CHAP. XI VILLA GARDENING 297 



Propagation. — Like all the Eibes family, this strikes freely 

 from cuttings iu any situation when planted fii-mly in the ground 

 in autumn. If the bushes are to have only one stem, all the eyes 

 must be cut from the bottom ; but if the many-stemmed bush is 

 preferred no eyes need be taken out. One has only to take off 

 cuttings or slips of the last year's wood and plant firmly. The 

 cuttings should be planted in ro-\vs 1 foot apart, and 6 inches in 

 the rows. In two years transplant to an open situation, 2 feet be- 

 tween the rows and 1 foot from plant to plant. In this position 

 they may remain tiU planted finally. In their fruiting quarters 

 Black CvuTants make wide-spreading bushes when allowed to throw 

 up numerous stems. If confined to one stem they will not need 

 so much space. In the former case 7 or even 8 feet will not be 

 too much on deep, rich, moist land ; but 5 or 6 feet will be suffi- 

 cient space for the smaller plants trained to one stem. As regards 

 the Black Cm-rant, I am decidedly in favour of the many-stemmed 

 bush, whilst Gooseberries and Red and "White Cm-rants I would 

 rigorously confine to one stem. 



Pruning. — The Black Currant bears on the young wood, there- 

 fore it is absolutely necessary that gTowth should be encouraged, 

 and also that plenty should be left on the bush. When I say 

 " plenty," I do not mean that all the young wood should be left, 

 as that would ruin not only our present but our futiue prospects. 

 In the case of the Black Currant, pruning is a very important 

 operation, nearly everything depending upon its being rightly carried 

 out, and to this end it should be rightly imderstood. Enough 

 young wood should be left to bear a fidl crop, and at the same 

 time space must be left for the admission of air and sunshine, and 

 for the new shoots, which the system of shortening back old wood 

 will develop. This should be done annually to keep the bushes in 

 a constant state of renewal. Scarcely any shortening of the yoimg 

 wood will be required, and no formally-shaped bush is wanted. 

 An open-headed regularly-shaped bush, well furnished A^-ith young 

 wood, will bear plenty of fruit. Ko attempt need be made to keep 

 the centre open. Usually when the fruit gets large the branches 

 hang down, so that virtually the centre does open up, though this 

 need not be provided for in any waj''. What we want to arrive 

 at is a bush 6 or 7 feet high, so managed as to be furnished 

 with young fruit-bearing wood all over it ; this will chiefly de- 

 pend upon the pnmer, and is done by cutting out some of the old 

 wood annually to make room for the new. The renovation of old 

 bushes is easily accomplished by cutting back into the old wood, 

 and thinning the young shoots, which break away. Very fertile 

 bushes have been created out of old hide-bound scrubby things in 



