HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. 49 



A member. In the summer at the time of fruiting is there never 

 danger of the new growth taking the sap from the root, so that you 

 lose your crop if you don't pinch back? 



Mr. Pearce. I have never had any trouble in that direction. 

 My plants lie down on the ground almost flat and when my new 

 canes come up I keep them down to what they should be. 



Mr. Wilcox. I think he said that his red raspberries did not 

 suffer from disease. I was not aware that our red raspberries ever 

 suffered any variety of disease. 



Mr. Pearce. Oh, yes. 



Mr. Wilcox. Well, I should be happy to know what disease 

 they ever suffered from. 



Mr. Pearce. There is a decease among raspberries where the 

 leaves all turn up. 



Mr. Harris. The aphis ? 



Mr. Pearce. No, it is fungus. 



Mr. Harris. The leaves have a rusty appearance and crinkle up ? 



Mr. Pearce. Yes. 



The following paper was then read by Dr. Frisselle of Excelsior, 

 CURRANT CULTURE. 

 By Dr. M. M. Frisselle, of Excelsior. 



None of our Northern fruits can boast of a more ancient lineage 

 or hold a more permanent place in the esteem and affection of the 

 people than the currant. Its agreeable acid juice adds a refreshing 

 element to the cool drink of the fevered patient, and the house- 

 wife's stores can in no sense be called complete that does not em- 

 brace a generous supply of this fruit, preserved in cans or as jam, 

 or converted into the staple delicious article — currant jelly. For 

 every reason this healthful fruit should be abundant in every 

 household and in universal use everywhere, as it thrives in almost 

 any location and will endure more abuse and ill treatment than 

 any other fruit. 



None of our small fruits respond more promptly and more 

 abundantly to kind and generous treatment than this, and no fruit 

 is more sure of a ready market at remunerative prices. Currants 

 among fruits are like muslin among textile fabrics, or sugar among 

 groceries. They are staple goods always wanted, and the market 

 is never known to be glutted with this fruit. 



But the real question implied by the title of this paper is, how 

 to successfully cultivate the currant, and in this discussion I shall 

 take the liberty of drawing largely upon my own experience. The 

 Ribes family to which the currant belongs is rather a large one, 

 including at least forty members. It is a native of Europe, Rus- 

 sian Siberia, and the northern parts of North America. The name 



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