, the same 

 condemnation must be passed on the 

 common kind as the common red de- 

 serves and has had. Turn it out, and 

 do better. As a conscientious man, I 

 cannot help remarking that I am like 

 the free and easy parson who said, 

 "Don't do as I do, but do as I tell 



you." I have in one part of my gar- 

 den a dividing fence much over- 

 shadowed with trees. It is a spot 

 where ornamental trees would be lost, 

 even if the shade did not prove fatal 

 to them. There I have a grand row 

 of black currants of the common sort — 

 fine old long-legged trees that are tied 

 in to stout galvanized wire, and the 

 produce is so acceptable for jam that 

 it will be a long time I expect ere I 

 sweep them away, and put better 

 kinds in their stead. In fact, the 

 common black is very good, but there 

 are two that beat it, and those two 

 you ought to have. The best of the 

 two is Ogden's Black ; it surpasses 

 common black in every way, and is 

 quite as hardy ; it produces finer 

 bunches and finer berries, and has a 

 fine rich flavour, most acceptable in 

 that best of invalid's delicacies, black 

 currant jam, which possibly many 

 folks who are not invalids can relish 

 in a tart or on a biscuit with a glass 

 of good brown sherry. Black Naples 

 is finer still every way, but not so 

 hardy ; so those who live in very cold 

 places must not depend upon it till 

 they have given it a fair trial. It is 

 a fine large berry, rich and juicy, 

 better flavoured than any other of its 

 class, and if grown in rich moist soil 

 — black currants require a rich moist 

 soil ; drainage is almost of no con- 

 sequence — the berries come of im- 

 mense size, and resemble the little 

 black cherries (merries) that are so 

 much esteemed by snug people for 

 preparing that estimable liqueur 

 known as cherry gin. It is very odd 

 that with such fine sorts to choose 

 from, people should be so quietly con- 

 tent with sorts that are comparatively 

 worthless ; yet so it is, and the day 

 is yet to come when currants will be 

 as properly cared for as peaches, nec- 

 tarines, and grapes. S. H. 



FOKMATION OF A PEACH BOEDEK 



A peach border, to be well made, 

 should be constructed on the follow- 

 ing plan : let all the earth be taken 

 out two feet deep next the wall, and 



two feet six inches at the outside width 

 of the border ; this extra six inches 

 along the front is necessary to secure 

 a proper fall for the water, and some 

 N 2 



